Amazon redesigned its Kindle app to look more like an actual book
Kindle's app is finally catching up.
Today, Amazon introduced a totally redesigned Kindle app that makes reading on your phone or tablet almost as good as reading on an actual Kindle.
The app, which has gone years without a major redesign, now has a lighter, brighter look. Its navigation has been massively improved, with your library, recommendations, and reviews (via Goodreads) easily accessible from the bottom of the app.
Of course, no pixel-dense smartphone or tablet screen can match the goodness of Kindle's e ink display, but the new look feels about as close as you can get. (Legacy users need not worry, by the way — the app's traditional "dark theme" is still available as well.)
According to Director of Kindle Mike Torres, the app's new design was inspired by the look and feel of good old analog books.
"We ended up looking at the pages of books themselves and that's what we ended yup re-anchoring this design on," he says, citing subtle details like the app's icon design, white background gradient, and typeface (Amazon's Bookerly, in case you were wondering).
That level of attention to detail is warranted, according to Amazon, because the number of Kindle users who read book son their phones is among the service's fastest growing groups. Now, the company is hoping the app's latest refresh will help make sure those users stick around.
The redesigned Kindle app is out now for iOS and Android.
Karissa was Mashable's Senior Tech Reporter, and is based in San Francisco. She covers social media platforms, Silicon Valley, and the many ways technology is changing our lives. Her work has also appeared in Wired, Macworld, Popular Mechanics, and The Wirecutter. In her free time, she enjoys snowboarding and watching too many cat videos on Instagram. Follow her on Twitter @karissabe.
