Can You Buy Ebooks from Amazon for an iPad?

By Anne Hirsh

Books designed for Kindles also work on iPads.
i John Sommers II/Getty Images News/Getty Images

The iPad is completely compatible with Amazon's Kindle-based ebook format. All you need is the Kindle app, available from the App Store. The app is free, although it does require an Amazon account, which means you need to have a credit card on file with Amazon even if you only download free books.

The Kindle App

Tap the "App Store" icon on your iPad and enter "Kindle" into the search box. When you locate the Kindle app from Amazon, tap it to open the details page, and then tap "Free" and then "Install" to download the app. Enter your iTunes password to verify your identity, and then wait for the app to download and install on your iPad. Once the app is installed, you can browse the store and begin downloading books. You can also highlight, add notes and look up words in the dictionary as you read ebooks through the iPad Kindle app.

Multiple Devices

If you have a Kindle reading device or the Kindle app on your phone or computer, you can sync your books across all of your Amazon e-reader apps. Sign into each device's account with the same Amazon user identity and password, and each time you open the app while connected to the Internet, the devices will sync. If you begin reading a book on your phone, and want to pick up where you left off but read on your iPad, this feature lets you open the book on your iPad exactly where you left off on the phone.

Availability

All titles available for the Amazon Kindle are available for the iPad's Kindle app. You will need an Internet connection to browse the store and download, as the "Store" simply takes you to the Amazon Kindle Store website, rather than an iPad-based interface. When you download a book, make sure your iPad is selected as the download location, especially if you have other Kindle apps or devices linked to your account. Otherwise, you will need to sync the devices after the download to get the new book on your iPad.

Purchases

All Amazon ebook purchases on the iPad are made through Amazon's online store, so the process should be familiar to anyone who uses Amazon. Your account should track your purchases, but for additional backup, consider syncing your iPad through iTunes after you purchase books to provide additional backup. The Kindle app also has a feature that lets you archive the books you have already read, removing them to free up room for more storage on your iPad, yet allowing you to re-download them without paying again if you want to revisit them later.

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