Amazon has released another software update for all 11th and 12th gen Kindles, along with the Kindle Colorsoft and Kindle Scribe. It’s a fairly significant update that adds some new accessibility features, including text-to-speech.
Amazon hasn’t updated the release notes yet, but I installed the new 5.18.4 update on my 12th gen Paperwhite and noticed a few differences right away. Some people got these new features with the last 5.18.3 update, but they didn’t show up on my Kindle until installing the 5.18.4 update.
The biggest change, Amazon added a new Assistive Reader feature to read ebooks aloud without having to use gestures to navigate the Kindle like when using VoiceView. It also underlines the text while reading.
You can find the new Assistive Reader function by opening the Aa menu while reading, then select the “More” tab, and it’s right there at the top. After you turn it on, you have to hit the play button at the bottom right corner of the on-screen menu. According to Amazon, the Assistive Reader supports books in English, Spanish, French, German, and Italian.
Amazon also added the ability to increase the text size across the user interface outside of ebooks. Unfortunately they only added one size setting, and it’s comically large, but if you have really bad eyesight it’ll be helpful.
You can find the new large text size setting by opening the main settings menu on your Kindle, then go to Accessibility > Display & text size. The option is also located under the Screen and brightness settings.
Another change that I noticed right away, and this doesn’t have anything to do with accessibility, but Amazon changed the page view when opening the menu while reading. It now shrinks the page to fit in the window instead of overlapping the menus over the page. Basically it’s how Kindle apps work.
Some people got the new page view with the last update, and most seem to hate it. It really doesn’t change much, but it is slower. It takes the menu about a half-second longer to appear now (I compared it to my 12th gen SE with 5.18.3).
So far the 5.18.4 update isn’t available for 10th gen Kindles, even though they’re still in the window of receiving software updates from Amazon. They didn’t get the last update either. The Oasis is still stuck on 5.18.2 and other 10th gen Kindles are still on 5.18.1.
You can download the new 5.18.4 software update from the Kindle Software Updates page at Amazon, or you can just wait for the update to automatically download and install on its own (usually while your Kindle is charging). You can’t trigger the update from the settings menu on Kindles like most people seem to think; that software update link only works when the update is already downloaded but hasn’t installed yet.
Update: Amazon added the following to the release notes for the Kindle Scribe:
Notes in multiple languages: Your device now supports multilingual handwriting recognition. Each notebook can use a different language for text conversion. To set your preferred language: Open your notebook, access notebook settings and set your handwriting recognition language.
They really need to focus on fixed the voice reader in the 10th gen devices. On my basic it crashes every time I try to use it, Along with sounding terrible and repeating and jumping pages. I really like my basic 10th gen and take it with me when I leave the house. I used to use it a lot when going for walks or going to the gym, but now it is limited on how I can use it.
I just tried the reading assistant and voiceview. I like the new interface of the interactive reading, but the voice still sounds horrible. Truly unusable. So, sadly I won’t be able to take advantage of this feature nor be able to recommend it to others until they fix the voice.
Yeah, Amazon is very clearly trying to dissuade people from using VoiceView and the new Assistive Reader by using a TTS voice from a decade ago. They could use a much better voice if they wanted to but they’re afraid it would cut into their audiobook sales.
Last year the voice was great. I don’t think they are seeing it as a competition for audiobooks. Somehow I don’t think they don’t listen to the voice before sending out the update. If you listen to the Alexa device, the voice is great.
The voice doesn’t bother me, but mispronounciation of common words do. Words other AI voices read just fine.
I refuse to purchase audiobooks solely to listen to at work when TTS is available.
Wait did they change the TTS voice? I got a lot of use of the VoiceView before my Kindle died and it was not bad at all, did they change it to something worse?
I had the reading assistant in the previous update for my PWSE 2024 and I still don’t have the custom spacing even with the new update. What is going on?
Do you sideload? The new spacing settings are only available on KFX books so if you sideloaded other formats then it won’t show up.
No side loading of books. Mostly Kindle Unlimited books.
Yes I agree, the same for my PaperWhite SE 2024
That is weird. I’ve been waiting for the Assistive Reader to show up every since you mentioned it like a month ago, especially after finding Amazon’s new web page about it, but none of my Kindles ever got it until this update. The new spacing options will show up for you eventually; Amazon just likes to toy with us. Personally, I don’t use the new settings at all. They just make the spacing look weird and unnatural.
It seems the new features only work on KFX books. They don’t work on any of the public domain books I have on my 11th gen. Paperwhite in AZW3 format ( converted by Calibre ).
Yeah, it’s the same story with the new spacing settings from the last update. I sideloaded an AZW3 and it doesn’t show the new spacing menu, and worse, it reverts to medium spacing every time I open a KFX book with the new spacing settings.
I just installed the new 5.18.4 update on my Kindle Colorsoft, and the update removed my book covers for all of my downloaded eBooks. I have to remove download and redownload each eBook to show book covers again. Is this a known issue?
Haven’t heard of that one, but maybe it’ll fix itself if you let it sit for a while or do a restart. When I first setup my new SE it took awhile for the covers to show up.
Some book covers have returned but not all. It is random as to which book covers show.
I’m still waiting for the new spacing options that supposedly exist to become available on my colorsoft. After this update they still are not there so another useless update for me.