Amazon has just added a “Get Book” button to its Kindle application for iOS, finally allowing iPhone users to buy books without leaving the application. This change, which considerably improves user experience, is a direct consequence of the court decision rendered on April 30 in the Epic Games case against Apple.
A victory for users after years of frustration
Since 2011, Apple has imposed severe restrictions on developers, preventing them from including links to external payment systems. For Amazon, this meant the impossibility of offering a direct purchasing course in its Kindle application. Users had to juggle apps or navigate the web to complete their purchases, a frustrating experience compared to the simplicity of purchase on Kindle readers.
Today, this new orange “Get Book” button simply redirects the user to a mobile browser to finalize the purchase. “We regularly improve our applications to offer our customers the most practical experience possible,” said Tim Gillman, spokesperson for Amazon, at The Verge site.
Apple calls, but must temporarily bend
This development may be only temporary. Apple has already appealed the decision which prohibits it from taking a 27% commission from purchases made outside the App Store and to restrict the way developers can direct users to other payment options.
If Apple wins its call, Amazon could be forced to delete this button. In the meantime, the Cupertino firm finds itself in an uncomfortable position, potentially losing important income on the ecosystem that it has created itself.
-Spotify also took advantage of this judicial decision to update its application last week, allowing users to access price information and external payment links.
This small revolution in the iOS ecosystem recalls that Apple’s restrictive policies have long limited the user experience on its devices, particularly for services offering digital content such as books, music or games. For the moment, iPhone users in the United States can finally enjoy a more fluid Kindle experience, similar to that offered on Android for years.
For the moment, the new rules of the App Store concerning external payment are only active in the United States. It is quite likely that this also happens in Europe and, in which case, apps like Kindle will offer this very practical feature.
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