Until now, Amazon has limited Kindle eBooks to its Kindle devices and apps, without officially allowing users to read titles purchased from the Kindle Store on third-party e-readers or through other apps. However, that should change soon.
In a recent announcement, Amazon announced that users will soon be able to download and read e-books on other brands of e-readers and through third-party apps. The company said that starting January 20, 2026, it will allow downloads in EPUB and PDF formats, but only if the author agrees.
Authors who publish books through Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) must choose not to use Digital Rights Management (DRM) to enable downloads. For existing titles, authors must change the DRM status via the KDP Author Portal to make them available for download. The change is not retroactive and Amazon says it will not be applied to existing DRM-free titles until the author takes action.
A support page with additional details about this change shows that these DRM-free books will be available for download from the Manage Content and Devices page on Amazon. It goes on to say that only verified buyers can access the EPUB and PDF files, and that downloads are not available to those who rent books from the Kindle Store through Kindle Unlimited or other services, even if the books are DRM-free.
For readers, this change means their Kindle purchases are not tied to the Amazon ecosystem. By enabling downloads, Amazon is essentially giving readers a more convenient way to build a library that is available across multiple devices and apps. For authors, the move offers a clearer choice between greater reach or stricter content protection. Once this change goes into effect, it could mark the beginning of a more open and flexible Kindle ecosystem that benefits both authors and readers.
