I simply made my Kindle so significantly better with one easy trick

I received my first Kindle earlier this yr, and I’ve actually been having fun with it. Though it is not excellent or as open a platform as I would love, it fits my wants, permitting me to conveniently learn the books I need, anytime and wherever, and comfortably because of its E Ink show. One factor I particularly respect about Amazon’s Kindle gadgets is how often they obtain updates.

Earlier this summer season, Amazon released an update for its Kindle gadgets that added new spacing choices, and not too long ago, it launched one other replace that launched a brand new Assistive Reader characteristic, which reads your books aloud, and an accessibility characteristic that enlarges the font throughout all the Kindle person interface to make it simpler to see.

Whereas these updates are useful, and I respect that Amazon is rolling them out, I’ve seen my Kindle all the time takes a very long time to truly obtain them. When a Kindle replace was launched in June, my machine took weeks to get it, although it was all the time linked to the web and totally charged. Even after I went to the software program updates display screen and tried to begin the replace, I noticed a pop-up saying it was already up-to-date, although I knew it wasn’t, since others had acquired the replace and it was listed on Amazon’s web site.

To repair this, I made a decision to discover ways to manually replace my Kindle. This implies downloading the replace instantly from Amazon and beginning the method myself, as an alternative of ready for it to occur mechanically. To my shock, the method was quite simple, and it made my Kindle a lot simpler to make use of.

How one can replace your Kindle e-reader

Entry the newest options first

Should you’re fascinated by studying the best way to replace your Kindle your self, it is a comparatively simple course of that does not require you to be a tech guru, and by doing so, you will acquire entry to all the newest options in your Kindle.

It is necessary to notice that Amazon formally helps this, so there are not any hacks or tips concerned. The updates are formally out there for obtain on Amazon’s website, and Kindle gadgets are designed to permit customers to soundly replace them themselves.

To get began, you will want your Kindle, a pc, and a USB-C cable (the cable that got here together with your Kindle). After getting all these assembled, here is what to do:

1. In your pc (Mac or Home windows works), go to Amazon’s official web site for Kindle updates, situated here.

2. Find your Kindle below the listed gadgets on Amazon’s web site and obtain the newest replace. As an example, I’ve an Eleventh-generation Kindle, so I downloaded the newest model for that mannequin. Bear in mind the place you downloaded it to in your pc.

3. As soon as you have downloaded the replace file, join your Kindle to your pc with a USB-C cable. When linked, your Kindle ought to seem as an exterior drive labeled “Kindle.”

4. Drag and drop the replace file you simply downloaded into the “Kindle” drive.

5. As soon as the file has transferred efficiently to your Kindle, disconnect it out of your pc. On my Kindle, I merely tapped Disconnect on the display screen.

6. In your Kindle dwelling display screen, faucet the Menu icon (the three dots) and select Settings.

7. Then, faucet the Menu icon once more and select Replace Your Kindle.

When you begin putting in the newest replace in your Kindle, you will see a progress bar seem on the show together with a message that signifies it is updating. When it is completed, your Kindle will restart, and you can benefit from the newest replace.

On the time of writing, the newest replace, model 5.18.4.0.1, introduces a brand new Assistive Reader characteristic that primarily turns supported Kindle books into audiobooks, with a generic AI voice studying them aloud that you may comply with together with. If it has been some time since your Kindle was up to date, there are additionally new choices to customize how books appear, so if you wish to modify the quantity of house between every character, phrase, and paragraph precisely to your liking, you’ll be able to.

Now that I understand how to replace my Kindle manually, I will do that each time a brand new replace is launched as an alternative of ready ceaselessly for it to reach mechanically. I get pleasure from testing the newest options that improve my Kindle, and manually updating it permits me to do this quicker. Now, you’ll be able to too.