Retiring the Pearson eText global app

Why is the global eText mobile app retiring?

The global eText mobile app which is currently used by higher education international students to access MyLab/Mastering-integrated and standalone eTexts will be retiring by the end of 2022. This will be replaced by the Pearson+ mobile app (iOS and Android) with a new and exciting UX, look and feel, as part of Pearson’s global strategy to provide more streamlined, seamless and better-quality user experiences worldwide.

How does this impact users?

Pearson has made textbooks available via mobile apps in one form or another since 2011, starting with the Pearson eText app for iPad devices. The feedback we received from students and educators and the changes in available technology have led to many iterations and improvements over the years.

In early 2021 we began reimagining the mobile app experience to target a broad range of student needs. In July 2021, we launched the new Pearson+ mobile app at the same time we launched our new direct-to-consumer monthly subscription to higher education students in the United States.

To smooth the transition from old to new, we kept the existing store listings for Pearson eText but renamed it to “eText Global” to make clear that US higher ed students should move to Pearson+. We allowed US students to continue to access their titles on Pearson eText to minimize disruption, but fully removed the app from US stores in December 2021.

Now that we’re ready to start adding even more to Pearson+ for higher ed students, we want to expand the access of our mobile app beyond the US. Beginning July 1, 2022, the Pearson+ app will be available in all countries. This will fully replace the need for higher ed users to access the eText Global app. Again, to smooth the transition for this group of users we will keep the legacy application in the app stores but provide in-app messaging to users to make clear they should begin to transition to Pearson+. Our plan is to fully retire the eText Global app in December 2022.

A few points to understand about eText Global and Pearson+:

  • Same username and password for both apps
  • Same set of eReader features in both apps
  • Notes & highlights created in one available in both
  • Downloading the new app will require the user to re-download titles
  • eText Global will no longer receive feature enhancements or updates after July 2022
  • Pearson+ will always include the latest features and updates for all users 

Pearson English and Italian Schools users who previously used eText Global were transitioned to the Reader+ web and mobile apps in December 2021.