Kindle ebooks no longer available on Android

[Rdhdemt]

Amazon has updated its software disabling the ability to buy the ebook in the Kindle app for Android. When you attempt to buy digital books, a new screen is displayed, and because Google has changed its policies, buying ebooks is no longer supported. Google updated its software and mandated that all apps use their billing system, thus resulting in a 30% cut out of each transaction. Amazon is the largest ebook seller in the world. The 30% cut would be detrimental to the bottom line for Amazon. Amazon joins Audible Barnes and Noble in ceasing the sell audiobooks and ebooks in their apps.

Initially, Amazon pulled the ability to buy digital books in their app back in 2011, when Apple implemented a similar policy, forcing companies to use their billing system. Apple users are more affluent and buy the most content. Amazon attempted to skirt around the policy by developing the Kindle Cloud Reader, designed to work with Safari and allow people access to the books right in the browser. In 2021 Google announced that they would start mandating that all apps have to use their billing system by June 1, 2022. Resulting in Google removing apps that didn’t comply with the new policies.

Due to “Agency Pricing” the operators of the bookstore, is acting as an agent for the publisher. Major publishers set the prices of an ebook and all retailers have to sell at a specific price. The purpose of “agency pricing” is the level the playing field so nobody has a price advantage in the market. If Amazon agreed to pay Google, 30% of each book sold, they would take such a massive loss on every single title, that it ended up disabling all in-app purchases.

This has rendered your Kindle useless for the purchase of ebooks. You have to keep your Amazon Acct, log in via computer or mobile internet browser, find a book, buy it, and then open your Kindle app and sync the purchase. Making the purchase of ebooks all the more tedious.