Reading Kindle books can be an excellent experience for all book lovers, especially when you consider the variety and prices. Originally available on kindle devices, nowadays you can read kindle books on practically any mobile smart device. Since more and more people are purchasing low-cost yet powerful Android devices, this guide will tell you how to read Kindle books on an Android tablet / phone.
Before reading Kindle books on the Android device, we should first install the Kindle reader app for Android.
Part 1: Download & install Kindle app on an Android phone / tablet
Part 2: Read Kindle books on Android
How to download & install Kindle app on an Android tablet / phone
The Kindle reader app for Android is available for free on Google Play. Search for Kindle on Google Play and tap Kindle icon to install.
For those who have no access to Google Play, here are also 2 methods to download & install Kindle app on Android. Therefore you won't miss any chance to read Kindle books on Google Nexus 7, Samsung Galaxy tab or other Android phone / tablet.
Method 1. Download Kindle for Android app with Amazon Appstore.
Method 2. Download Kindle for Android app from browser.
Method 1. Download Kindle for Android app with Amazon Appstore.
If your Android tablet or smartphone is Internet connected, go to Amazon's official site and download Kindle for Android app. However, Amazon typically connects users to its Amazon Appstore in this case instead of offering a direct download link. Thus users are forced to install Amazon Appstore app on their Android devices at first and then rely on the Appstore to download free Kindle for Android app.
#1 Launch browser and input www.amazon.com on the device.
#2 Scroll down to select "See All Departments" -> "Apps for Android" -> "Apps". Input "Kindle for android" and tap "GO".
#3 Tap Kindle for Android app and select "Get from Amazon Appstore".
Next, download & install Amazon Appstore app and register the app with your Amazon account. Then download Kindle for Android app with Amazon Appstore. Note, only US users are permitted to download app from Amazon Appstore. Non-US users can go to their domestic Amazon site (such as www.amazon.uk or www.amazon.cn) with the built-in browser and download Kindle app to the Android device (direct download link is available in these countries), as long as there is a corresponding Kindle app provided.
Method 2. Download Kindle for Android app from browser.
If you don't want to rely on Amazon Appstore, you can also download Kindle for Android app by searching for "Kindle for Android APK download" on the built-in browser. This method is open to all users although the available app might not be the latest version.
#1 Launch browser on the device and search for "Kindle for android apk download".
#2 Click "Download" button on the download page.
#3 Check the download progress by sliding down from the top of the display. Tap the app to install when the downloading is over.
Installation done.
You can also click here to download Kindle for Android app (apk) to your device or computer (then transfer the downloaded APK file to your device via the USB cable).
Note:
#1 If your device is not recognized as a removable disc, make sure the USB debugging option is ON.
#2 If you can't find the transferred APK file on the device, install a free File Manager app (ASTRO File Manager) on it for locating a certain file.
#3 You may have to have approved sideloading apps before this will work on your android device.
How to read Kindle books on an Android tablet / phone
With Kindle app installed, we can easily read Kindle books on our Android tablets and smartphones, like Samsung Galaxy tab / S3, Google Nexus 4 / 7 and HTC One, together with considerable free Kindle books and downloaded books (Mobi / PDF) from torrent sites.
1. Register Kindle for Android app (Internet connection required)
3. Transfer downloaded books to an Android tablet / phone
4. Read Kindle books on an Android tablet / phone
5. Remove DRM from Kindle books
1. Register Kindle for Android app (Internet connection required)
You'd better register your Kindle for Android app before reading. Actually, people will be asked to do so the first time they run the app. Once Kindle app is registered on an Android device, all the previously purchased Kindle books (under the same account) will be synced under the "Archive" category automatically, together with the related notes, highlights and the furthest reading page (only for purchased books) due to Amazon Kindle's whispersync technology. You don't need to download your Kindle books manually. Select a title and it will be downloaded to the device at once. Create an Amazon account (free), if you don't have one yet.
2. Purchase / download (free) Kindle books to an Android tablet / phone (Internet connection required)
If you don't have any Kindle book, you can find many free books which are available to start with. Here I will show you how to purchase a free Kindle book and download it to your Android device.
#1 Tap "Store" icon on Kindle app.
#2 Input "free book" and tap "GO". There will be a collection of $0 books displayed.
#3 Browse and select one book to your taste.
Tap "Buy Now with 1-Click", then "Read it Now", the book will be downloaded to your device immediately. Tap "Dismiss" the "Reading Tips" (the first time reading) and enjoy your first Kindle book!
Downloading.
Dismiss the reading tips.
Read the book on your device.
There are many sites recommending excellent free Kindle books, such as BookBub and Free Kindle Books. Subscribe to one or two so that you won't miss any.
3. Transfer downloaded books to an Android tablet / phone
Both downloaded Amazon Kindle books and books from public domains can be transferred to Android device for reading. Just connect the android device to your computer with a USB cable. The device will be recognized as a removable disc at once. Be sure to copy and paste the downloaded eBook files to the "Kindle" folder. They will be shown under the "On Device" category.
Note:
#1 For downloaded Amazon Kindle books, make sure to select the correct device on Amazon's site.
#2 For downloaded eBooks from public domains, make sure they are MOBI or PDF formats whereas PDF is not recommended as a result of its irregular structure, which often delivers terrible reading experience to readers.
#3 If your Android device is not detected by computer, check the "USB debugging" option (mostly under "Developer options") and make sure it is "ON".
4. Read Kindle books on an Android tablet / phone
All local books are displayed under "On Device" shelf (downloaded books should be placed under the default "Kindle" folder). Tap a title to open and read. Holding down a word enables users to note, highlight and do other operations (search in Book, search Wikipedia or search the Web). You can also tap "Download" in the bottom of the screen so as to add a free dictionary to Kindle app. The whole downloading process only takes several minutes in general.
5. Remove DRM from Kindle books
In the end, there is one more thing I have to mention. Users do not really possess their purchased Kindle books although they have paid for them. What people really possess is the ticket to reading. In case the ticket (eBook) provider ended its service, such as Mobipocket and Fictionwise, readers would lose their purchased books for good. Therefore I suggest you remove DRM from Kindle books for having them permanently.
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Ada Wang works for Epubor and writes articles for a collection of blogs such as ebookconverter.blogspot.com.
Thanks. great review. But my galaxy note 10.1 2014 does not recognize the Kindle App. Would you have any suggestions how to fix it?
Thanks.
Hi KMF,
We write different articles from different angles to cover different readers.
And this post if for those pure tech rookies.
So what do you want to know about reading Kindle books on Android? Maybe we can answer your questions in private, or write another post.
Thank you in advance for your answer
Hi Ongakuka,
I am not sure if the Kindle app is able to recognize a serie of books.
However you can create colletion to organize your books in my experience.
does it continue to use data when i read it or only when i purchase it
What do you suggest?
Hi,I basically have 2 Questions?
1. Which format does the Kindle recognise, i mean .mobi, .epub or any other?
2. Can i read .pdf books in Kindle Android without saving any books in my amazon account and instead pointing to some folder in my Android device through Kindle app?
Thanx!!
Hi, Kiddy
Kindle recognise .mobi and .pdf format.
You'd better copy and paste your dowanloaded books to the "Kindle" folder.
Thanks.
Thank you for any help you can provide.
Recommended reads come up on the screen and wont move when I tap the screen.
I have to tap everything to finally get to read something, and half the time a book I have already read puts me on the final page.
It is all so damn annoying as it is not as easy as the Kindle for PC.
I wish there was a detailed walkthrough to guide me (and others) who have similar problems.
Please assist me in getting back to using my Tablet.
Hi,
Maybe you can try to uninstall Kindle app on your tablet, then reinstall it to solve the problem.
thankyou