[7 Ways] Fix iBooks Disappeared on iPhone/iPad after Restore or Update

Apple Books, also known as iBooks, allows users to read e-books on their iOS devices. With this app, you can receive EPUB content from the Apple Books store, or add your own EPUB and PDF files via data synchronization with iTunes. Additionally, the files can be downloaded to Apple Books through Safari or Apple Mail.

But sometimes, after updating or restoring the iPhone or iPad, you may find that some or all of your iBooks have disappeared. That may caused by some errors in the iCloud syncing process or some unknown bugs on your iPhone. If you don’t know how to fix (this issue often also causes more built-in apps, such as App Store, and calendars to disappear), then you can continue reading to find ways to recover them on your iPhone/iPad.

How to fix iBooks disappeared from iPhone/iPad after update or restore

There are 7 ways for you to solve the problem, if all ways can’t make it. You can choose to recover them from your iTunes backups.

Solution 1. Refresh Apple Books settings

If you unexpectedly find that your Apple Books content has disappeared, then you can open the Settings app on your iPhone or iPad > Go to the Books app > Then disable and re-enable Background App Refresh option.

After that, disable and re-enable options for Reading Now and iCloud Drive in the Syncing section > Return to the Home Screen and close the Apple Books app completely. Then, reopen the app from the Home Screen and check if your missing content reappears.

Solution 2. Force restart your iPhone/iPad

Force restarting your iPhone/iPad can be useful for solving the problem.

For iPhone 8 Plus/8/X or later: Press and release the Volume Up button > Press and release the Volume Down button > Press and hold the side button until the Apple logo appears on the screen.

For iPhone 7 Plus or 7: Press and hold the Sleep/Wake and Volume Down buttons simultaneously until the Apple logo appears on your screen.

For iPhone 6 or earlier: Press and hold the Home button and Sleep/Wake button at the same time until the Apple logo is displayed on your screen.

For iPad with Face ID: Quickly press and then release the Volume Up button > Quickly press and release the Volume Down button > Hold down the Power button until the Apple logo becomes visible.

For iPad with the Home button: Simultaneously press and hold the Power and Home buttons > Release both buttons when the Apple logo shows on your iPad screen.

Solution 3. Disable iCloud sync and re-enable

If you've noticed that your Books are not syncing correctly with iCloud, you can force a sync between iCloud storage and the Books app.

Go to the Settings app > Tap on your Apple ID > iCloud > In the list of apps that use iCloud, locate Books and toggle it off > Then force restart your iPhone or iPad and back on the Home Screen, re-enable Books syncing with iCloud by reversing the previous steps.

Solution 4. Offload Apple Books and reinstall it

If you're still experiencing the iBooks disappeared in the Apple Books app issues, you can try to offload and then reinstall the app.

Open the Settings app on your iPhone/iPad > Go to General > iPhone/iPad Storage > Scroll down to locate the Books app > Tap on the Offload App option and confirm your choice > After that, go back to the same screen, and you'll now see an option to Reinstall App, then tap on this to reinstall it.

Solution 5. Redownload purchased Apple Books

If you're missing Apple Books and Audiobooks that you've purchased from the iTunes Store, you can easily redownload them for free using the Apple Books app.

Step 1. Open the Apple Books app on your iPhone/iPad > Tap on your Apple ID avatar in the top-right corner of the app > Under the My Purchases section, choose either Books or Audiobooks, depending on the content you can't find in the app.

Step 2. Then you will be taken to the Account screen for Books or Audiobooks. Look for the tab that says Not on this iPhone/iPad and tap on it > Click on All Books or All Audiobooks > Then you’ll see a list of purchased items with a cloud icon next to them and tap the cloud icon next to each item to download them.

Solution 6. Sign out your Apple ID

You can also force a sync between Apple Books and iCloud by signing out and signing back into your Apple ID.

Open the Settings app > Tap on your Apple ID > Click on Sign Out button and enter your Apple ID password to log out > After signing out, go back to the Settings app and tap on your Apple ID again to sign in to the Apple ID to your iPhone/iPad.

Solution 7. Recover disappeared iBooks via iTunes

If you have already backed up your iPhone/iPad with iTunes, you can recover the missed iBooks using the iTunes backup.

Connect your iPhone to your computer > Launch iTunes > Click on the iPhone or iPad icon > Tap on Books under the Settings section > Select the targeted books you want to recover > Choose Sync Books and Selected Books or All Books options > Tap on Apply to accomplish the action.

Bonus: How to effectively avoid books disappeared from iBooks for free

Once you've successfully recovered your missing iBooks, it's a good idea to fully back up your iOS device data to prevent any sudden data loss in the future. Using FoneTool for free iPhone/iPad backups will be your ideal choice.

Compared with iCloud and iTunes, FoneTool comes with various advantages.

Selective or full backup: iTunes/iCloud only allows you to make a full backup of iPhone/iPad, but FoneTool can help you fully back up data or selectively back up photos, videos, music, contacts and messages on iPhone/iPad.
Fast transfer speed: FoneTool's transfer speed is much faster than iCloud and iTunes. You can move hundreds of photos in seconds.
No transfer capacity limit: FoneTool does not limit the size of files you can transfer or back up. The amount of files you can back up or transfer depends on the storage capacity of your target device (PC, iPhone, iPad or external drive).
No data loss: FoneTool only relies on a USB connection throughout the entire process, eliminating the risk of data leakage and ensuring that all your data is preserved in its original quality. In contrast, iTunes may overwrite some of your data.
Run stably on iPhone/iPad: Unlike iTunes, which often encounters frequent errors such as error code 37, FoneTool works well with iPhone 4 to iPhone 16 and iPad/Mini/Air/Pro, as well as the latest iOS 18.

Now you can learn how to fully back up your iPhone/iPad data on PC to avoid sudden data loss.

Step 1. Download FoneTool on your PC > Connect your iPhone/iPad to the PC with a USB cable > If asks, tap Trust on your device.

Step 2. Click Phone Backup > Mouse over the Full Backup icon and click Get Started. (You can also choose Selective Backup to selectively back up your device.)

Step 3. If you need, check Enable Backup Encryption to encrypt your private data such as Fitness records, Health and Keychain > Tap on Start Backup to begin the task.

Next time when you need to restore the backup, you can go to My Backups and click Restore dot to make it.

Conclusion

That’s all about how to fix the iBooks disappeared from iPad/iPhone issue. Hope you can find the most suitable way to solve the problem. If you need to make a full backup of iPhone/iPad to avoid sudden data loss, FoneTool can be your great helper.