comiXology Introduces New iOS App, Removes In-App Purchases

Bad news iOS users, if you enjoyed reading and purchasing your comics via the comiXology app, you might be interested to learn that in a recent update announced by the company, it seems that they will be retiring the old app and introducing a new one which will basically act exclusively as a comic book reader.

This means that if you found it convenient to use the app to download and purchase new comics, especially since it is tied to your iTunes account, that will no longer be happening. Instead users are asked to make their purchases on comiXology’s website where they can then download the comic onto their iOS device.

It is understandable that comiXology is doing this, especially since Apple requires a 30% cut from in-app subscriptions, so by taking it outside the iTunes App Store, comiXology does not need to pay Apple anything. We can only imagine that this move is courtesy of Amazon, comiXology’s new owner, whose Kindle iOS app also does not feature in-app purchases, instead requiring users to make their purchases on Amazon’s website first.

We should note that this does not mean that your older purchases are gone and they can be restored by tapping on the Restore button in the app, so there’s that at least. The good news is that in order to facilitate the transition, comiXology will be offering a $5 eGift Card to those who have made purchases through the comiXology platform in the past. So what do you guys think of their latest move? Yay or nay?

Tyler Lee
Categories: Apple
Tags: Amazon, Apps, comixology, iOS