At first glance, your Kindle might seem like a no-frills reading device: straightforward, minimal, and focused on the basics. Kind of like an actual book, huh?
But beneath its simple exterior lies a surprising range of features, tools, and tricks designed to make reading smoother, smarter, and more enjoyable.
So, whether you’re a seasoned reader or new to Kindle, here are five hidden gems to take your reading experience to the next level.
Double-Tap to Turn Pages
Amazon may have killed off physical buttons, there’s a new feature that might help ease the pain.
If you’ve got the most recent Kindle Paperwhite or the new Kindle Colorsoft, you now have access to double-tap functionality—available with the 5.18.1 update that dropped in March.
It lets you turn pages with two quick taps to the side or back of your Kindle, making one-handed reading a far easier endeavor.
Once your Kindle is updated to version 5.18.1, go to Settings > Device Options and toggle on “Double Tap to Page Turn.”
Pinch to Adjust Font Size
I’m embarrassed that I didn’t know about this sooner and, frankly, shocked I never did it by accident.
For the aging-eyed among us, there’s no need to dig track down your cheaters or dig through settings to change text size. Just pinch, baby.
To try this, use two fingers to pinch or spread apart on the screen while reading. It’ll instantly adjusting the font size—easy as that.
Send-to-Kindle for Easy File Sharing
One of my favorite features lets you can transform your Kindle into an all-in-one reading hub by sending documents, PDFs, and even web articles directly to it.
Locate your Kindle email address in Settings > Your Account > Send-to-Kindle Email, and then email files to that address. They’ll soon appear in your library after syncing.
You can also use the Chrome browser extension for web articles to streamline the process. And you can go to Amazon.com/MyK to customize your Send-to-Kindle email address to make it easier to remember.
Export Notes and Highlights
If you make use of the note-taking and highlighting features, Kindle makes it easy to export your musings via email.
To use this feature, tap the top of the screen while reading and select the Notes and Highlights icon in the upper-right corner, which looks like a little notebook.
From there, tap the share icon in the upper-right corner and you’ll find the option to email your notes to yourself or someone else—just follow the prompts to complete the process.
Whispersync for Voice
Why choose between reading and listening when you can do both?
Whispersync for Voice enables seamless transitions between the Kindle version of a book and its Audible counterpart.
Purchase both versions of a book with Whispersync compatibility, open it, and tap “Switch to Audio” or let the Kindle automatically sync your position between formats.
You can also use Amazon’s Matchmaker feature, which scans your Kindle library and offers a discount price for to add audio to audio-compatible books.
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