Kindle Android App Now Supports In-App eBook Purchases

Over the past couple of weeks I’ve been reading Kindle ebooks on the Boox Palma 2, and I noticed that the Kindle Android app now supports in-app ebook purchases.

I don’t know when that happened, but it must be a recent change. Amazon removed in-app purchases from their Android app back in 2022 when Google started forcing app developers to use the Google Play billing system so they could take a cut of all purchases for basically doing nothing.

Amazon opted to direct customers to use a web browser on Android devices to make purchases instead so they could avoid paying Google, but now the Kindle Android app supports in-app purchases again so you no longer have to use workarounds.

This is likely a result of recent antitrust litigation against Google or possibly the European Union’s Digital Markets Act. Either way, the change is making things easier for Kindle customers.

Now that the Kindle Android app supports purchasing ebooks again, I thought maybe the Kindle for iOS app would too. But no, the Kindle app on my iPad still doesn’t have the option to purchase ebooks, even after updating the app. The Kindle iOS app hasn’t supported in-app ebook purchases since 2011.

I’m surprised Amazon hasn’t made a bigger deal about this. I didn’t see any mention or get any notifications about in-app purchases being added to their Android app; I just had to stumble upon the realization myself, but I don’t normally use the Android app very often so maybe I missed it.

At this point it’s unclear if the Kindle Android app supports in-app purchases everywhere or if that’s something that’s only available in certain countries. Here in the US it works. I’m sure Amazon is pleased with the change. They probably lost a lot of quick, easy sales by making people jump through hoops to purchase ebooks on Android tablets and phones.