Amazon is rolling out a software update for its Kindle, Paperwhite and Oasis devices that makes them easier to use.
First, the update would allow you to swipe down from the screen to adjust display brightness, toggle Airplane, Bluetooth and Sync modes and go to All Settings. A new bottom navigation bar will let you switch between Home, Library and the book you’re currently reading.
Later this year, the company said “an improved Home and Library experience” is also coming that will offer a revamped Library with “new filter and sort menus, a new collections view and an interactive scroll bar.” The updated Home portal will feature a Recently Read section that stores up to 20 items, which you can access by swiping left.
The new update doesn’t fix Amazon’s confusing Kindle naming scheme, which groups different devices into “generations” that are numbered based roughly on when they were released, not on what generation of product they actually are; the “10th-generation” Paperwhite is actually only the fourth Paperwhite Amazon has released. But you now can head into the Device Info screen and see which Kindle you’re using instead of having to guess.
The new update is available on most Kindles released in or after 2015, including the 7th- and 10th-generation Kindle Paperwhite, the 8th-, 9th-, and 10th-generation Kindle Oasis, and the 8th- and 10th-generation standard Kindle. Older 7th-generation Kindle devices like 2014’s Kindle Voyage don’t appear to be supported.
