Our Commitment to Accessibility and the European Accessibility Act (EAA)

Accessibility is, and always has been, a top priority at Rakuten Kobo. We know that, for many people, the entry point to digital reading is the need for accessibility—whether that’s with eBooks and audiobooks or the valuable opportunities for customization that eReaders provide. Since day one, our mission has been to make reading lives better and an important part of that is reducing barriers so reading can be more accessible to everyone.

We understand the importance of the EAA and make significant investments in developing and implementing accessibility features across our product line. As of June 28, 2025, we will meet the EAA core requirements. 

We are taking a phased approach to the EAA rollout on our E Ink devices to ensure their quality and effectiveness. This approach allows us to gather user feedback and make necessary adjustments to improve the experience on a rolling basis. We are pleased to announce that our apps will include a full suite of accessibility options, including the soon-to-be launched screen reader feature. We will continue to work closely with accessibility experts and our users to deliver an ever-improving reading experience.

While our initial implementation is focused on EAA compliance for countries in which it’s required, we understand that some authors may wish to enable accessibility metadata for all regions, regardless of legal requirements. We are exploring options for broader country inclusion in the future. We will be providing regular updates on our progress and feature rollout plans.

These forthcoming updates reflect our ongoing efforts to create a more accessible, engaging and rewarding platform for the self-publishing community and its readers.

Thanks for being part of the Kobo community! 

Best, 

The Kobo Team Writing Life Team