Five Apps On Your Devices Where You Can Read Books For Free

Reading is not only a habit that allows us to expand our information and know more about the world around us but sometimes we read simply to be transported to another world: a world of fantasy or perhaps to a historical period that we always wished to travel back to. Holding a book in our hands and turning over the pages as the distinct smell of paper wafts up to our noses is an irreplaceable feeling. However, physical books cannot be carried around everywhere nor do we always have the space to keep buying new books.

E-books have eased this concern by allowing us to read on our nearest accessible devices. Think of an eBook as books with text, images, or both, that can be read on a digital device like a smartphone, tablet, computer, etc. An audiobook (or a talking book) is another format which is basically a recording of a book or other work being read out loud, so that instead of reading, you are listening to the book. It is favourable for those who love listening to stories and would like to be entertained while travelling or even while performing chores. There are several apps where you can access audiobooks, besides multiple channels on Youtube. Moreover, both eBooks and audiobooks are often cheaper than paperbacks (paper-bound books), thus making them attractive options for all book readers.

When it comes to e-books, there are dedicated devices such as the Kindle e-reader which is the most popular option that allows a reading experience without distractions and advertisements. An Amazon kindle e-reader is a device that allows you to buy, download and read e-books from the Kindle Store on Amazon. It is designed like a tablet, and is only a tiny bit larger than your palm: it usually comes in sizes of 6-7 inches, and long battery hours which allows for a comfortable reading.

However, there are a lot more options you can explore on your phones and computers when it comes to apps which you can use for buying and reading new books. Listed below are some of the popular apps for reading, listening and buying eBooks and audiobooks. All you need to do is install the app you would like to use on your phone/computer and enjoy the vast collection of books at your disposal.

Amazon Kindle

It is one of the most popular and widely accessible eBook apps with access to a vast library of eBooks. You can use this app on any device without having to buy a Kindle e-reader. Many people now carry the Kindle on long flights, instead of packing a book that weighs a lot and takes up a lot of space. Moreover, the light from the screen is not like the harsh blue-light of the smartphone; it is designed to not add strain to your eyes while reading, without impacting the quality of the page that you are reading.  Some of its key features are:

• Accessible with your Amazon account

• If you have an Amazon Kindle account, it can sync across multiple devices - phones, laptops, computers, kindle, irrespective of whether you use an Android phone or iPhone

• Customizable reading experience (font size, background colour, etc.).

• Built-in dictionary, allows you to look up concepts on Wikipedia.

Links to download:

• On your phone or tablet that operates on Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.amazon.kindle&pcampaignid=web_share

• On your iPhone or iPad: Amazon Kindle on the App Store

• You can also download Kindle to read books while on your computer or laptop. For this, you can download the app from this link: https://www.amazon.in/kindlepcdownload/ref=klp_hz_win

Apple Books

This is Apple's native eBook app that offers a seamless reading experience for Apple device users. This is like Kindle, but is specifically for those who use Apple products, like iPhone and Mac computers. Some of its key features are:

• Easy to purchase and download from the Apple Bookstore.

• Allows for easy integration with iCloud for syncing books across devices.

• Personalised recommendations for books, based on your previous purchases.

• Supports PDFs and audiobooks.

Links to download:

Apple Books on the App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/apple-books/id364709193

Audible

Audible is a leading audiobook service offering a vast collection of audiobooks, podcasts, and a wide array of other sound-based products that are called Audible Original (similar to Netflix Originals). Owned by Amazon, Audible provides a convenient way to enjoy books on the go, with options to listen offline (when you have no access to WiFi or mobile data) and across multiple devices. Some of its key features are:

• Syncs across devices without losing your progress in a story. This means that if you log into your account and start listening to a book from your phone, you can continue listening from the exact same spot if you want to listen from your laptop.

• Similarly, you can download audiobooks to listen offline.

• Premium membership provides monthly credits to buy any book of your choice.

• Customizable listening experience: Adjust playback speed, set sleep timers, and use bookmarks.

• Whispersync for Voice: Syncs audiobooks with their Kindle ebook counterparts, allowing you to switch between reading and listening.

• Personalised Recommendations: Discover new audiobooks based on your listening history.

• It is available on the Android phone, iPhone, as well as on your computer if you use Windows.

Links to download:

• For Android phone: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.audible.application&pcampaignid=web_share

• For iOS: Audible: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/audible-audio-entertainment/id379693831?platform=iphone

• For Windows, you can listen on a browser: https://help.audible.in/s/article/listen-on-a-browser?language=en_IN

Internet Archive

The Internet Archive is a non-profit digital library offering free access to a vast collection of digital content, including eBooks, audio files, videos, and web pages. It aims to provide "universal access to all knowledge" by archiving and preserving digital content from around the world. This also means that some old websites that do not exist any longer, could be found through the Internet Archive.S ome of its key features are:

• Access to millions of free eBooks, including classic literature, academic texts, and rare manuscripts.

• Categories available by languages and formats such as newspapers, magazines and books, making it easily accessible.

• Offers formats suitable for individuals with print disabilities, such as DAISY (books that are read out to you) and plain text.

• For books and PDFs that are not free to download, there is a borrowing option which lets you access the file for a specific time period.

• It is available on any web browser (eg, Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Safari) from any of your devices

Links to Download:

• For eBooks and other texts: https://archive.org/details/texts

• For Books, mostly in PDF format: https://archive.org/details/books

Google Play Books

Google’s e-Book app needs to be installed separately from Google Play. It has a vast collection of eBooks, audiobooks and comics. However, unlike Kindle which offers a small number of free books, not all the books available are free to read on Google Play Books. Some of its key features are:

• No subscription is required. Books can be bought anytime at affordable prices.

• Samples of books of a few pages can be previewed before buying.

• Syncs your progress across all devices with google accounts.

• Get discounts on select bundles.

• It is available on any web browser (eg, Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Safari) from any of your devices.

Links to download:

• For Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.google.android.apps.books&pcampaignid=web_share

• For iOS, you can find Google Play Books and Audiobooks on the app store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/google-play-books-audiobooks/id400989007