Kindle's NEW Update - Everything That Changed (Complete Guide)
If you opened your Kindle this week and noticed something looked different, you're not alone.
Amazon have rolled out a new update to Kindle devices, changing how highlighting, notes and definitions work.
I’ve got this update on my 11th-generation Paperwhite, and I’m going to walk you through every single change.
👀Check If You Have the Update
First things first, how do you know if you have this update?
Go to Settings, then Device Options, then Device Info. If your software version is 5.18.6 or higher, you've probably had the new update and the changes we're about to discuss.
My Paperwhite is on 5.18.6, which is the latest version, as of September 2025.
Amazon hasn’t made any big announcements about this, but users on Reddit and X have started to notice the changes. So let’s talk about exactly what’s different.
🟨Change #1: New Highlighting Feature
The biggest changes have been how highlighting works.
When you select a word or passage now, a more compact menu comes up. On the Paperwhite, when you tap the ‘A’ button, the word or passage is highlighted.
The functionality is the same as before, but the interface is cleaner and takes up less space on the screen.
Personally, I think this change is an improvement. The screen now feels less cluttered and easier to use.
📝Change #2: Notes Interface
The notes feature has also been redesigned. This is now a smaller button to press when you select a word or passage.
When you view your notes, they still appear in the same section with your highlights, just like before.
If you’re someone who uses the notes feature a lot, this change should disrupt your workflow too much.
🔍Change #3: Definitions & Look Up
This is my favourite change from the new update.
When you look up a word, the definition now appears in the most suitable part of the screen.
If you’re reading at the top of the screen, the definition appears at the bottom. And if you're reading near the bottom, it appears at the top.
This is brilliant because it no longer covers the section you are reading, which used to happen for me occasionally in the old feature.
🏞️Change #4: Figure Preview
I think that this change is very clever.
If you’re reading a book that references figures, images or illustrations, you can now tap and hold on the reference to get a preview.
So, if the text says “Fig. 21”, you can tap and hold on that reference to see a pop-up showing the image. From this point, you can decide whether to go to the page with the figure reference or stay where you are.
It’s one of those features that may seem small, but it completely changes how you interact with image-heavy books.
🔖Change #5: Bookmarks
Now, I will be honest and say that I don’t use the bookmark feature a great deal, as I get all I need from the highlighting feature.
But several users on Reddit have mentioned that bookmarks now appear in a separate location.
Now, you add a bookmark by tapping and holding the top right corner of a page. Bookmarks are accessed from the notebook icon, where you can also find your highlights.
If you’re someone who uses bookmarks, then I’d love to hear from you, to know what you think about these changes.
🫧Overall UI Polish + Tips & Tricks
Beyond the specific changes, it feels like Amazon has put a real emphasis on making the interface feel more polished and modern.
The screen when you’re reading now feels less cluttered, while keeping all the functionality that regular Kindle users rely on.
Now, for a few tips on getting the most out of this new interface:
- If you're used to the old interface, give yourself a few days to adjust. The muscle memory will kick in pretty quickly.
- The new compact menu means you can highlight and take notes faster because everything is closer together.
- Take advantage of that new adaptive definition positioning. It makes looking up words so much smoother.
💭Closing Thoughts
Overall, I think this is a solid update. There aren’t any ground-breaking new features, but it makes the existing features easier and more pleasant to use.
Now I want to hear from you. Do you have this update yet? And if so, what do you think of the changes?
I’d love to hear your experiences reading and using e-ink products, so please reach out to share your thoughts.
You can check out the video all about this topic on my YouTube channel below:
If you’re passionate about self-improvement, reading or want to discuss the subject of reading, I’d love to hear from you. So please drop me a message.
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