The Great Tachiyomi Source Purge

The official source list is no more thanks to Kakao.

Otaku Voice Staff

In a move upsetting, but not unsurprising to most users, the popular Android-only manga reader app, Tachiyomi, has purged its list of sources and extensions from its official repository. In previous versions of the app, the source list was a valuable method in connecting the app to external sources like MangaDex. Instead of users bringing their own works into the app for reading on their phone, you could instead opt to more directly and conveniently via the list of extensions provided directly by Tachiyomi. Now all of this is changing with version 0.15.2 of the app.

The app is no longer hosting a list of external extensions within the app itself. In a post on their blog, the Tachiyomi team released this statement –

Due to extenuating circumstances, we have made the decision to purge our list of extensions to ensure the long-term sustainability of Tachiyomi.

As of now, Tachiyomi is transitioning to a fully bring-your-own-content model. What this means is that you can still enjoy Tachiyomi for manga reading, but you’ll need to source and add your own content.

Tachiyomi Team

The Source of the Sources Purge

Trouble started a couple of days ago. Users online believe that Kakao Entertainment, a digital Korean manwa publishing company is responsible for the turn of events. This post from Kakao Entertainment’s copyright enforcement Twitter account – @kakaoent_pcok – seems to indicate that they are the source of this sudden purge of extensions.

What’s Next for Tachiyomi?

From a technical stand point, all of your current source extensions will continue to work after updating to v0.15.2. You will need to go into the extensions list you currently have and explicitly trust the sources in order to use them again, but they are not gone yet.

New users are likely to have trouble adding these extensions since the newest version now requires you to add the sources as a repo. This is definitely going to hit the popularity of the app which is already obtuse to discover, not being a part of any official app store. Otherwise you will need to manually upload any manga or comics you wish to read directly to your device in order to use the app’s primary function.

[Sources & Further Reading]
[Tachiyomi on Github]
[Tachiyomi Official Blog]
[Tachiyomi Extensions List]
[Kakao Entertainment Twitter Account]
[Found via Reddit – 1 & 2]
[Image via Pexels]