Google has unveiled a new feature for its digital magazines. Today the company has rolled out the ability for print subscribers to get the digital edition for free. The availability of magazines offered free to print subscribers is solely at the discretion of the publisher.
When you visit a magazine entry on Google Play that has the free for Subscribers text listed, you’ll see a screen asking you to log in or verify your subscription information. Different magazines have their own unique gateway systems that you will have to abide by. If you subscribe to a Condé Nast magazine, such as Wired, you’ll see a login screen asking for your email address and password to your magazine’s online account. If you haven’t created this account yet, you can click the link on the screen “Set up your account” to sign up. Enter this information into the screen and tap “Continue” to complete the process.
There are few companies out there in other ecosystems that give you the digital edition for free when you subscribe to the printed counterpart. Most often these are internet based services that are incompatible with mobile platforms. If you tend to read on your device that has Google Services all setup, you might want to give this a try.
One thing to bear in mind is that Play Magazines are only available to US, UK, or Australia based customers.
Michael Kozlowski is the editor-in-chief at Good e-Reader and has written about audiobooks and e-readers for the past fifteen years. Newspapers and websites such as the CBC, CNET, Engadget, Huffington Post and the New York Times have picked up his articles. He Lives in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
