Apple Books vs Google Play Books

2024. Google Play Books offers hundreds of free eBooks for children



In the grand tradition of mildly chaotic yet charming announcements, Google Play Books has unveiled a mind-bogglingly generous expansion of its kids’ collection—over 300 free non-fiction titles with a snazzy "Read & Listen" feature that lets children read and listen simultaneously, presumably leaving no excuse for confusing “their” with “there” ever again. But wait, there's more! To sprinkle a bit of intergalactic joy on the whole reading affair, Google has rolled out digital Reading Rewards stickers, guaranteed to thrill kids into reaching reading milestones faster than a Vogon could butcher poetry, available on Google Kids Space or the Play Books Android app. As if that wasn’t enough to make you raise your towel in approval, Google has also decided to toss thousands of audiobook previews onto its YouTube channel—because why shouldn’t books get their moment in the spotlight among cat videos and conspiracy theories? And just when you thought the galaxy couldn’t get any more bookish, they’ve added an "Upcoming" section to the app's "Library" tab, offering book pre-orders and recommendations to keep your reading queue as endless as Zaphod Beeblebrox’s ego.


2024. Google Play Books to offer audiobook previews on YouTube



Google Play Books has been provided an update that introduces several new features to the app. That includes integration with YouTube where users will be able to listen to audiobook previews for free. This would be in addition to the audiobook previews that are already available via the Play Books app for Android, iOS and the web. As it is, YouTube enjoys a huge userbase and it is only natural Google will like to leverage it to seek better exposure for its audiobooks as well. In any case, Google has been restructuring its media business of late and several of its services such as Play Music and Podcasts have been brought under the purview of YouTube. Among the other changes introduced to Play Books include the addition of the new Upcoming tab at the top of the Library section. So, you will now have Your books, Shelves and Series along with the newly added Upcoming tabs at the top under Library. This, as Google explained, will show “all your pre-orders in one location on a calendar that can be filtered based on specific series or authors.” You will also be provided updates on authors and series that you might have shown interest in, which can be like titles that you may have searched or viewed.


2023. Google Reading Insights allows to track your kid’s reading habits



Google has introduced a new feature in Google Play Books called Reading Insights, which serves as a tool for parents to monitor their children's reading activities. This feature, conveniently integrated into the Family Link app along with other parental control tools, enables parents to track their children's book choices and their progress in specific titles. By using Reading Insights, parents can access various information, such as the recent books their children have read, their most frequently read books, their reading frequency and the extent to which they have progressed in a particular title. This comprehensive overview allows parents to gain a better understanding of their children's reading habits. Furthermore, the Reading Insights feature also supports tracking audiobook titles.


2023. Google Play Books app adds new book management feature



Google Play Books app has recently introduced a significant enhancement to its redesigned library management system, with the aim of making the organization of your book collection simpler. One notable improvement is the ability to handle multiple books at the same time, allowing users to easily select and manage numerous titles together. Now, actions like adding books to shelves, marking them as finished, or removing downloaded copies from devices can be done in bulk. To aid in efficient book discovery, Google has implemented various filtering options. Users can now filter books by genre, author, reading age (particularly beneficial for children's books) and family library status. These filters make it effortless to quickly identify specific books based on personal preferences.


2023. Google Play Books now offering new Reading Practice tool for kids



Google Play Books is introducing a new feature called Reading Practice in the United States, which aims to assist young readers in improving their comprehension skills using children's e-books. This feature will be accessible through the Google Play Books Android app and Google Kids Space. With Reading Practice, children will be able to enhance their vocabulary by tapping on words to hear their pronunciation and child-friendly definition. For early readers, a text tracker will highlight the words as they read aloud, allowing them to practice any missed or mispronounced words at the end of each page. The majority of books on Google Play Books will include Reading Practice, ensuring easy access to this valuable tool. Google Play is committed to creating family-oriented products and services that support children in learning and exploring technology safely. The goal is to provide parents with the necessary tools and flexibility to encourage reading in their children while fostering healthy and positive digital habits.


2023. Apple Books is bringing back page turn animation on iOS



Apple is reintroducing page turn animation in the Books app with the latest iOS 16.4 beta for iPhone and iPad. When the update rolls out, users will be able to enjoy the classic page turn CURL animation, allowing them to swipe and gesture to peek at the next page or simply turn it as they would with a physical book. Currently, Apple Books only features the swipe animation, which results in an abrupt page turn that feels somewhat like swiping between slides. This is the default in iOS 16.4; however, you can manually set the page turns to one of four different options: Curl, Side, Infinite Scrolling and None. I know many users who stopped using the Apple Books app when iOS 15 removed the animations and switched to alternative apps that have always included them, such as Kindle.


2023. Apple Books launches catalog of AI-narrated audiobooks



Apple Books has introduced a collection of books narrated by artificial intelligence, a move that could signal the start of a decline for human narrators. This strategy represents an effort to disrupt the profitable and rapidly growing audiobook market. However, it also brings the likelihood of increased scrutiny regarding accusations of Apple's anti-competitive conduct. Within Apple's Books app, a search for "AI narration" unveils a selection of works featured in this initiative. These works are described as having been "narrated by a digital voice based on a human narrator." Although there could be potential backlash from professional voice actors, authors themselves are increasingly being requested to personally narrate their own books. For writers, there exists a financial incentive in terms of upfront payments and broader accessibility of their creations.


2022. Google Play Books adds a Wish List



Google Play Books is rolling out a new update for its Android app that introduces a wish list feature on the main navigation bar at the bottom of the screen. This is alongside the Home, Library and Shop buttons. It is a dedicated feature specific to Play Books, allowing you to add titles you wish to purchase later to your wish list, which you can view at any time. Tapping on a title in the wish list will direct you to the Google Play Books entry for it, where you can download a sample or make a purchase. Most users who buy books are using the Play Books app for this purpose, as it allows both purchasing and reading within the app. However, in recent months, the company has updated its billing policy, imposing a 30% fee on each in-app transaction. This has led Audible, Amazon Kindle and Barnes & Noble to remove the ability to purchase content, turning their apps into consumption-only platforms.


2022. Apple Books is getting a bunch of new features in iOS 16



In iOS 16, which will be released this Fall, the reading app Apple Books will introduce new features that let you tailor the reading experience to your preferences. You'll have the option to select reading themes for various settings and moods, or modify the font, spacing, text size and other preferences. The audiobook player will be revamped with updated controls and a mini player that allows you to continue listening while browsing the store. You can also purchase books directly from the player while previewing them. The updated Apple Books experience will be available for both iPad and iPhone. In iOS 15, a toolbar at the top of the app offered access to the chapter index, font settings, search tools and bookmarks, but in iOS 16, these features have been relocated to the bottom of the app.


2021. Google Play Books now has new tools to make reading easier for kids



Google Play Books has unveiled a suite of new tools designed to make it easier for even young readers to start enjoying books. The Read & Listen feature will narrate a book to your children. You can either turn the pages manually or allow them to turn automatically. The Tap to Read feature will read aloud any word that you tap on. This helps kids learn the correct pronunciation of the word and provides a description, often accompanied by an illustration, to ensure a complete understanding of the term. Additionally, the Kid-Friendly Dictionary offers simple explanations of words, further supporting the learning process.


2021. Google Play Books will help kids to learn to read



Google Play Books has introduced several new features designed to assist young readers. Firstly, it now allows children to hear books read aloud and they can tap on individual words to hear them pronounced. Additionally, kids can read or listen to thousands of child-friendly definitions, many of which include illustrations to aid in understanding and learning. Google states that most of their children's books come with these new reading tools. Parents can also download a free sample of any children's book to check if the reading tools are available for that title before making a purchase.


2020. Apple Books giving away hundreds of free books



Apple Books has announced that several hundred audiobooks and ebooks are now available for free. Open the Apple Books app and scroll through the featured section to find one labeled ‘Free Books.’ This offer is available exclusively to US customers. You can explore free books, read-alongs for children, cozy mysteries and audiobooks for the entire family. Apple is also highlighting that users can choose a free novel from the company’s “First in a Series, Free” section. The app features a broad selection of titles for both adults and children, ranging from Sesame Street to HG Wells and includes well-known works like *Pride and Prejudice* in audiobook format. Depending on your location, the app also offers classic titles from authors such as Shakespeare.


2019. Google Play allows to rent ebooks



Google Play has introduced a new system for renting ebooks. A small section that quietly went live last week features around 200 titles from Open Road Media. The rental prices range from $1 to $2, with a rental period of 3 days, which should be sufficient to voraciously read most of the romance, thriller and science-fiction novels available. The Google Play rental system is currently available only in the United States. It is not yet clear whether this is a pilot program to assess consumer interest or part of a larger strategy to enter the rental market with additional publishers.


2019. Google Play Books adds custom shelves, shelf icons



Google Play Books has introduced Beta Features, offering users early access to experimental functionalities. The initial features include customized bookshelves, allowing you to arrange them however you prefer. Search and Sort options are also available, enabling you to swiftly find a specific book or organize your library using various criteria. The final beta feature is Ready to Read, a new shelf that displays the books you haven't completed yet to help you easily pick up where you left off. Currently, these beta features are available for your desktop browser and will eventually be rolled out to Android and iOS.


2019. Apple Books adds Reading Goals



Apple will introduce reading goals in Apple Books. This feature will be accessible for audiobooks and ebooks when iOS 13 launches later this year. Apple described the system as follows: “Read a book or listen to an audiobook for five minutes while waiting in line for coffee, during your commute, or before bed to meet your Daily Reading Goal. Build streaks to celebrate your successes and share books you’ve completed with the Books Read this Year collection.” Reading Goals will be available on any iOS 13 device, such as the iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch and Mac computers. It is currently unclear if badges and achievements will be awarded or if it will simply serve as a daily reading target for audiobooks and ebooks. More details will be revealed when the public beta is released next month.


2019. Google Play Books gets redesign on Android



Google has refreshed Play Books with a new material design that gives it a more minimalist and streamlined appearance. The update is primarily focused on visuals, with hollow iconography, predominantly white backgrounds and a switch to Google/Product Sans fonts. The carousel on the home screen has been made smaller and more compact, a change that also applies to the bookstore. The reading experience within the app hasn't been significantly altered, although the minor adjustments may not favor those looking for enhanced accessibility. Some of the text on the screen has been reduced in size and certain interactive elements have been minimized. However, as this is an ebook reader, you can still customize font sizes to suit your preferences.


2018. Google Audiobooks gets Trim Silences feature



Google Play Books is the sole platform where you can listen to audiobooks bought from Google and they have just introduced a new feature called Trim Silences. This feature will automatically eliminate long pauses between words or sentences. While most audiobooks are professionally produced and remove these pauses by default, some small publishers and indie authors may have pauses, making Trim Silences a helpful tool.


2018. Android e-Readers can no longer access Google Play



Google has introduced a new security policy that is blocking users from accessing the Google Play Store on an Android e-reader. Dozens of popular brands in Asia and Europe do not have an official license for Google Play; instead, they only load the framework and the app store. Previously, this was sufficient, but not anymore. If you have an existing e-reader and linked your Google account before March 16th, 2018, you should be fine. However, if you have recently purchased a new Android e-reader or reset your existing one to factory settings, you will no longer be able to access the Play Store.


2018. iBooks rebrands as Apple Books



Apple iBooks will be rebranded as Apple Books with the release of iOS 12 later this year. It will also undergo a major redesign. A new "Reading Now" feature will display the audiobook and eBook you are currently reading and provide an indication of your progress in each title. This will be shown as an open book with the book title beneath it. The current iBooks app has sections for My Books, Featured, Top Charts, Search and Purchased at the bottom. This will be updated to Reading Now, Library, Bookstore, Audiobooks and Search. This change will make it easier to access the audiobook section, which currently requires you to open the bookstore and then click on the audiobooks tab.


2018. Google Play audiobooks get Smart Resume and bookmarks



Google Play Audiobooks is receiving a significant update that introduces several new features that were notably absent when it debuted earlier this year. The most beneficial new feature is Smart Resume. Instead of resuming in the middle of a sentence or even a word when your audiobook playback is interrupted, this new feature will intelligently rewind to the start of the word or sentence, helping you maintain your immersion. This update also includes the ability to set bookmarks so you can easily return to your favorite sections of a book and the option to adjust the playback speed—whether speeding it up or slowing it down to thoroughly enjoy a favorite passage in Ulysses. If you regularly use Google Assistant and are already taking advantage of the newly launched Routines feature, you'll be pleased to know that you can now choose to continue your audiobooks when you wake up or begin your commute.