Amazon Kindle iOS app now features 'Get Books' button after Apple loses lawsuit against Epic Games
Amazon has reportedly updated the iOS version of its Kindle app to include a new 'Get Book' button that takes users directly to the Amazon website to purchase books. This comes in response to a court ruling that prohibits Apple from blocking links to purchase books outside of the app or charging high fees. At the time of writing, the update was only available in the US.
Amazon now has a 'Get book' button in its iOS Kindle app | The Verge
On April 30, 2025, a federal district court in the United States issued an order in the case of Epic Games v. Apple, stating that 'iOS apps should not be prevented from placing links or buttons to external payment methods within their apps,' 'fees should not be imposed on purchases outside the App Store,' and 'users who choose to use external payment methods should not be shown a warning screen to discourage them from doing so.'
Court rules against Apple forbidding 'imposing fees on out-of-app purchases'; iPhone version of Fortnite to be re-released - GIGAZINE
Due to App Store regulations, Amazon's Kindle app could not purchase e-books handled by Kindle from the iOS app, and could only download samples. To read new books on the Kindle app on an iPhone or iPad, you had to access Amazon via a browser to purchase them, and then download them to your library using the iOS app, which was a double effort.
'We're constantly improving our apps to give our customers the best possible experience,' Amazon spokesperson Tim Gillman told The Verge. 'Now, by selecting 'Get Books' within the iOS Kindle app, customers can complete their purchase from their mobile web browser.'
This marks the first time that iOS Kindle users have been able to access the Amazon Store directly from within an app since Apple's in-app purchasing restrictions were put into place. Apple is appealing the court's decision, but the judge has refused to stay the ruling pending appeal, so at the time of writing, the company is complying with the ruling.
In addition to Amazon, several other companies have already announced app updates to make it easier for users to pay for subscriptions and web services. For example, in response to this ruling, creator platform Patreon added a feature that allows users to pay for membership plans via the web. Users can now pay with credit cards, PayPal, Apple Pay, and other methods. In addition, links to Apple's own in-app purchases are now displayed in very small letters, making it easier for users to pay outside of the app.
in Software, Web Service, Web Application, Posted by log1i_yk