10 Kindle Tips and Tricks to Improve Your Reading Experience
Once you’ve equipped yourself with a Kindle, the indispensable companion to any book lover, you might think it’s time to just settle into a good chair and start reading. But not quite.
There are a lot of settings you can change to enhance your reading experience on your device, from changing the display format to fiddling with the lighting settings. Use these tips to take your reading experience on Kindle to the next level.
1. Use Warm Light on Your Kindle
What, you might wonder, is warm light? It’s a feature available on some Kindles, which adds yellowness to the screen’s white light. There are plenty of benefits to using warm light, including making it easier to fall asleep at night.
Using warm light on your Kindleis pretty straightforward. Swipe down from the top of your screen to reveal the settings menu. UnderWarmth, adjust the slider to whatever you want. The warmer the screen, the more orange the light will be.
it’s possible to also tapScheduleto open theWarmth Schedulepage, where you can either input the manual times you want the warm light to turn on or selectAutomatic. The latter adds warm light at sundown.
If Wi-Fi is on, sundown is calculated by reference to the actual times. If it’s off, your Kindle will use generic times (e.g., 7 am and 7 pm) to dictate this.
2. Change Auto-Brightness
With auto-brightness, the screen brightness adjusts automatically using an ambient light sensor. But if you’re dissatisfied with the current level of brightness, you’re able to adjust it manually, just like in the more basic Kindles.
Swipe down from the top of your screen to open up the settings menu. Above the warmth slider, you’ll see theBrightnesssection.
Move the slider with your fingertip to your preferred level. Note that this doesn’t turn off the auto-brightness. You’ll need to check the box next toAuto Brightnessto do that, which you have the option of doing depending on your Kindle model.
3. Enable Dark Mode on Your Kindle
As an alternative to reading at night using warm light, you may want to turn on your dark mode instead. This inverts the typical colors on your page, so the background is black, and the writing is white.
The screen is still front-lit. Otherwise, you wouldn’t be able to see it in the dark, but the darkness means the light is much more muted. If you’re lying next to someone in bed, you’re less likely to disturb them in dark mode.
Swipe down to reach the all-important settings menu by swiping down from the top of your screen. Tap the rightmost icon, labeledDark mode, which is illustrated by a half-shaded circle. And voilà—dark mode activated. If you want to turn it off again, just tap the button once more.
4. Show Reading Progress
Your Kindle can display your reading progress in different ways when you’re making your way through a book. This simply tells you what percentage of the book you’ve read, which is handy when you’re updating your reading progress onGoodreads.
To reach the progress menu, tap a page in your book somewhere near the top and tap theAabutton. SelectMore, and then tap onReading Progress. This opens up the list of reading progress methods; choose one and tap back on the page of your book to close the settings.
The options to show your reading progress arepage in book,time left in book,time left in chapter, andlocation in book.
The time is calculated based on the speed at which you flip through pages. We’ve found that it can be a little off, but in general, it provides a pretty good estimate. Location in book provides a string of numbers that aren’t generally very helpful, while pages match up to pages on paper books and are only available on Kindle-purchased eBooks.
5. Show Clock While Reading
While you may prefer not to see the clock while you’re reading to avoid getting distracted, being able to check the time without having to glance up from your screen is great.
To show a clock while reading, tap a page in your book near the top of your screen, click on theAabutton, and then tapMore. Finally, toggleShow Clock While Readingon. You’ll be able to see the clock right at the top of your screen. Ensure to turn on your Wi-Fi, which will automatically set the time.
6. Set a Book Cover as Your Kindle Screensaver
In general, Kindles come with two types of screensavers: you either see ads for random books or bland images of objects like pencil tips. You can, however, set up a third option (if you have a Kindle without ads, for which you usually have to pay an extra few dollars).
Assuming you don’t care if everyone knows what book you’ve been reading, you can make the cover of your most recent book a screensaver.
Go to your Kindle’s home screen and swipe down from the top of your screen to bring up the settings menu. Then, tap onAll Settings. Now, selectDevice Options.
The first item you’ll see on that page should beDisplay cover, which will show the cover of the book you’re currently reading on the lock screen. Toggle this optiononand tap theX buttonin the top right corner to exit settings.
Bear in mind, however, that this only works for books purchased directly from Amazon, not side-loaded eBooks, and will only work if your Kindle doesn’t show ads when it’s locked.
7. Protect Your Kindle With a Password
You may not want anyone to get into your Kindle at all, and this is where a device passcode comes in.
From Kindle’s home screen, swipe down from the top of your screen to bring up the settings menu. TapAll Settingsand then selectDevice Options. Now tapDevice Passcode, and this lets you set a numerical password that locks your Kindle.
Now, every time you turn on your Kindle again, you’ll have to enter the passcode to get in. You can turn it off again easily by repeating the same steps.
8. Change the Theme of Your Books
you’re able to do plenty to improve your reading experience, notably by changing how the words look on the page.
For instance, themes will let you change the spacing between the lines in your book. To change it, open a book and tap near the top of your screen to bring up the settings. Tap theAabutton and make sure you’re in theThemestab. You’ll see several different options available:compact,standard, andlarge. Choose whichever theme fits all your needs.
9. Change the Font Size on Your Kindle
If you’re struggling to read small words, you may also increase their size and boldness. Open a book and tap near the top of your screen. Tap theAabutton and then selectFont, where you’ll see sliders tochange the font size on your Kindle. You can also play with theBoldsettings, but this isn’t available on a side-loaded MOBI book.
Tap the plus or minus buttons to adjust the size. Note that, you can alsochange the display size on your Kindleto make navigating it much easier.
10. Change Your Kindle’s Orientation
Depending on whether you are reading your Kindle while sitting in a chair or lying in bed, you may want to change the orientation. To change it, open a book and tap near the top of your screen to bring up the settings. Tap theAabutton and confirm you’re in theLayouttab. Tap one of the two icons forportraitorlandscapeorientation.
Kindles Are Insanely Customizable
Reading on a Kindle can be pretty much what you make of it. Whether it’s changing the screen color and brightness, choosing a new screensaver, or adjusting your font layout, there are countless ways to refine the Kindle experience so reading is as effortless as possible.
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