How to Buy E-Books on iPhone or iPad Using the Books App

Search for, preview, and purchase titles directly from the Book Store

By
Sam Costello
Sam Costello
Sam Costello
Writer
  • Ithaca College
Sam Costello has been writing about tech since 2000. His writing has appeared in publications such as CNN.com, PC World, InfoWord, and many others.
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Updated on June 11, 2024

What to Know

  • Open the Books app on an iPhone or iPad and tap Book Store.
  • Browse the sections and recommendations or tap Search and enter a title or author name.
  • Locate a book and tap Buy. Confirm the order to buy the book.

This article explains how to buy e-books on an iPhone or iPad using the Books app in iOS 10.0 and iPadOS 13 or later. It includes information on reading e-books and tips for acquiring samples and free books.

Before you buy e-books on your iPad or iPhone, tap the title to view details or preview or download a sample before committing to it.

How to Buy E-Books on iPhone or iPad

Buying e-books through the Books app is easy. Follow these steps to build your e-library.

The Books app must be installed on your iPhone or iPad to buy e-books. Download the Apple Books app if you don't already have it.

  1. Open the Books app.

  2. Tap Book Store.

    You can also select Audiobooks to view those options, or tap Search to enter a specific item.

    Book Store icon in Books app on iPad

  3. Find and select the e-book you want to order to open its information screen.

    Apple Books New This Week section on iPad

  4. Tap Buy and then confirm the order to purchase the e-book.

    If the title you chose is free, select Get to download it to your device.

    Buy button in Books app on iPad

Similar to App Store and subscriptions on your iPhone or iPad, Books purchases use your iCloud payment method. You can view details and make updates from Settings.

How to Read Your E-Books

If you purchased a book or downloaded a free e-book, the information screen for the book changes to show a Read button. Tap Read to start reading the book.

Read button in Books app on iPad

Another way to read a book is to go to the Library. Every book you add to the Books app is stored there—including books you ordered from the Books app, transferred to your device from other apps, or copied to your iPad or iPhone.

Library tab of Books app for iPad

Once you're in the Library, select the book you want to read. It opens immediately. Swipe left and right to turn the pages or tap once to access the menu.

Free eBook open on iPad

To return to your other e-books, tap once to show the menu, then select the back arrow or x.

Tips on Buying E-Books With Apple Books

There's a lot to the Apple Books app. Here are a few tips:

  • Grab a free sample: Go to the download page for the book and tap Sample.
  • Download free books: Apple Books contains free e-books. To download free books, go to the information page for the book and tap Get.
  • Find e-books: Go to the Browse Sections area at the top of the Book Store tab. Locate new and trending books, e-books coming soon, books categorized into a specific genre, the top e-books people are buying, and free e-books.
  • Do more: Every e-book download page has options to send an e-book as a gift, add it to your Want to Read catalog, view more e-books (and audiobooks) by that author, view the top e-books in the same genre, see when the book was last updated, and read the system requirements needed to read the book.
  • Wait for the download: Some books take a while to download, so wait a little bit for it to become fully available to read. Watch the download progress bar for those books.
  • Update your Apple ID: An Apple ID is required to make e-book purchases from the Books app. Reset your Apple ID password if you don't know it.
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