Amazon Merging Comixology and Kindle Apps

About 18 months after their last colossal change to Comixology, Amazon has announced another major shift for the digital comics app, which is that they're getting rid of its standalone app entirely. In an email to users today, Amazon confirmed that starting in less than three weeks, December 4, 2023, they will be merging the Comixology and Kindle applications on iOS, Android, and Fire OS platforms. At that time the Comixology app itself will no longer be usable, meaning that as of today Amazon has begun the process of syncing users purchases from Comixology into their Kindle app. In their announcement, Amazon noted they've been "upgrading the Kindle app to deliver the great digital comics, graphic novels, and manga experience" that users have become accustomed to with Comixology. This will reportedly include:

• Users Comixology library in the Kindle app now groups issues, volumes, and omnibuses from the same series together.
• The Kindle app now allows users to hide and unhide specific comics, graphic novels, and manga in their library. Titles already set to hide via the Comixology app will automatically be hidden in the Kindle app.
• With user's complete library of books now conveniently in one place, they can select 'Comics & Manga' from the in-app filter menu to quickly find just your comics, graphic novels, and manga titles.
• Members of Comixology Unlimited, Kindle Unlimited, or Amazon Prime can borrow comics, graphic novels, and manga titles directly in app. Tap the 'Home' button from the bottom nav, select the 'Explore' button in the top left directly under the search bar, then select the 'Comics, Manga, and Graphic Novels' button listed under the 'More categories' label. Users may also continue to browse for content on the web via www.amazon.com/comixology.
• Users may also continue to read Comixology books on the web via read.amazon.com.

As has been the case since Amazon began making changes to Comixology last year, fans of the app and readers had plenty of thoughts, few of them kind. 

"I just don't understand. Who at Amazon thought it made sense to merge two entirely different mediums as though they were the same?" One user wrote in a post on X. "It's absolutely insane. It's like their mandate was 'make it worse. like way way worse pls.'"  

Another added, :"This really is awful news. It's been nothing but deterioration of the @comiXology app since it was bought by #Amazon."

It wasn't all doom and gloom however, just sadness mostly, with another user writing: "This looks terrible on the surface but because they stopped updating the comixology app a while ago, Kindle's actually a little better for reading comics now. As long as they still put sales on occasionally, this doesn't matter much. Obviously still miss the old days though 😭"

First launched in 2007, Comixology was acquired by Amazon in 2014. Plans to fold the Comixology app into the Kindle app were first confirmed by Amazon in 2021, but plans were delayed after initial fan outcry. Those plans have no seemingly come to fruition and will be complete in less than one month.