The Kindle for iOS app now comes with the ‘Get Book’ button that enables users to make e-book purchases from right within the app itself. This comes in the wake of a court ruling that deemed illegal any attempt by Apple to collect a 27 percent commission on any purchases made outside of apps. The April 30 ruling by Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers also barred Apple from imposing any restrictions on developers from including different in-app payment options. The ruling was delivered in the legal battle between Epic Games and Apple.
“We regularly make improvements to our apps to help ensure we are providing customers the most convenient experience possible,” Amazon spokesperson Tim Gillman said to The Verge. “By selecting ‘Get Book’ within the Kindle for iOS app, customers can now complete their purchase through their mobile web browser.”
This replaces the earlier method where users were forced to visit the Amazon bookstore via a web browser to buy any book, which then got synced to their app. The best that users had so far was to view or download book samples wherever available. All of this was the result of the app store rules that Apple enforced in 2011. The ruling then forced developers to remove all options to buy from the app that bypasses the Apple commission system. All in-app purchases or alternate payment methods attracted a 30 percent and 27 percent cut in favor of Apple, respectively.
Apple, of course, hasn’t taken the court ruling kindly and has already filed an appeal against the decision. However, it said it will comply with the ruling in the meantime though things could change once the next ruling comes into force. Till then, users will have to thank Fortnite to bringing about the change that makes reading Kindle books on any iOS device a lot less cumbersome.
With a keen interest in tech, I make it a point to keep myself updated on the latest developments in technology and gadgets. That includes smartphones or tablet devices but stretches to even AI and self-driven automobiles, the latter being my latest fad. Besides writing, I like watching videos, reading, listening to music, or experimenting with different recipes. The motion picture is another aspect that interests me a lot, and I'll likely make a film sometime in the future.