With advancement in technology, there is a marked shift in how people read. Though loyalists of physical books exist, a large number of people prefer reading e-books their Handheld devices such as their phones, tablets and Amazon's Kindle.

On Tuesday, October 24, Amazon announced it is overhauling the Kindle App for mobile platforms. The upgraded Kindle app will initially be available for iOS users and eventually rolled out for Android devices.

Kindle app for iOS and Android get upgrades: what's changed?

While upgrading the app, Amazon will introduce quite a few changes such as the removal of the old Kindle logo.

Instead, it will retain only the signature child in front of a tree silhouette. The app also features a smarter light theme featuring larger book covers, as well as a simpler way of going back to the book being read by simply tapping on the new thumbnail at the screen’s bottom. A search bar for the Kindle store will be constantly present on top of the screen to ensure seamless book title search. There are also changes in the font, which makes reading a better experience.

Kindle app gets integrated with Goodreads

The most important upgrade to be introduced in the app is the integration of Goodreads with the Kindle app. For the unfamiliar, Goodreads is a social reading site created especially for book lovers.

Goodreads was acquired by Amazon in 2013 and was always a part of the Kindle app. It allowed a reader to mark books they had read and share what they were currently reading with their followers. Now, with the upgrade, the integration is deeper by allowing access to a user’s friend's profile. It features a recommendations section, which shows what others are reading.

It also features a notification center that allows a user to share, as well as follow notes. It also highlights other fellow readers and enables one to leave a comment.

Possible issues with the app

Amazon initially plans to launch this upgrade only for Apple products like iPhone and iPad. Android users will have to wait for this upgrade as initially, they will only get visual updates and not the Goodreads integration.

iOS users won't be able to directly purchase books from the Kindle store, unlike Android users. Moreover, they will have to log in separately for buying books. However, given the increasing popularity of e-book readers, this upgrade is well timed and is sure to attract more people.