How to Read Books on iPhone and iPad with Apple Books

Apple Books is a free reading app on every iPhone and iPad. You can buy bestsellers, download thousands of free classics, and adjust text size for comfortable reading.

In this guide (5 steps):

1.Open the Books app
2.Browse the bookstore
3.Find free books
4.Buy a book
5.Adjust text size and reading settings

Open the Books app

~15s

Look for the Books app on your iPhone or iPad — it has an orange icon with a white book on it. If you don't see it, swipe down on your home screen and search "Books" to find it. Tap to open.

Browse the bookstore

~22s

Tap "Book Store" at the bottom of the screen to browse. You'll see featured titles, bestsellers, and categories. Browse by genre (Fiction, Mystery, History, etc.) or search for a specific title or author at the top. Tap any book to see its description, sample pages, and price.

Quick Tip

Quick Tip: Many books offer a free sample of the first chapter or two. Tap "Get Sample" to try before you buy.

Find free books

~15s

In the Book Store, tap on a genre and then look for books showing "$0.00" or "Free." Thousands of classic novels, poetry collections, and non-fiction works are free because their copyright has expired. Search "free classics" to find curated collections.

Buy a book

~15s

Tap a book you want, then tap the price button. You'll be asked to confirm with your Apple ID password or Face ID/Touch ID. The book downloads in seconds and appears in your Library. Tap Library at the bottom to find all your books.

Adjust text size and reading settings

~27s

While reading, tap anywhere on the page to see the reading controls. Tap the "Aa" button to change: font size (make it bigger), font style, line spacing, and page color. Tap the moon icon to switch to a dark background for nighttime reading — much easier on the eyes in a dark room.

Quick Tip

Quick Tip: Swipe left or tap the right side of the page to go to the next page. Swipe right or tap the left side to go back.

You Did It!

You've completed: How to Read Books on iPhone and iPad with Apple Books

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Apple Books is a free app that comes on every iPhone and iPad — it lets you read ebooks just like you'd read on a Kindle, but without needing a separate device. Your phone or tablet becomes your reading device. The app has its own bookstore where you can buy bestsellers, find free books, and even sample a book before you buy.

One of the nicest features of Apple Books is how flexible the reading experience is. You can make text much larger, change the font, adjust the background color for nighttime reading (dark background with light text is easy on the eyes), and the app remembers exactly where you stopped reading.

Thousands of classic books — from Jane Austen to Mark Twain — are completely free because they're in the public domain. This is a great way to rediscover old favorites or explore literature you never had time to read.

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