Amazon will finally add ePub support to its Kindle family of e-readers later this year. Amazon allows users to send files/documents to their Kindle email address. The book/document is automatically converted — from certain file types — and downloaded to the device the next time it connects to the internet.
Soon, readers will be able to email ePub books to their devices directly without the hassle of converting first to a compatible format, like MOBI or Amazon's native AZW3.
ePub has become one of the most popular formats for ebooks ever since it was introduced in 2007. Other e-readers quickly adopted the format except for Amazon Kindle. Now Kindle has confirmed that the file type will soon be allowed when using a Send to Kindle app on PC, Mac or through a Chrome browser.
However, there is a catch as Kindles won’t have native EPUB support. Users will need to send the file through Send to Kindle email address to convert the ebook from EPUB into a format that the device can read.
Also, Amazon is reportedly removing support for MOBI and AZW3 from Send to Kindle as they have become dated and old formats that can’t support the latest or future Kindle features. However, existing MOBI files on the devices will continue to work.
Here are the supported formats by the Send to Kindle feature:
This format update will put Kindle on the same level as other e-readers. The EPUB format is already supported by other e-reader companies like Kobo, Sony, and Barnes & Noble.
