Install Snail OS.

Almost always the cable. Many USB-C cables carry power and no data, and a charging cable looks identical to a data one. Try a different cable before anything else.

Then check the device is switched on — hold the X3 top power button or X4 side power button about three seconds. A device that is off does not appear.

Return to this page in Chrome or Edge and use the web installer.

The web installer runs inside the browser and does not use PowerShell scripts.

The downloaded command-line installer needs esptool. This web installer includes the browser version.

The installer verifies the ESP32-C3 and signed image before writing, saves the boot-selection data, then verifies each write. Keep the downloaded 8 KB boot-selection backup. It is not a full firmware backup.

Factory firmware is not retained in the Snail layout. Factory recovery requires the original full-flash backup and support. For Snail OS rollback, use your previous signed Snail installer.

That is expected on this hardware, not a failure. The USB port is part of the chip, so the reset at the end of a flash takes it off the bus. Hold the X3 top power button or X4 side power button about three seconds to power it back on.

Copy .epub or .txt files into a books folder on the microSD card. The reader lists everything it finds.

You can also send them over Wi-Fi: open the Drive app, and it shows an address to open in your browser and a four-digit code.

No. The device works without one, with less on it. The card is what holds books, the games you install, and your saved Wi-Fi.

It is encrypted with a key derived from your device's own chip, so the card alone does not open it. Books and apps on the card stay as plain files you can read and copy.

Yes. Snail OS is built and tested on real X3 and X4 hardware, including the display, buttons, microSD card, Wi-Fi, and included apps.

Yes. Snail OS installs a fixed two-bank update layout that uses both firmware banks. The installer saves a full flash backup before writing.

No. Installation is done over the USB-C port.

The X3 is the primary device. The current download also includes the X4 installer. X4 Pro support is coming soon.

A shipped firmware image carries nobody's network password, so a fresh install starts unjoined. Open the Wi-Fi app once, pick your network and enter the password with the buttons. The SD card keeps it and the device rejoins on every boot.

No. During a download the panel lends its memory to the transfer, so the screen holds still until the install finishes or fails, then says which.

In order: the signal bars in the header (join in the Wi-Fi app if missing), the clock (open Clock and press OK after a dead battery), and the pairing (the app's sign-in screen cures a token minted before a feature existed - OK makes the QR code).

No. The Mac reads and sends through Messages, so it must stay awake, online and signed in while the X3 or X4 uses OpenBubbles. Snail Connect stores authorization and encryption bindings; message content reaches the service only as ciphertext.

No. Networked apps make requests when you use them; the OS does not report usage in the background.

CrossPoint is primarily an e-book reader for the X3 and X4. Snail OS treats the X3 as a small general-purpose e-ink computer: reading is one app alongside a clock, weather, a text-only browser, networking, utilities and games.

Yes. A card app is one Lua file in /apps on the SD card — the launcher finds it and lists it with its own name and icon, no reflash. The Store app on the device installs published ones over Wi-Fi. The built-in apps are compiled into the firmware, so a new one of those still means a new build from me. See the developer documentation at snailos.org/dev.

No. The download is already built. You join a Wi-Fi network on the device itself — the Wi-Fi app scans, you type the password with the buttons, and it is saved to the SD card. Nothing is baked into the firmware.

EPUB or plain text on the microSD card. The reader imports an EPUB on the device, draws its cover and inline JPEG/PNG images, and provides chapter navigation and multiple bookmarks. Drive moves files onto the card over Wi-Fi, or you can put the card in a computer. PDF is converted by a host tool first.

$9 for the X3 and X4 download, which is emailed to you at checkout. A prepared SD card is $85 and an X3 with Snail OS installed is $99; both are charged at checkout and ship 2–3 weeks after ordering to the United States, Canada, Australia, Japan, Germany, United Kingdom, Ireland, Spain, Portugal, India and Indonesia, refundable on request until they go out. Postage is shown before checkout. Outside the United States, import tax and any duty are collected by the carrier on delivery.

No. Snail OS is a commercial product and the source is not distributed. The download includes the third-party components the firmware uses, with their licences and required notices.

A zip with separate X3 and X4 folders, signed firmware, cable installers, a microSD starter kit, and instructions. The email carries the download link and your key.

Yes. Pay $9 and the email with your download link and key arrives within a minute. Unzip it, plug the X3 or X4 into your computer and run the matching installer.

Email joey@snailos.org. A download is refunded if Snail OS will not run on a supported X3 or X4; a card or device is refunded in full any time before it ships.