Image via Libby and Amazon
Readers on a budget are likely familiar with library lending app Libby, which partners with local libraries to offer an extensive digital collection. Through Libby, library card holders can check out ebooks and audiobooks from the comfort of their homes.
Libby has seen its share of praise over the years for its easy-to-use interface. However, Kindle owners have recently noticed a change to the ebook return policy that leaves them feeling frustrated and confused.
Kindle Books Can No Longer Be Returned Early Through the App
Readers who love to keep up with new releases know the waitlist to snag an ebook for that hot new title can be lengthy. For instance, if I placed a hold today for Emily Henry’s latest, I’d be 871st in line at my local library, with a several-month wait.
To get around this, Libby users like to help each other out by returning books as soon as they finish them, through the “Return Early” feature. Doing so puts that copy back in digital circulation, letting the next person read it sooner.
It used to be as simple as hitting “Return Early” in the app. Confirm your choice and you’re good to go. But Kindle readers have noticed a change in the process that adds a good bit of friction.
Now, if you send a book to your Kindle reader, finish it early, and want to send it back, you’ll encounter a new message. It reads: “Because you have sent this loan to Kindle, it must be returned to your library via Amazon. You can find a Return to Public Library option on your Kindle, or at the Amazon site.”
According to Reddit, people aren’t happy with the change. It requires an extra step in a once-quick process. Many cite confusion about a change that does the opposite of making things easier for users, especially from an app that’s often been praised for serving readers well.
While there are plenty of e-readers on the market, Amazon’s Kindle is one of the most popular ones. That means Kindle users are no small slice of the Libby user base.
Libby hasn’t shared the reason for the update to the policy. However, many speculate it may be an attempt to cut down on fraudulent library loan activity. A commonly known hack for hanging on to library ebooks involves sending them to Kindle, and then putting the device in airplane mode. Having to return titles directly through Kindle would put a stop to this sneaky way of keeping books past their due dates.
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I just saw this for the first time this week. I have a feeling it may be related to the ebook staying on the kindle if you are not connected to the internet when you hit that “return early”. I normally return from my kindle, so I am not sure when it changed.
Thank you for the insight! It’s definitely a tough change. We are hoping they’ll update with more information on what the returns will look like in the future! If they do, we’ll have more news on Bonus Action ASAP!
I failed to see how this process would overcome a hack that allows users to keep their books longer than the schedule time. All this new process does is punish those users who are considerate enough to return their titles early.
As with all things in this business economy in which we all live, I think it’s Amazon’s way of forcing us to look at other books that They deem we might like to purchase.
We used to download the book on our kindle, turn it on airplane mode, then return the book on the Libby app right away so the next person can read it. We would still have access to the book on our kindle until we connected it back to the Internet. Essentially it was a nice way of letting more people get through the line. Now you can’t do that and I can’t return it until I’m really done reading the book, meaning people have to wait longer.