What’s All the
Fuss About...
49Download ‘Send to Kindle’ to your PC and you’ll be
able to drag and drop files to your Kindlecan download this to your computer
(www.snipca.com/41929, pictured below
left), phone or tablet (www.snipca.
com/41931) and also as a browser
extension (www.snipca.com/41930).Why is Amazon doing this?
Good question. Some analysts have
suggested that Amazon is worried by
the rising popularity of its rivals, such
as the Kobo Libra 2 (our current
favourite ebook reader – see page 32).
By accepting EPUB, Amazon is telling
those with a Kobo or Sony device – or
who read ebooks on their tablet – that
they won’t lose their books if the next
device they buy is a Kindle. But what
Amazon gives with one hand, it takes
with the other.What do you mean?
Amazon has also announced that it won’t
let customers buy ebooks through its
Shopping app on Android (www.snipca.
com/41932). It blamed Google’s new
policy that all in-app payments must go
through the Google Play Store, giving the
search giant a cut of the money. But,
confusingly, you can still buy books
through the Kindle app for Android (see
page 45). Perhaps it’s best just to stick
with dusty paperbacks.What is it?
Short for electronic publication, it’s the
format ebooks come in for phones, tablets
and computers. It’s also used by ebook
readers. Well, all except one. You’ve
probably heard of it.Amazon’s Kindle, by any
chance?
Yes, by far the world’s best-selling ebook
reader. Since launching in 2007 it has
used its own version of the MOBI format,
beginning with AZW, which later evolved
into KF8/AZW3 before becoming KFX.So Amazon has never
supported EPUB?
Correct. It favours a ‘locked’ system
where Kindle readers have no choice but
to buy ebooks only from Amazon. The
main workaround until now has been to
use Calibre (https://calibre-ebook.com) to
convert EPUB ebooks to MOBI, letting
you read titles bought for other devices- such as Kobos – on Kindles. However,
surprisingly, Amazon now offers its own
way to beat this restriction.
How does that work?
By using the Kindle Personal Documents
Service, which has always allowed you to
send images, PDFs, Word documents and
other files to your Kindle. Visit the Kindle
Content Help page (www.snipca.
com/41910) and under the Kindle
Personal Documents Service heading
you’ll see such supported formats as
JPEG, PDF and .DOC. Look at the
bottom of the list and you’ll notice
EPUB has been added.How do I use this service?
You’ll first need to find the email
address associated with your Kindle.
To do this, sign into Amazon, then
click ‘Accounts & Lists’ at the top
right, followed by ‘Your devices and
content’. Next, select ‘Manage
devices’, and under ‘Amazon devices’
click the Kindle model you have.
You should now see your Kindle
email address in the Device
Summary that appears. Type thataddress into your email, then attach the
document you want to read on your
Kindle. Amazon will send an email
asking you to verify the document – you
have 48 hours to do so.Isn’t that still a real hassle?
Yes, it’s rather clunky, but it means you
can avoid using Calibre’s poorly designed
interface. Amazon has actually promised
another (and smoother) workaround for
“late 2022”: transferring EPUB files
directly via the ‘Send to Kindle’ app. YouAmazon is telling
those with another
device that they
won’t lose their
ebooks if the next
e-reader they buy is a
Kindle
EPUB
Amazon is lifting one of tech’s most infuriating
restrictions – sort of
Issue 632 • 25 May – 7 June 2022