The vast majority of people use smartphones to read e-books, and smartphone usage is around 91% in the United States. If you have an iPhone, buying books these days is easier than ever before. Google Play Books and Kobo Books and Amazon Kindle app have received updates to allow users get “Get Book” option, where they are automatically redirected to their website to complete the transaction and then brought back to the app, where the book will be available for reading right away.
Apple is allowing this due to a recent court battle, in which they lost. In the United States and Europe, they must enable apps to use third-party payments and can be redirected to the company’s website to complete the final transaction. This has been a boon for the e-book space, as well as audiobooks. Spotify recently updated its app to allow for audiobook purchases and credits.
Before Apple opened the floodgates, Apple Books had a virtual monopoly on selling e-books on iOS. Customers could browse, purchase, and read within the app, using their Apple account to facilitate the transaction. This was the path of least resistance for most people, and Apple was selling a copious number of books, primarily because the app is preinstalled on all new iPhones. Apple also has thousands of digital magazines available through its Apple News+ subscription, which many people seem to enjoy.
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.