Update your Kindle now for a free reading upgrade

Amazon has released several notable Kindle updates this year. In June, it added new spacing options for characters, words, and paragraphs, and in August, it introduced the Assistive Reader feature, which turns books into audiobooks, along with a larger font option to improve readability. Although the year is coming to an end, Amazon isn’t done making changes to its Kindle software for 2025.

In November, Amazon released its 5.18.6 software update for 11th and 12th-generation Kindles, the Kindle Colorsoft, and Kindle Scribe. While the update didn’t include much beyond Amazon’s typical “Performance improvements, bug fixes, and other general enhancements,” and patching the latest Kindle jailbreak, Amazon has reportedly started remotely activating features included in the update for the first time that weren’t initially available (via Good e-Reader).

The first major change is an update to how highlighting functions on Kindle devices. Previously, highlighting text displayed a menu with options to highlight, create a note, search, share, and access other features via a three-dot menu. With the 5.18.6 update, Amazon has redesigned the highlighting menu. Now, highlighting text presents a new set of options, including an “A” button for highlighting and a new “Look Up” button that opens the dictionary and shows the word’s definition. The note option has also been replaced with a sticky note icon; tapping it opens the keyboard so you can add a note, which then appears in the note section. Overall, Amazon has simplified the highlighting pop-up menu and, in my opinion, given it a much cleaner appearance.

If you don’t see these changes to the highlighting menu on your Kindle yet, even with the 5.18.6 update, it’s because Amazon is still remotely rolling them out to all Kindles, according to Good e-Reader. They should appear on your device soon. For example, my 12th-generation Kindle has the new highlighting menu, but my Kindle Colorsoft does not, even though they are both on the 5.18.6 update. To update your Kindle to the latest software version, go to Settings > Device options > Software updates. Alternatively, you can manually install the latest Kindle updates onto your device.

Amazon has made a few other changes with this update

Changes have been made to the dictionary system and bookmarking

The update also improves the Kindle dictionary system. Previously, looking up a word would display the definition, Wikipedia article, and translation options at the top or bottom of the screen, blocking the content you were reading. With the 5.18.6 update, you can now swipe the panel away to view the page, and navigating the options is easier — rather than swiping through Dictionary, Wikipedia, Translate, and Search, you can simply tap the headers in the new dictionary menu (as you can see in the comparison image above).

I’m always in favor of anything that makes my screen feel less cluttered, and this update certainly helps.

Additionally, Amazon has slightly changed how bookmarks work. Previously, to bookmark a page, you’d tap the top right of your Kindle screen. Now, you need to hold it down instead of just tapping, likely to prevent accidental bookmarks.

Finally, Amazon has also made it easier to view figures in books, such as in textbooks or travel guides. Now, when you tap a reference like “fig-20” in the text, a box pops up in the middle of the screen displaying the corresponding figure — whether it’s a chart, diagram, or photo. This makes it much more convenient to reference images while reading, especially if they’re not on the same page.

Overall, these changes in the latest 5.18.6 Kindle update aren’t anything groundbreaking, but they definitely streamline the user interface, making it more user-friendly. I’m always in favor of anything that makes my screen feel less cluttered, and this update certainly helps. The 5.18.6 update is now available for 11th and 12th-generation Kindle e-readers, the Kindle Colorsoft, and Kindle Scribe, and these features should be remotely activated on your device soon, if they haven’t been already.