You can’t buy Kindle books in the Android apps now: where to get them from Amazon
I just bought a Kindle book for someone yesterday in the Amazon Shopping app on my Android phone. I’ve done that many, many times before over the years: you can get a really good Kindle book for someone (they can read it even without a Kindle) for less than the price of a birthday card, it’s delivered instantly (if you want…you can also pick a delivery date), and you can add a message.
This morning, I added a book to my Amazon wishlist. I do that a lot, too. I’ll often see interesting books while doing my morning Flipboard read. I don’t usually “piece buy” books (pay for a book individually, as opposed to reading it through a subscription service) for myself now: I put them on a shared wish list and I love it when family members buy them for me! I usually get my books through
Kindle Unlimited (at AmazonSmile: benefit a non-profit of your choice by shopping*)
We have years of subscription left on that, although after that, we may switch to
Prime Reading (at AmazonSmile: benefit a non-profit of your choice by shopping*)
since we’ve moved into a new life phase where money may be tighter…we’ll see.
When I went there this morning, I was still able to add the book to my list, but there was a stark message: I couldn’t buy books through the Android app any more (NOTE: this applies to both the Amazon Shopping app and the Amazon Kindle app). Getting to more information, it said it was to “…remain in compliance with Google’s updated Play Store policies.”
The same thing had happened with the Apple Appstore: this isn’t a choice Amazon would have made, in my opinion. The appstores change how sellers can accept payment through apps obtained through the store. It might be a change to how much the seller pays the appstore on a purchase, or the actual ways in which the payment is made.
Fortunately, Amazon has given us a nice, simple alternative. Go to
in the browser on your phone (probably Google Chrome, since we’re talking Android phones).
That will take you to the ebook “portal” on the Amazon site. I’ve been checking it out this morning: I find it quite well laid out and I think they might have improved it in anticipation of this change (or maybe it was with the Apple appstore change).
It will work very much like the Android app did before today: you can add books to your wish list and you can buy or borrow them.
Also important to note: just like with the Android app, you can get to everything else on Amazon, too…it isn’t just the e-books.
Once you get there, you can add it to your homescreen, so it’s just like launching an app. Use the three dots on top of each other menu, probably in your top right…you’ll see an “Add to Home screen” choice. That gives you a one tap open, and you can drag it around just like you would have the app.
In fact, I’m thinking I’ll just delete the Amazon shopping app altogether, which was probably not Google’s intended consequence for the Play Store. You’ll need to adjust a little bit where you go to look for things: I go to my orders a lot, and that’s in the top right where your name is, next to the cart. Hm…I’ll have to check the notifications, I do like having those. I’ll let you know.
So, it’s an adjustment, but I don’t think you’ll find it a particularly hard one, even if it might have been shocking and a bit baffling if you didn’t know what to do.
Hope this helps…
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* I am linking to the same thing at the regular Amazon site, and at AmazonSmile. When you shop at AmazonSmile, half a percent of your purchase price on eligible items goes to a non-profit you choose. It will feel just like shopping at Amazon: you’ll be using your same account. The one thing for you that is different is that you pick a non-profit the first time you go (which you can change whenever you want)…and the good feeling you’ll get. Shop ’til you help!
This post by Bufo Calvin originally appeared in the I Love My Kindle blog.