Important Update to Manga Downloader’s Supported Websites Policy

Dear Supporters,

I am writing to inform you about an important change in Manga Downloader's supported websites that will be implemented in the upcoming versions.

After implementing support for Tapas.io in the latest nightly builds, I was informed by some subscribers that last year, Tachiyomi (an Android application similar to Manga Downloader, which allowed users to download and read manga from various online sources) was shut down by the company behind Kakao Page and Tapas due to copyright infringements. You can find evidence of this in this tweet: https://x.com/kakaoent_pcok/status/1744889648265175197

After careful consideration following this info, I have decided to discontinue support for Kakao and Tapas right away. Tachiyomi's closure serves as a cautionary tale for similar projects. To ensure the longevity of Manga Downloader and to avoid any potential legal consequences, I feel this change is necessary.

But that's not all, beyond removing support for Kakao and Tapas, I will also cease implementing new support for any "official" websites—those with legal rights to publish and sell official content. Manga Downloader was originally created to facilitate the downloading of scanlations and unofficial translations, and I aim to refocus its scope solely on these non-official websites. I believe this step is crucial in reducing legal risks and ensuring the continued availability of this program for its intended purpose.

I understand that this change may disappoint some of you, and for that, I sincerely apologize 🙏. Please know that this decision was not made lightly. My priority is to protect myself, Manga Downloader project, and the community that has supported its development over the years.

For those of you who currently have access to older nightly builds, these will remain available here on Patreon (I will not delete past posts), and of course, they will remain functional as long as Kakao, Tapas, and other affected websites do not implement changes that break compatibility. However, please be advised that these builds will no longer receive updates or maintenance regarding support for such websites in future builds.

Thank you for your understanding, patience, and continued support. Your contributions have been invaluable in keeping this project alive, and I am committed to ensuring Manga Downloader remains a useful tool for this wonderful community ❤

P.S.: by the way, I remind you that starting from v70, I introduced the ability to use external scripts to support custom websites. This means you can create your own scripts/programs to retrieve data from any website you want and use them with Manga Downloader as external scripts (you can find all the details about this feature in the Edit -> External Scripts menu). Also, keep in mind that the script does not have to be written in Java—you can use any programming language you are familiar with or prefer!