File format is not supported

margaeyre

Hi! 
I have a new tablet and I have installed Lithium to read epub files. If I open the files from lithium I can read them, but if I try to open them from the file manager I get the message "file format is not supported". 
The first time I opened a pdf file, for example, it gave me the option to pick an app for it, but not for epubs.
Does anyone know how to fix this?
Thanks!!

Heedtheadvice

Pending someone who can post back with better info here are a few suggestions based on limited knowledge plus a few guesses!

Have you tried using another reader other than Lithium. Guess you are on an Android tablet?

Does your Lithium read other epub files?

Does your epub file come from a source that uses Digital Rights Management (DRM) and if so which reader is required?

Try downloading an 'open source' epub to see if that works i.e. free without DRM such as an old book from Gutenberg repository.

Post back what you can.

margaeyre

HI!
Thanks for the tips. I have used lithium in my old tablet and it opened the same epub files from file manager without problem. Most of the epub files come from AO3 (I imagine that they are open source?), but I have downloaded a random book from Gutenberg, and you are right, it opened from file manager. 
That is really odd. Lithium can read the books from the program, but I cannot open the files from file manager on lithium. I suppose I'll have to try a different reader, but that one is my favourite... 

inspectorperez

One suggestion other than those that have already been made is to use Calibre software on a desktop/laptop if you have one available. If you were able to email a copy of the ePub file to yourself, Calibre would be able to convert the file to MOBI or PDF, which you could then email back to yourself or use Google Drive. The tablet file manager should be able to open from there.

If you are not familiar with Calibre, it is free to download software and over the years I have used it, I have found it to be extremely reliable.

DoaM

Obvious question, but .... are the file extensions the same on both the working and non-working files? (i.e. are they both .epub files?)

Does the error message appear when Lithium launches or only in File Manager?

This might help: https://www.androidauthority.com/change-default-apps-android-2-633572/

Heedtheadvice

^^^ as per DoaM's comments. Not all electronically published books are epub files.

There are a variety of file formats.

It does sound like the file type (identified by the extension such as ".epub" ) is not associated with the Lithium app. This can be set (see above).

You will usually not see the file extension from within file manager (

- it is a bit of the file name like "mydocumentlistofbooks.doc". In this case the .doc is the file extension and is associated with the app to open a document. It could be that this just needs setting.

margaeyre

Hi to all again.
All the files in question are epub files. They can all be opened from Lithium. But if I go to file manager (the equivalent of opening a folder in windows) and click on the file it will not automatically open on Lithium because they are not associated. I cannot associate the epub extension with Lithium. I have heeded Heedtheadvice's advice (wink), and downloaded a different reader app. I still cannot open the epub file from file manager, but this new app reads docx and pdf, so I have deleted two extra apps. 
Inspector Perez, thanks for the advice. I do have calibre in my PC, and I could try to convert them to mobi. I'll probably try that, see if it works.
I just wanted to know if there is a way to associate a file type to an app. I have been in app settings, but the option is not available. Or I don't know how to find it. 
But thanks to all who have replied!

margaeyre

DoaM said:

Obvious question, but .... are the file extensions the same on both the working and non-working files? (i.e. are they both .epub files?)

Does the error message appear when Lithium launches or only in File Manager?

This might help: https://www.androidauthority.com/change-default-apps-android-2-633572/

Hi DoaM. 
I had found that website before posting. For pdf, for example, android asked me which program I wanted to use to open the file the first time I used it, but it did not give me the same option for epub. I think that also happens with another file extension, I can't remember which one. It simply does not give me the option to associate a file with an app for certain extensions. For the common ones (audio, video, pdf) it asked. For other extensions, like epub and cbr, it doesn't. 
This only happens with the new tablet I purchased the other day. My daughter has "inherited" my old tablet, and she can open her epub books from either file manager or Lithium.
It's not a big deal, I'm just a curious person and I like to find out why things work or not.

fenlander_uk

There are a number of apps that help with managing file associations. You might try 'Better open with' (from the playstore).