Amazon has rolled out a new Kindle feature called Ask this Book, designed to help readers get quick answers while they’re reading, without spoiling what comes next.
The feature is now live for U.S. users on the Kindle iOS app and works with thousands of popular English-language books. While reading, you can highlight a passage and ask questions about what’s happening in the story. Kindle will then surface answers related to the plot, characters, or context, but only up to the point you’ve already read.
In practice, it’s meant for moments when you forget who a character is, how two people are connected, or what just happened a few chapters back. The key thing is that the answers are designed to stay spoiler-free, so you don’t accidentally ruin the book.
Ask this Book is built directly into the reading experience. You can access it from the in-book menu or by highlighting text and choosing from suggested questions, or typing your own. You can also ask follow-up questions if you need more clarity.
Right now, the feature is limited to the Kindle app on iOS in the U.S., but Amazon says it will expand to Kindle e-readers and Android devices next year.
This feature arrives alongside another recent Kindle addition called Recaps, which gives readers a quick refresher on earlier books in a series. It’s meant for people jumping back into a series after a long break and is also currently available to U.S. users on Kindle devices and the iOS app. Sadly, Recaps, which was announced this spring, remains U.S. only for now too.
For now, sorry Canucks, Ask this Book is U.S.-only on the Kindle iOS app. Amazon hasn’t said when it’s coming to Canada, but based on past Kindle features, it’s likely this will expand beyond the U.S. at some point.
Several Kindle features and devices have historically launched first in the U.S. before expanding to Canada, such as Kindle Unlimited (debuted in the U.S. in July 2014 and arrived in Canada in February 2015) and e-readers like the Paperwhite (U.S.: 2012, Canada: January 2013) and Voyage (U.S: fall 2014, Canada: February 2016)
Together, these updates suggest Amazon is leaning harder into tools that help readers stay oriented in longer books and series, without needing to leave the page or search elsewhere for answers.
If you’re looking for a Kindle, the new Colorsoft is on sale for 19% off at $215 right now.
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