If you’ve ever swiped right on your iPhone home screen and wondered why that little white bird on an orange background is sitting there, you aren’t alone. That’s Apple Books. It’s the app formerly known as iBooks, and honestly, it’s one of those Apple services that people either live in or completely ignore. There is no middle ground.
Most folks just default to Amazon’s Kindle ecosystem because, well, Amazon is the 800-pound gorilla of the publishing world. But Apple Books is a different beast entirely. It’s built specifically for the hardware in your pocket, and it’s surprisingly deep. It’s a bookstore, a PDF reader, an audiobook player, and a goal-tracker all smashed into one piece of software that comes pre-installed on every iPad and iPhone.
What is Apple Books anyway?
At its most basic level, Apple Books is a digital storefront and library management system. If you buy a book through the app, it lives in iCloud. You start reading on your commute on your iPhone, and when you get home and pick up your iPad, you’re on the exact same page. Magic? No, just sync scripts. But it works.
Unlike Kindle, which feels like a storefront first and a reader second, Apple Books feels like a piece of high-end stationery. It uses a proprietary format based on EPUB, but it handles standard EPUBs and PDFs like a champ. You can drag a PDF from your email into the app, and suddenly it’s sitting on a virtual shelf next to a New York Times bestseller. It’s clean. It’s fast.
There’s a common misconception that you need a subscription, like Kindle Unlimited or Spotify. You don't. You buy books individually, though there’s a massive "Special Offers" section that feels like a digital bargain bin where you can find gems for a couple of bucks.
The Audiobook Shift
Audiobooks have exploded. Apple knows this. A few years ago, they moved audiobooks out of the cluttered Music app and shoved them right into Apple Books. It was a smart move. Now, if you’re looking for the latest memoir narrated by the author, you find it in the same place you’d find the ebook.
What's really wild is how Apple is using AI—stay with me—to narrate books. They launched "digital narration" for certain titles to help indie authors who can't afford a professional studio session. Some people hate it. They say it lacks soul. Others think it’s a brilliant way to make more stories accessible. Either way, it’s a core part of what the platform is becoming in 2026.
Why it actually beats the Kindle app
Let’s get real for a second. The Kindle app on an iPhone is... fine. But it’s crippled. Because of the "Apple Tax" (that 30% commission Apple takes on in-app purchases), Amazon won't let you buy books directly inside the Kindle iOS app. You have to go to a web browser, buy the book, and then sync it.
Apple Books doesn't have that problem.
You see a book you want? You hit "Buy." You double-click the side button, FaceID scans your mug, and you’re reading three seconds later. It is a frictionless experience that makes spending money dangerously easy.
Then there’s the typography. Apple is a design company. They care about kerning. They care about how the "paper" looks under different lighting conditions. The "Reading Goals" feature is also weirdly addictive. It tracks how many minutes you read per day and encourages "streaks." It gamifies reading in a way that feels less like a chore and more like a personal challenge.
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Formatting and the PDF Nightmare
If you’ve ever tried to read a complex PDF on a small screen, you know it’s a nightmare of pinching and zooming. Apple Books has this "Vertical Scrolling" mode that makes PDFs feel less like static documents and more like a continuous feed. It sounds small. It’s actually a life-saver for students or anyone reading technical manuals.
The DRM Problem (The Catch)
Nothing is perfect. The biggest "gotcha" with Apple Books is Digital Rights Management, or DRM. When you buy a book from Apple, you don't really own the file in the way you own a physical book. You own a license to read it on Apple devices.
If you decide to switch to an Android phone next year, your library doesn't come with you. There is no Apple Books app for Android. You’re locked in. This is why some hardcore readers stick to "DRM-free" platforms or use tools like Calibre to manage their libraries, though stripping DRM is a legal grey area that most casual readers won't touch with a ten-foot pole.
Personalization and the "Walled Garden"
Apple Books isn't just about reading; it's about the "vibe." You can change the "theme" of the book from "Original" to "Quiet," "Paper," or "Focus." "Focus" is particularly cool because it adjusts the contrast to reduce eye strain based on the ambient light in your room.
- Open the app.
- Tap the center of the page while reading.
- Hit the "AA" icon.
- Go nuts with fonts like Athelas or Charter.
Most people don't realize they can also "Scribble" on books if they have an Apple Pencil and an iPad. You can highlight text in different colors, and those highlights are then gathered into a single "Notes" section. If you're a researcher, this is gold. You can export those notes to a Word doc or an email in two taps.
Family Sharing
This is a sleeper feature. If you have "Family Sharing" set up on your iCloud account, you can share your book purchases with up to five other family members. My spouse and I share a library. If I buy a biography, she gets it for free. Amazon has a version of this, but Apple’s integration is much tighter and rarely glitches out.
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Is it worth using?
Honestly, if you are already in the Apple ecosystem, it’s a no-brainer for casual reading. If you are a power reader who finishes three books a week, you might prefer the e-ink screen of a dedicated Kindle Paperwhite because it’s easier on the eyes over long periods. But for the rest of us? The screen on an iPhone 15 or 16 is so sharp that the difference is negligible.
Apple Books also handles "Image-rich" books—think cookbooks, photography books, or graphic novels—waaaaay better than a Kindle does. The color reproduction on an iPad Pro screen makes a comic book look like it's printed on high-gloss paper.
Getting Started: Actionable Steps
If you want to actually give Apple Books a fair shake, don't just go in and buy a $30 bestseller. Start small.
First, go to the "Bookstore" tab and search for "Free." There is a massive collection of public domain classics—think Pride and Prejudice or Sherlock Holmes—that are formatted beautifully and cost zero dollars. Download one. Play with the fonts. See if you like the "curl" animation when you turn a page (you can actually turn that off in settings if it bugs you).
Second, try the "Reading Goals" feature for a week. Set it to something low, like 10 minutes a day. The app will ping you in the evening if you haven't hit your goal. It’s a great way to replace mindless scrolling on social media with something that actually feeds your brain.
Finally, if you have a bunch of PDFs for work or school, Share them to the Books app. Stop reading them in your browser or your email preview. The organization tools inside Apple Books—folders, collections, and the ability to mark things as "Finished"—will change how you handle digital paperwork.
Apple Books isn't trying to change the world. It's just trying to make the act of reading on a glowing piece of glass as pleasant as possible. And for most people, that's more than enough.
Next Steps for Success:
- Audit your current library: Check if any of your existing EPUB files can be dragged into iCloud to centralize your reading.
- Set a Reading Goal: Open the app, tap your profile icon, and adjust your daily minutes to build a consistent habit.
- Explore the "Great on iPad" section: If you own a tablet, look for interactive books that utilize touch and audio, which standard e-readers can't replicate.