Amazon quietly released an update for the Kindle app on iPhone and iPad. Customers in the United States, when viewing a book, now have a new option called “Get Book.” It then opens your default internet browser and redirects you to the book listing on the Amazon.com website, where the e-book can be purchased. The purchase is then automatically synced to the Kindle app.
Why did Amazon suddenly have a redirect to their website, when they haven’t done this before? It was due to a court ruling in the United States on April 30th. Apple is forced to collect no longer a 27% commission on purchases made outside of apps or restrict how developers can direct users to alternate payment options. Apple has appealed the decision, but is also complying with it in the interim, prompting Spotify and other companies to follow suit.
Buying e-books is now more intuitive for the average customer. It is spelled out clearly how they can buy e-books. In the past, customers could only download samples, and there were thousands of posts a day on social media; asking why they couldn’t buy books on the Kindle app.
The Get Book system is only available in the United States and not in countries such as Canada or the United Kingdom. It is not clear if Apple wins the appeal, whether Amazon will walk back from the Get Book system they just implemented.
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.