Apple Previews Redesigned Books App Coming in iOS 12 - MacRumors
Skip to Content

Apple Previews Redesigned Books App Coming in iOS 12

Apple today shared an in-depth preview of the all-new Books app for iPhone and iPad coming in iOS 12 later this year.

apple books preview 1
As shown on stage at WWDC 2018 last week, the Books app has been completely redesigned with the following tabs:

  • Reading Now displays all of the books you are currently reading or listening to. A new "Want to Read" section allows you to keep a wishlist of books you are interested in. "Complete the Series" or "You Might Like" present books based on those you have recently finished.

  • Library displays your full collection of books with large cover art, including the books downloaded to your device. There is also a "Finished" timeline of books you have read in the past with the dates you finished them.

  • Book Store allows you to browse all titles available on Apple Books, with categories such as Top Charts, Staff Picks, Editorial Collections, and Special Offers & Free. You will receive personalized recommendations based on your purchases in "For You."

  • Audiobooks allows you to browse all audiobook titles available on Apple Books.

  • Search

apple books preview 2
Apple's services chief Eddy Cue:

Apple Books will inspire a love of reading — it puts a world of books and audiobooks right at your fingertips, whether you want to dive into your favorite story for a couple of minutes or a few hours. This is our biggest books redesign ever, and we hope this beautiful app inspires both customers and authors alike.

The new Books app launches this fall, with the Book Store available in 51 countries, and free books available in 155 countries.

Tag: iBooks

Popular Stories

iPhone Handoff iOS 27 Feature

T-Mobile to Charge $5 a Month for iOS 27 iPhone Handoff

Thursday September 10, 2026 3:58 pm PDT by
T-Mobile will charge customers $5 per month to use iPhone Handoff, an e-SIM feature that allows the same phone number to be used on two separate iPhones. iPhone Handoff requires carrier support, and at launch, only T-Mobile users in the U.S. and Deutsche Telekom users in Germany will be able to use it. T-Mobile says customers can use their number across two compatible iPhone models and...
iOS 27 Feature Dark

Apple Announces iOS 27 Release Date

Wednesday September 9, 2026 10:46 am PDT by
At its event today unveiling the iPhone 18 Pro, AirPods 5, Apple Watch Series 12, and more, Apple announced that iOS 27 will be released later this month. iOS 27 has already been available as a developer beta since June and as a public beta since July, and Apple today said that the update will be released for all users with a compatible iPhone model on Monday, September 14. iOS 27 is...
iphone duo

IMAX Reacts to iPhone Duo's 1:1.4 Aspect Ratio Displays

Friday September 11, 2026 4:42 am PDT by
Production theater company IMAX has responded in a mixed way to Apple's embrace of a 1:1.4 aspect ratio on the iPhone Duo's inner and outer displays. The boxier ratio happens to be very close to the classic "full-frame" IMAX 1.43:1 aspect ratio, which comes from the geometry of the company's original 15-perforation/70mm film system. In response to an X post from someone wondering if we'll see...

Top Rated Comments

KazKam Avatar
108 months ago
Looks like Books gets the same treatment as Music and Videos/TV... nothing more than a storefront with access to my purchases buried under advertisements posing as "recommendations.":(

Well, I suppose I already have to use Cesium for downloaded music, Player Xtreme for already synced videos; now I'll just have to find a dedicated audiobook player for already downloaded audiobooks.

Dear Apple, I already own 95% of the media I probably ever will. Please stop changing your media players into advertising billboards with convoluted methods to get to the content I already own and just want to listen to/view!
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
iObama Avatar
108 months ago
The fact that they’re using a different font for the headers literally pains me inside.
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Solomani Avatar
108 months ago
In other news…. in 2019 Apple plans to rebrand a slew of products:

iBooks will become Books.

iTunes will become "Tunes"

iMac will thereafter simply be called "Mac"

iPhone will be abbreviated to "Phone"

and iCloud will be rebranded simply as "Cloud"


Last but not least, Apple Exec Jony Ive will thereafter be known as Jony Ve
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
NervousFish2 Avatar
108 months ago
I don’t mind these changes. What matters to me is the lack of focus on the actual reading experience, especially for the student. Example: on both kindle and iBooks I can highlight portions of text, and create notes. But on kindle, I can review those notes independently of my highlights, and vice versa. Why can’t I do this on iBooks? I use iBooks a lot, as I think it’s very good for working with ePub format files, keeping them handy and accessible and readable in a generally gorgeous way. But I have felt that kindle is much more student-friendly for some time now.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
strategicthinke Avatar
108 months ago
Those fonts used for the headings look awful. Why are they deviating from the norm instead of just using San Francisco? A font with a serif looks extremely out of place in iOS.
It is like Skeumorphism 2.0.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Brad9893 Avatar
108 months ago
Those fonts used for the headings look awful. Why are they deviating from the norm instead of just using San Francisco? A font with a serif looks extremely out of place in iOS.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)