It's finally getting easier to buy ebooks on the iOS Kindle app after a major App Store rule change.
In response to a court order in the case of Epic Games, Inc. v. Apple Inc., Apple has been forced to stop charging a commission on purchases made outside of the App Store. This is good news for iPhone users in general, but solves an especially annoying issue with the iOS Kindle app, which has received an update to make buying ebooks on your iPhone much easier.
Thanks to this court order, making purchases from your iPhone just got a whole lot simpler.
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iOS Kindle app gets desperately-needed update after App Store rule change
If you opened the iOS Kindle app recently days, you may have noticed you now have the option to purchase books in the app... sort of.
Prior to a major App Store rule change on May 1, you couldn't purchase books through the iOS Kindle app at all (or the Amazon app) and instead had to go through the entire process in your web browser. Now, you can simply tap "Get Book" and the Kindle app will take you directly to the book's purchasing page in your browser.
This is a far more streamlined process and it's thanks to a recent court order that forced Apple to stop charging commissions on external purchases.
So, for instance, previously an app developer couldn't include a link in their app taking the user to their web browser to make a purchase outside of the app. That rule was used to effectively force app developers to only allow purchases through their apps, which would force them to give Apple a 30% commission on every purchase.
Now, developers are allowed to include buttons and links directing users to external purchase mechanisms, mainly web browsers, without being forced to pay a commission. As a result, buying things like ebooks on your iPhone is now much more straightforward and user-friendly.
The court case slowly opening iOS to third-party app stores
As one might expect, Apple is appealing the ruling that led to this change in the App Store rules. However, I hope for the sake of iOS and iPadOS users that the rule change stays in effect since it contributes to a much better user experience with apps like Kindle and others that allow for digital purchases.
In fact, Epic Games, the plaintiff in the case that led to last week's App Store change, has had an ongoing dispute with Apple over its restrictions and commission system for purchases made on iOS. Epic currently doesn't have an iOS/iPadOS app available in the U.S. due to those restrictions.
Users in the European Union can download the Epic Games Store on their iOS and iPadOS devices thanks to the Digital Markets Act, which forced Apple to allow the use of third-party app stores, but that ruling only applies to users in the EU. Luckily, that may change soon thanks to rulings in Epic's case against Apple.
I'm hoping Epic continues to score wins in its case against Apple since this case is finally bringing more freedom to iOS, giving users more choice over the apps they download, where they download them from, and how they purchase digital items like ebooks. Although, admittedly I still prefer my ereader over the Kindle app.
