The Kindle app puts an entire library in your hand [50 Essential iOS Apps #16]

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The Kindle app is the perfect platform for reading e-books on iPad or iPhone. It's one of Cult of Mac's 50 essential iOS apps.
The Kindle app is the perfect platform for reading e-books on iPad or iPhone.
Photo: Ian Fuchs/Cult of Mac

50 Essential iOS Apps: Amazon Kindle appReading books. It’s something we’ve all done at some point in our lives. People read for fun, learning or taking a break. The trouble is, having a huge collection of books takes up space and can literally weigh you down.

E-books are the solution, and the Kindle app is an excellent way to enjoy the world of literature without straining your back or your physical space. With the Kindle app, you can carry an entire library’s worth of books on your iPad or iPhone.

What is the Kindle app?

The Kindle app is the entry point to Amazon’s e-book service on iOS. Through the Kindle app, you can read any of more than 3 million books on your iPhone or iPad without every cracking the spine of a physical book. Kindle e-books can be purchased on Amazon, and are synced across all your devices with the Kindle app.

Why it’s great

iOS devices come with Apple’s own iBooks app pre-installed, but the selection of books on Amazon’s e-book service is far larger. With (typically) identical pricing, choosing the service with the most selection is preferred for most people. Add in Amazon’s Kindle Unlimited subscription service (featuring more than a million titles, audiobooks and magazines), as well as the retailer’s personalized book recommendations, and it’s clearly the better e-book store offering.

Kindle App library, display options, and ebook navigation
The Kindle app offers library management, display options and research tools.
Screenshot: Ian Fuchs/Cult of Mac

From a readability perspective, the Kindle app offers excellent accommodations for various situations. Inside of a book, you can adjust the font to any of 18 sizes and 8 typefaces. Additional controls for line spacing, text block size, text justification and page and text color are also available.

Additional features like built-in Wikipedia search and translation help you learn more about what you’re reading when you encounter an unfamiliar word or phrase. Amazon’s X-Ray tool also helps add context to the book, providing detailed information about unfamiliar terminology to make understanding the topic easier.

Who the Kindle e-books app is for

Avid readers and book lovers will appreciate the features and vast collection of books available in the Kindle app. Anyone that reads — for entertainment or for learning — will find the Kindle app great.

Bottom line: Kindle is the best reading app

The Kindle reading app is a feature-rich alternative to Apple’s iBooks. Amazon’s Kindle Store store gives value to the app, and opens up a wealth of literature without the added weight (or space) of a huge physical library.

Price: Free (e-books not included, add Kindle Unlimited for $9.99/month)

Download from: App Store

See more of our 50 Essential iOS Apps

Want more essential iOS app reviews? Check out our ongoing series, 50 Essential iOS Apps.

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