One of the original features of Kindle eReaders was physical buttons along the edge for turning pages. Over time, those buttons have been phased out. Amazon is finally bringing it back in the form of a back-tap gesture for the 2024 Kindle Paperwhite and Kindle Colorsoft.
The last Amazon eReader to feature physical page-turn buttons was the 2019 Kindle Oasis, but that device is no longer available. The current lineup of Kindle devices essentially have just one physical button: the power button. To turn the page of an ebook, you can either tap the edge of the screen or swipe your finger horizontally across the screen.
Version 5.18.1 of the Kindle software is rolling out now to the 2024 Paperwhite and the new Colorsoft eReaders. One of the new features is called “Double Tap to Page Turn.” As the name implies, when enabled, you can double-tap your finger on the sides or the back of the device to turn the page. You can toggle it on from Settings > Device Options.
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Amazon Kindle Paperwhite (2024)
With a 7-inch display, high contrast, and sharp image quality, the Amazon Kindle Paperwhite will help you fall in love with eReaders. It even supports Bluetooth devices for setting aside the eReader and enjoying audiobooks through headphones or earbuds.
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Amazon Kindle Colorsoft
$225 $280 Save
$55The Kindle Colorsoft is Amazon’s first color eReader. It has all the same features as the Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition except for an eight-week battery life.
Sadly, the gesture can only be used to turn to the next page or scroll down. You can’t use the gesture to go to the previous page. Version 5.18.1 is available for Kindle devices going all the way back to 2018, but the back-tap gesture is currently limited to the 2024 Paperwhite and Colorsoft, unfortunately. The update also includes a new feature that generates summaries for books, complete with spoiler warnings.
This new back-tap feature is very similar to a gesture that’s currently available on the iPhone and many Android devices. On the iPhone, it’s found under the “Touch” features in the Accessibility menu. Google Pixel owners can find it under “Gestures,” called “Quick Tap.” If you have a Samsung Galaxy phone, you’ll need to install a Good Lock module to get it.
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Gestures and shortcuts allow you to quickly access things without jumping through apps and menus. What if you could simply tap the back of your device to perform an action? We’ll show you how to do this on your Android phone.
Personally, I’m very happy to see this feature, and I really hope it somehow comes to older Kindle eReaders as well. Even as someone with large hands, I struggle to hold my Kindle and turn the page with one hand. Being able to simply tap the back of the device where my finger already naturally falls would be great. If you have one of the new Kindle models, keep an eye out for this update.
Source: Ars Technica
