Amazon Continues Absorbing ComiXology by Merging Accounts With Theirs

ComiXology logo

A quiet update came out for the ComiXology app on iPad that lists as the main new item:

Many of your Kindle comics, graphic novels, and manga purchases are now readable on comiXology! Just sign in or merge with your Amazon account.

Amazon is now pushing users to consolidate their accounts. There’s a ComiXology FAQ that provides more information. As they note there:

Signing in with your Amazon account improves the experience for Kindle and comiXology customers by making Kindle-purchased comics, graphic novel, and manga readable on comiXology with our cinematic Guided View experience. Many future features will depend on using your Amazon account, as well.

This is the first step toward using only Amazon accounts to sign in, which will allow us to use even more Amazon muscle to the benefit of comiXology customers. At some point in the future, the only way to sign in to comiXology will be with your Amazon account.

ComiXology logo

So you CAN merge now, but eventually, if you want to keep current, it sounds like you’ll have to. And what, exactly, does “Amazon muscle” consist of, and how does it benefit customers? Is that a hint that deals with publishers will be changing in future? If so, will Amazon pass along savings, or just keep the benefits to themselves? Combining the accounts certainly gives them more data on sales patterns. Other key points:

  • As they say, they’re working on getting rid of ComiXology-specific accounts. After the merge, “You’ll use your Amazon account to log in to all comiXology websites and apps. Your comiXology username is riding off into the sunset.”
  • Similarly, “you will only be able to use the payment types linked to your Amazon account.” Paypal cannot be used on comixology.com after merging. But weirdly, neither can Amazon gift cards.
  • It’s one-way. “Please note that after merging, only Kindle-purchased comics will move to comiXology, your comiXology purchases will not be available in your Kindle library.”
  • This only works for devices on Android 2.3 or later or iOS 9 or later.
  • You can no longer create a new ComiXology account. You can only create a new Amazon account.

I recently heard one successful indy publisher talking on a podcast about how ComiXology was a lot more open to adult material than Kindle was, so this has potential to cause problems for those who put out comics with sexual content.

Of course, it’s typical for an acquiring company to want to save money and effort by consolidating duplicate functions. That eliminates maintenance costs and allows for streamlining of personnel. I’m surprised it took Amazon this long. But I’m not surprised that this came out on a Friday evening.



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