OverDrive, the service you can use to borrow eBooks, audiobooks and other digital media from your local library, school or university, is closing. In a blog post spotted by OverDrive it would shut down the app on May 1, 2023. The company first announced that it planned to discontinue OverDrive revealing at the time that it would pull the service from app stores in February 2022.
The shutdown represents an effort by OverDrive to move the majority of its users to its new Libby application. The two services have existed side-by-side since Overdrive introduced Libby in 2017, although there’s little reason to use the older app. Libby offers a handful of features not available on OverDrive, including support for multiple library cards, a unified library for all your loans and holds, and support for Apple CarPlay.
If you’re using OverDrive to enjoy books on your eReader, you’re probably wondering how the shutdown will affect your Kindle or Kobo. Amazon did not immediately respond to Engadget’s request for information on how it planned to handle the transition. However, most signs point to the shutdown being a minor inconvenience for users who have not yet migrated to Libby. In the United States, you can that you find on Libby on your Kindle device. Plus, if you’re still using OverDrive, you can sync your wishlists with Libby. As for Kobo devices, a Rakuten spokesperson said the company will have more information to share about the transition in the future. Either way, Engadget will update this article once there’s more to know.
