You’ve probably been there. You are scrolling through the Kindle app on your iPhone or Android tablet, you find a thriller that looks absolutely gripping, and you look for the "Buy" button. It isn’t there. Instead, there’s a polite, slightly annoying message telling you that you can't buy books in the app.
It feels broken. It isn't.
Actually, it’s a massive corporate standoff that has been going on for years. Basically, if you want to know how do you buy books on kindle app, the short answer is: you usually don't. At least, not directly through the app store versions of the software. It’s a workaround world now.
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The Digital Gatekeeper Problem
The reason you can't just tap "buy" is simple: money. Specifically, the "Apple Tax" and the "Google Tax." Apple and Google both demand a 30% cut of any digital sale made within an app downloaded from their stores.
Amazon, which already operates on razor-thin margins for ebooks to keep prices low, refuses to hand over 30% of every book sale to its competitors. If they did, they’d likely lose money on every Kindle title sold. So, they disabled the "buy" button entirely.
This isn't just an Amazon thing. Spotify did it. Epic Games fought a whole lawsuit over it. But for the average person who just wants to read the new Stephen King novel, it’s just a massive hurdle.
How Do You Buy Books on Kindle App for iPhone and iPad?
If you are on an iOS device, the Kindle app is essentially a digital library and reader, not a storefront. To get a book onto your device, you have to bypass the App Store's payment system entirely.
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First, open Safari, Chrome, or whatever mobile browser you prefer. Head over to Amazon.com. You need to make sure you are logged into the same account that’s linked to your Kindle app. This is a common point of failure—people have two accounts and then wonder why their book hasn't appeared.
Search for your book in the Kindle Store. When you hit the "Buy now with 1-Click" button on the website, Amazon handles the payment on their own servers, bypassing Apple's 30% fee.
Here is the "magic" part. Once the purchase is confirmed, you don't need to do anything technical. Just go back to your Kindle app. Tap the "Library" icon. If the book isn't there, swipe down to refresh. It will start downloading automatically.
It's clunky. It's extra steps. But until the laws surrounding app store monopolies change—which is currently being debated in courts across the EU and the US—this is the reality for Apple users.
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The Android Situation (It Changed Recently)
For a long time, Android users had it easy. You could just buy books directly in the app. Then, in 2022, Google started enforcing its own 30% billing policy more strictly. Amazon responded by stripping the "buy" functionality from the Android Kindle app too.
So, if you’re on a Samsung Galaxy, a Pixel, or any other Android device, you’re in the same boat as the iPhone crowd. You have to use the browser.
The One Exception: Samsung Users
Interestingly, if you have a Samsung phone and you download the Kindle app from the Samsung Galaxy Store rather than the Google Play Store, you can sometimes still buy books directly. This is because Samsung has a different agreement with Amazon. It’s a weird, niche loophole, but it works.
Making the Web-to-App Transition Seamless
Since you’re forced to use the web browser, there are ways to make it suck less.
One trick is to add a bookmark to your home screen that goes directly to the Kindle Store. On an iPhone, open Safari, go to the Kindle Store page, tap the "Share" icon (the square with the arrow), and select "Add to Home Screen." Boom. You now have an icon that looks like an app but is actually a direct line to the store where you can actually spend money.
What About Kindle Unlimited?
Kindle Unlimited is a bit different. If you already have a subscription, you can usually "borrow" books directly within the app without navigating to a browser. This is because no new "transaction" is happening; you're just using a service you’ve already paid for elsewhere.
However, if you want to start a subscription? Back to the browser you go.
Why Your Book Isn't Showing Up
Sometimes you follow the steps, you buy the book on the website, but the Kindle app sits there looking empty. Don't panic.
- Check the "Deliver to" dropdown: When you buy on the website, there’s a small dropdown menu that asks which device you want the book sent to. If you have an old phone or an old Kindle Paperwhite listed there, the book might be waiting for a device that's currently in a drawer.
- Sync Manually: Inside the Kindle app, go to "More" and tap "Sync." This forces the app to ping Amazon’s servers and ask, "Hey, is there anything new for me?"
- The Content and Devices Page: If things get really messy, go to "Manage Your Content and Devices" on the Amazon website. You can manually push any book to any device from there.
The Future of Buying Ebooks
Things are shifting. In Europe, the Digital Markets Act (DMA) is forcing Apple to allow "sideloading" and alternative payment methods. We might eventually see a version of the Kindle app that lets you buy books directly again, but it will likely be region-specific for a while.
For now, the browser is your best friend. It’s a minor inconvenience that saves you from paying inflated prices, as Amazon would almost certainly raise ebook costs if they had to eat that 30% fee.
Actionable Steps for Mobile Readers
- Stop looking for the buy button in the app. It isn't coming back anytime soon.
- Use your mobile browser (Safari/Chrome) to visit Amazon.com directly when you want to shop.
- Check your "Default Device" settings in your Amazon account to ensure books automatically fly to the right phone or tablet.
- Verify your "1-Click" payment method. Since you aren't using the App Store's credit card, Amazon uses the one you have on file for your main account. If that card is expired, the purchase will hang indefinitely.
- Utilize the "Send a Sample" feature. You can still download free samples directly in the app. Do that while you're browsing, then when you're ready to buy, go to the browser and finish the job. This keeps your "To-Read" list organized without the headache.