Amazon redesigns Kindle for Android with new library, carousel browser, expanded navigation panel, and more

Amazon on Thursday updated its native Kindle app for Android with a big focus on design. You can download the latest version now directly from Google Play.

This update is a major release, bringing the app to version 4.0. The biggest change is undoubtedly a refreshed user interface.

Here’s a taste:

First up on the list of changes is the redesigned library (left screenshot above). Instead of a basic grid of book covers you now get a fancy carousel at the top showing you recent items.

Next is the expanded navigation panel (middle screenshot above), which has been updated to include quick access to your books, documents, and newsstand periodicals. This one’s not a huge change but it can save you quite a bit of time if you access these sections on a regular basis.

The reading view (right screenshot above) doesn’t appear to have changed much. The focus is still on the content, as it should be.

Here’s the full Kindle version 4.0 for Android changelog:

• Redesigned library experience.
• Carousel displays recent items on the Kindle app home screen.
• Navigation panel organizes content for quick access to your Books, Documents, and Newsstand periodicals.
• Browse all your items in the Cloud or just the content downloaded on your Android device.
• Explore and download popular samples in the Kindle Store.

As you probably know, Android is very important to Amazon’s strategy, whether we’re talking about its forked version or the one almost everyone else is using. The company knows very well that Google’s mobile platform is used by millions, and it is smart to ensure that its Kindle store is accessible from more than just its version of the operating system.

See also – Microsoft brings its Xbox SmartGlass app to the Amazon Appstore for Kindle Fire tablets and Amazon trims Kindle and Kindle Paperwhite Wi-Fi prices in Canada by $10, now $79 and $129 respectively

Top Image Credit: Mateusz Stachowski