Amazon Rapids is one of Amazon’s projects for children that offers short stories in WhatsApp style. The app was launched in 2016 as a monthly subscription for about $2.99 but is now completely free.
The app provides access to hundreds of short stories and various options to improve children’s reading moments. The stories were created for children aged 5 to 12 years and are presented as chat conversations between the characters.
If the children wish, they can ask the app to play the stories out loud or search the glossary for words they don’t know. And if you rely on Alexa, you’ll find that some stories are supported to integrate into the reading function of Amazon’s virtual wizard.
Now all these options and the possibility to access the catalog of stories are free, as it says in The Verge. By presenting the stories in this curious format, Amazon wants to encourage children to read by using their mobile devices in a context they already know.
The Amazon Rapids app can be downloaded on both iOS and Android but is not available internationally.