This simple guide will let you use an iconic composition notebook design as a Kindle screensaver image.

Custom Kindle lockscreen covers are getting popular these days, thanks to a TikTok hit video that talks about how to replace the default screensaver image with your own one.

All you have to do is create an image, convert it to an epub format, and send the file to your Kindle. Then, go to Settings » Device Options on your Kindle, and enable Display Cover.

This way, you can customize the Kindle lockscreen image with anything you like. You can use a graphic program or an online design tool, such as Canva or Pixlr, to upload and modify one of your photos or create an image from scratch.

If you are a fan of composition notebooks, I will show you how you quickly create a ready-to-use image that you can customize with your name or text. It will take no more than 30 seconds to have the design ready.

The trick is that you can use Zazzle online platform to customize the design and then just make a screenshot.

Zazzle is one of the leading online stores connecting designers and consumers. I have created a few notebook designs here, and anyone can customize them by just typing a name.

Obviously, you don’t have to buy anything on Zazzle. Just use the personalization option to add your name and make a screenshot that will have a resolution that’s suitable for a Kindle display.

Later in the post, you will see four of my composition notebook designs. All you have to do is follow this simple guide.

How to personalize a composition notebook design?

1. Pick up any of the covers listed below and follow the link to the Zazzle store.

2. On Zazzle, click on either the “Personalize” button or “Personalize this template” link.

3. Start typing your name or custom text in the text area. The text will appear on the design as you type.

4. Use the screenshot tool on your computer to grab the cover image.

5. The notebook design has the proportions that are close to the proportions of Kindle models (except the Oasis and Scribe, which are much wider).

To get the proportions that would fit the display of your Kindle perfectly, you can crop and resize an image using Image Resizer. It’s the simplest and most user-friendly image modification tool I’ve found online.

Here are the screen resolutions of the popular Kindle models:

▸ Kindle 11 (2022) – 1072 ×  1448 px
▸ Kindle Paperwhite 5 (2021) – 1236 × 1648 px
▸ Kindle Scribe (2022) – 1860 ×  2480 px
▸ Kindle Oasis 3 (2019) – 1264 × 1680 px

What is a composition notebook?

The pseudo-marbling composition notebook pattern emerged in Western Europe in the mid-19th century. However, the origins of this timeless design, that’s loved by users all over the world, date back to the 12th century Japan.

Composition notebook is one of the most popular designs picked for Kindle case covers. Imagine: you can have it not only as a case cover, but also the actual front of the Kindle itself.

An inseparable part, and something that completes the beauty of the composition book, is its label. Crafted, cut, and stamped by hand, it’s a proof that everything you write inside is exceptional.

Personalized composition notebook lockscreen covers for Kindle

Classic composition notebook

This vintage artwork is inspired by a legendary composition notebook with a unique dual-color pattern and semi-oval label. It’s available in eight colors, including black, green, and pink.

For the best contrast, I recommend using the black variant shown and visualized below.

Suminagashi paper composition notebook

This modern, unique pattern is a photorealistic replica of the classic Japanese Suminagashi marbling. 

Suminagashi marbling, also known as “floating ink,” is an ancient Japanese paper marbling technique. The process involves floating inks on the surface of a water basin and then pressing paper onto the surface to capture the patterns.

Mulberry paper composition notebook

The artwork lets you admire the natural beauty of papier-mâché. This pattern is inspired by the look of mulberry paper with full-sized leaves. I’ve used a modern label design to amplify the gentle structure of the background.

Marbled paper composition notebook

This vintage design recreates the feel of an outstanding marbled paper technology used for classic notebooks in the 18th and 19th century. The distressed label comes with a retro font face and other elements that were common in the classic composition notebook design.

If you would like to try other designs, make sure to explore my collection of Customized Composition Notebooks on Zazzle.

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If you read on your iPad for long hours, you know this pain. Holding the device all the time is not convenient at all. Especially, if you switch positions frequently.

Obviously, you can always use accessories for hands-free reading.

However, they don’t solve another problem – the need to touch the display again and again. Ebooks are designed to make reading easier than ever before, right?

Fortunately, the iPad comes with a feature that allows you to swipe left with just your voice. 

The feature is called Voice Control. It sits in the Settings app, in Accessibility section.

Voice Control allows you to control your device by speaking commands. With Voice Control, you can open apps, perform touch gestures, create reminders, or make text edits – all with your voice. It is available in over 20 languages and works with several languages at once.

I will guide you through the process using a Kindle app for iPad. This tip also works for other book-reading apps, such as Kobo, Apple Books, Nook, or Google Play Books. 

And, obviously, you can use the following guide to enable the voice-operated page turn on your iPhone as well.

Place your iPad on a stand, grab a coffee in one hand, a donut in the other, and enjoy the newest novel from your favorite author to the fullest.

How to turn pages in Kindle iPad app using just your voice

How to use Voice Control to swipe left

1. Go to the Settings app, find “Accessibility” on the list, and then tap “Voice Control” to turn it on.

2. If you haven’t used Voice Control before, tap “Set Up Voice Control” at the top. A pop-up window will appear. Follow the steps to enable the setting. 

If you set up Voice Control before, just turn it on.

3. With Voice Control enabled, we now turn on the swipe left function.

Tap “Customize Commands” and then find “Basic Gestures” on the list. Tap to open it.

4. Scroll down the list to find “Swipe left” feature. Tap to enable it. 

Here, you can also decide whether you want a confirmation every time you perform the gesture. I would leave the confirmation step unchecked.

Done! From now on, every time you say “Swipe left” your Kindle app (or any other book-reading app) will turn a page. The trick works both in a portrait and landscape mode.

How to quickly enable and disable Voice Control

When the Voice Control setting is enabled, your iPad is listening all the time for voice prompts. It may drain the battery fast.

That’s why, it makes sense to enable the voice-operated page turn only for reading sessions, and disable it when you finish.

There is an easy way to enable/disable Voice Control. You can do it using the Control Center.

1. Go to the Settings app, find “Accessibility” on the list and tap it.

2. Scroll down the list of available options to find “Accessibility Shortcut” at the bottom. Tap it.

3. Scroll down the list of available options to find “Voice Control”. Tap to enable it.

Done! From now on, you can enable or disable “Swipe left” voice command via the Control Center. Swipe down from the top-right corner of the display, and tap Accessibility Shortcut in the Control Center widget.

Tip: If you don’t see Accessibility in the Control Center, you may need to add it to the list of visible options. Go to Settings app, then “Control Center”. On the “More Controls” list, find “Accessibility Shortcut” and tap it. Done!

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Bionic reading is a free tool that brings an enhanced reading experience to your current e-reading device or app. It will help you read faster and comprehend more. 

Bioning reading was developed by the Swiss startup company Bionic Reading GmbH. The tool comes with an API, so that developers could create dedicated bionic apps and extensions. With these bionic-based tools, you will be able to read ebooks, RSS feeds, and websites.

Bionic reading is not a “completely new reading experience.” It’s not revolutionary but evolutionary. You don’t have to learn anything to start using it.

Most importantly, you can read bionic-formatted books right now, with your current e-reading app or device. Maybe that’s why so many readers are so excited about it.

Bionic reading – everything you need to know

How bionic reading works

▸ Bionic reading facilitates the reading process by guiding the eyes through text with artificial fixation points. To make it short: some parts of the words are displayed in bold text. 

▸ As a result, you are focusing on the highlighted text (usually initial letters of the words) and your brain completes the rest. It saves time, because your brain “reads” faster than your eyes.

▸ The word bionic is a combination of biology and electronics. It’s a very relevant description for the new reading tool: the technology lets you read at the biological speed – the one of the brain rather than the eyes.

The difference between bionic and speed reading tools

▸ Speed reading tools, for instance the ones based on Spritz, were designed to highlight one short piece of text at a time. It required an advanced level of modification. You needed a dedicated app to read books.

▸ Speed reading apps, with a totally different way of displaying the text, were hard to associate with books. Because books are not only about the text. They are also about the container – the page layout, margins, font size, or line height. The lack of the familiar container was one of the main reasons speed reading apps were not widely embraced.

▸ Bionic reading tools do a simple thing: they rewrite the plain text to include the bold formatting. The modification affects the text only. The container is untouched.

You can read a bionic book as any other ebook

Bionic reading tools rewrite the given text, and the outcome is the bionic-formatted text. There is no need to create a special format to contain bionic text.

When it comes to bionic reading, the word “conversion” is irrelevant. You rewrite the text, not converse it to another format.

If you input an epub file into the bionic reading tool, you will get an epub file back. And this is a regular epub file you can add to an Apple Books app on your iPad or a Kindle e-reader (yes, you can read epub files on your Kindle).

This bionic-formatted book is fully compatible with your current e-reading solution. It can be used the same way as any other ebook you have:

• Highlight the text
• Make notes
• Share the highlighted text
• Change line height, font face, or color theme
• Track reading progress
• Look up words
• Translate words or text passages

This 100% compatibility is possible because the only modification is adding bold formatting.

Bionic reading is an addition, not a replacement

You can add bionic-formatted books to your current e-reading app or device. You don’t sacrifice anything. You don’t have to switch to another app to read bionic books.

Bionic is more like another reading mode than another reading ecosystem. Your current book-reading app can hold both regular and bionic ebooks.

Bionic reading is a simple tool. It is quite possible that ebook platforms may embrace it, offering a native “bionic mode” in their e-reading apps. Obviously, everything depends on how popular bionic reading becomes among end users.

Bionic reading example

You don’t have to convert anything or go to another website to test bionic reading. Here is a passage from Stanislas Dehaene’s book Reading in the Brain: The New Science of How We Read (affiliate link) in bionic formatting.

The reader’s brain contains a complicated set of mechanisms admirably attuned to reading. For a great many centuries, this talent remained a mystery. Today, the brain’s black box is cracked open and a true science of reading is coming into being. Advances in psychology and neuroscience over the last twenty years have begun to unravel the principles underlying the brain’s reading circuits. Modern brain imaging methods now reveal, in just a matter of minutes, the brain areas that activate when we decipher written words. Scientists can track a printed word as it progresses from the retina through a chain of processing stages, each of which is marked by an elementary question: Are these letters? What do they look like? Are they a word? What does it sound like? How is it pronounced? What does it mean?

For comparison, here is the same passage in plain text. Does your brain feel the difference?

The reader’s brain contains a complicated set of mechanisms admirably attuned to reading. For a great many centuries, this talent remained a mystery. Today, the brain’s black box is cracked open and a true science of reading is coming into being. Advances in psychology and neuroscience over the last twenty years have begun to unravel the principles underlying the brain’s reading circuits. Modern brain imaging methods now reveal, in just a matter of minutes, the brain areas that activate when we decipher written words. Scientists can track a printed word as it progresses from the retina through a chain of processing stages, each of which is marked by an elementary question: Are these letters? What do they look like? Are they a word? What does it sound like? How is it pronounced? What does it mean?

Add a bionic-formatted file to your reading device or app

Here is a quick guide on how to add bionic books to your current e-reading device or app. This method applies to all ebook files that come in epub, rtf, txt or docx format and are not protected with DRM.

You will be able to read a bionic-formatted book on your Kindle, Kobo, or Nook e-reader. You can also read it in any book app on your iPad/iPhone or Android device.

1. Create a bionic-formatted file

Open Bionic Reading online tool, then click on the “Browse File” button, and add the book. 

After the conversion is complete, click on the arrow icon in the bottom right and pick up “EPUB” on the right. Epub is the most popular ebook file format, which is now also supported by Amazon Kindle.

2. Send the file to your e-reading device or app

The bionic-formatted document is a regular epub file, and you can add it to your current e-reading program without any problem.

The easiest way to add your own file to a book-reading app is to send it as an attachment to your email address, open this email on your destination device, tap the attachment, and select the book app you want the file to read with.

Benefits of bionic reading

Is bionic reading worth trying? Here is the summary of benefits:

▸ Bionic-formatted text lets you read faster, comprehend more, and stay focused for a longer time. It’s not meant to make you a speed reading master. It’s meant to make you read and understand more.

▸ Bionic books can be read in any current e-reading device or applications. There is no need to buy and download a dedicated app. There is no need to switch to another app to read bionic-formatted books.

▸ Bionic books preserve the original container of the reading tool you use. They don’t change the reading experience – they just enhance it.

▸ The idea behind bionic reading is simple and is about adding a bold formatting to text. Therefore, the chances are high that bionic reading will be embraced by both ebook lovers and ebook platforms.

Bionic reading – usage tips

As bionic reading is based on highlighting parts of the words, the main goal would be to find the formatting option that works best for you.

Find optimal bionic intensity

The native Bionic Reading tool lets you adjust the settings before you download the end file. The most important one is the setting which changes the intensity of the bionic formatting. The less bold text you set, the more content you leave to your brain to “autocomplete.”

Use a simple sans serif font

Once the bionic file is loaded into your e-reader or book-reading app, I recommend changing the font face to the simplest available. Helvetica or Arial are the best ones. They are sans serif fonts, with a distinctive visual difference between the regular and bold version. Focusing on highlighted text will be easier.

Increase a font size

You can play with the settings to find the font size that is most efficient in providing the optimal level of attention focus without making your brain tired.

I realized that increasing the font size a little significantly improves the readability of the text and how much of it you comprehend.

Don’t use color

The bionic enabling tool from Bionic Reading GmbH is using the bold formatting as a way to highlight text. I expect that sooner or later the tools will arrive that use the color for this purpose. While it may work in websites and RSS readers, I don’t think it may be a good idea when you export a bionic-formatted file to your book-reading app.

First, you won’t see the color on your e-reader. Even in the book app, the color might work well in a light mode, but it may get ugly when you switch the theme to dark.

Use the bionic and regular version

To test how bionic reading works for you, I recommend adding to your e-reader or e-reading app two epub files: the regular one, and the one with bionic formatting. It’s good for comparison, but it’s also good if you want to give yourself a little more time to embrace the bionic reading experience.

Don’t rush with bionic reading

Bionic reading lets you read faster, but it doesn’t mean you have to rush to embrace it. Download a few bionic-formatted books to your e-reader, and read them once in a while. 

No one is forcing you to finish a bionic-formatted book in one sitting. If you want to come back to a classic version, you can always do it.

Make bionic books a part of your reading experience. Take your time.

Happy bionic reading!

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Bionic reading, a new tool that has just been launched by the Swiss startup company Bionic Reading GmbH, is going viral and everyone wants to try it. It lets you read faster, comprehend more, and be more focused.

What is bionic reading?

▸ The new method takes advantage of the fact that the brain reads faster than the eye.

▸ Bionic reading facilitates the reading process by guiding the eyes through text with artificial fixation points. To make it short: some parts of the words are displayed in bold text.

▸ As a result, you are focusing on the highlighted text (usually initial letters of the words) and your brain completes the rest.

▸ Bionic reading is not the same tool as speed reading technology developed a few years ago by Spritz. Both tools let you read faster, but work differently. Spritz is about reading one word at a time. Bionic reading displays the text on the page the “classic way,” but around 50% of the content is shown in bold.

▸ Bionic Reading company has already released an API, so you can expect multiple applications to appear in app stores for both Android and iPad/iPhone. Two iOS apps already use this technology: Reeder 5 and Lire. They are both RSS readers.

▸ So far, no book reading apps have embraced bionic reading. However, you can manually add bionic formatted books to your book reading app or e-reader. 

▸ In the short guide below, I will show you how to import bionic books to Kindle e-readers and apps.

Read also: Bionic reading – here is everything you need to know – Bionic reading is a free tool that brings an enhanced reading experience to your current e-reading device or app. It will help you read faster and comprehend more.

How to add bionic books to Kindle

This method applies to books that you add to your Kindle from third-party sources, such as sites with free public domain books or independent platforms that offer books without DRM protection.

1. Find the book you want to convert to bionic format and export to your Kindle. It should be in epub format, not mobi. Epub is already accepted by Amazon Kindle. You can also pick up txt or rtf file format.

2. Open Bionic Reading online tool. Click on the “Browse File” button and add the book. The tool will start converting the file. It may take a while.

3. To download the bionic formatted book, click on the arrow icon in the bottom right. Please note that, due to heavy formatting, the bionic books will take up to 50% more disc space.

4. In the dialog box, pick up “EPUB” on the right.

5. Send the file to Kindle using your Kindle email address. Processing the file may take more time than usual.

The bionic formatted book behaves just as any other book in your Android book reading app. You can highlight text and add notes, translate and share passages, or change the reading settings. The only difference is that the bionic book displays around 50% of the text in a bold font.

Tip: I recommend changing the font face to Helvetica to increase readability and comprehension.

Happy reading!

Here is how the book will look like on your Kindle

Here is how the book will look like in your Kindle iPhone app

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From August 2022, Amazon will fully support epub file format. Already now you can add epub books via email. Here are a few things you should know.

Recently, Amazon was sending out emails informing about the end of support for the outdated mobi file format.

Calm down, all the mobi files that you have already added to your Kindle library are 100% safe. 

Most importantly, Amazon is introducing the mobi format replacement. And it’s the best one you can have: epub – the most popular ebook file format, supported by both content providers and hardware producers.

Will the Kindle support for epub format shake the market, and make users switch from or to the Amazon Kindle ecosystem? I don’t think so, it’s too late for that. A couple of years too late. 

However, there are a few things to keep in mind, when it comes to the daily life of a user of Kindle devices and apps.

Read also: Things to know about Kindle mobi file format support – Since mid-2022 you can no longer add your own mobi files to your Kindle or Kindle app. Old mobi files are safe and you can access them any time.

Epub files for Kindle – things to know

What is epub file format?

▸ Epub is the most popular ebook file format. If you find a book on a site with free public domain titles, in your library’s ebook catalog, or in an ebook store, you can be 100% sure you can download it in epub format. The exception was Amazon Kindle – but it has just changed.

▸ Epub is also supported by most hardware producers. When you buy an e-reader, be it the latest Kobo, Nook, or Onyx Boox, it will surely support files in epub format. The exception so far was Kindle.

▸ Epub files are generally smaller than mobi. I have compared several ebooks that I have purchased in my favorite Polish ebook stores: Publio, Woblink, and Virtualo. They all provide books in two formats: mobi (for Kindle) and epub (for the rest). Epubs files usually take 20-40% less space than mobi. It doesn’t matter when it comes to the available space of the Kindle, but it does matter when sending the books to the Kindle library.

▸ Epub files are basically zipped folders which contain cover image, style elements and the content of the book – sometimes split into several files. It may be a source of problems (read on for more details).

▸ Epub can handle multiple images, and it’s the best possible format for graphic novels and comic books. You can try to upload graphic novels from third-party sources to your Kindle library, but please be aware of the file size limit. The file should take less than 50 MB before compressing it to zip.

You can already add epub to your Kindle via email

Since the beginning of 2022, epub is on a list of supported file formats for sending content to Kindle via email.

For the time being, epub is not supported by Send to Kindle extension, but it will be in “late 2022.” Having in mind that in late 2022, the support for mobi will end, we can assume that epub will directly replace mobi.

What does “late 2022” mean? In an email to Kindle users sent out in April 2022, Amazon claimed that “from August 2022, you’ll no longer be able to send mobi.” Therefore, we can assume that epub format will be fully endorsed by Amazon from August 2022.

Kindle epub file support timeline

• Since the beginning of 2022 – sending epub files via emails
• Since late 2022 ( most probably August) – sending epub files via Send to Kindle extensions.

To send an epub file to Kindle via email, find an email address associated with your Kindle e-reader or app, add a file as an attachment, and in a few minutes, it should appear in your Kindle library.

You can add multiple epub files, but keep in mind that each email client has an attachment size limit. For instance, Gmail can send emails with a total attachment size no higher than 25 MB.

It’s even more important that Amazon has a limit on the number of attached files sent to a Kindle email. It’s 25. If you send more files than 25, none of them will be added to your Kindle library.

Adding epub files is slightly less reliable than mobi

I have tested adding epub files extensively in a few recent days, and 90% of the file transfers were successful. For comparison, all mobi files that I have ever sent to Kindle in ten years have been accepted.

A few epub files were not recognized. Amazon’s system responded with automatic emails that the files could not be delivered. It’s worth noting that corresponding mobi files were accepted.

One time I received a message stating that “the email you sent exceeded the permissible limit of 25 personal documents.” It was an epub file of a large book. I have opened the epub package and found out that the folder included more than 30 files. I was able to open the same epub in Apple Books and add it to Google Play Books in the web browser.

My advice is that if you want to avoid problems with accepting epub files by Amazon, you should choose the sources of books carefully. I have never had any problem with my local library ebooks, local ebook stores, and my favorite source of public domain books – Project Gutenberg.

There are no problems with covers

A few of my readers have signaled that some of the added epub books don’t show cover art.

I have tested a few dozen books – both in mobi and epub – and the outcome is that if the cover is properly rendered from a mobi file, it’s also properly rendered from an epub file.

Usually, the cover art is not showing up when the book’s content is not loaded. It happens when you sideload the book to your Kindle from a computer. The file appears in the library with an ugly blank cover: a preview of the title and the “doc” label. You have to actually open the book to load its content, including the cover image. Close the book, and you should see the cover in the library.

Usually, covers are properly rendered if you add your own books by sending them as attachments to a dedicated Kindle email. The files land on Amazon servers where they are processed. If there is cover art, it will be included when you download the book to your Kindle or Kindle app.

You can add your own cover to epub file before sending it to Kindle

A good thing about epub files is that you can easily add cover art to them. A great news for readers who want to make their Kindle library as beautiful as physical bookshelves.

Even if the original epub file doesn’t include a cover image, for instance, if you download it from sites with public domain books, you can add it easily using a quick and free online tool.

The tool is called Change Epub Cover, and is a part of an online converter platform. Simply, add an original epub file, add an image that you want to be displayed as cover art, and choose image resizing and background options.

You won’t add epub files with DRM

The news that epub is now endorsed by Amazon may have made you come up with the idea that now is the best time to collect all your ebooks in one place or switch from your current ebook platform, for instance Kobo or Nook.

Don’t even think about it. It’s a bad idea. Most stores that sell ebooks use some kind of DRM protection. DRM stands for “Digital Rights Management,” and describes tools that control and manage access to copyrighted material, such as ebooks.

The fact that Kobo, Apple Books, Google Play Books or Barnes & Noble Nook use epub as a default file format doesn’t mean that you can now move all your books to Kindle. Most probably your files won’t be accepted, because they are either password protected or encrypted. 

Here are a few examples.

▸ When you download a book from Kobo, it’s in acsm format not epub. Acsm files are used to communicate with Adobe DRM platform to unlock the epub file that’s inside. Acsm files are not accepted by Amazon.

▸ When you download a book from Google Play Books, it sometimes comes as a file in unrecognizable format and sometimes as epub. Epub transfer was successful, but the unrecognizable file transfer was not. But when I changed the file’s name to .epub and sent an email again, it was accepted by Amazon.

Conclusion: Amazon endorsing epub doesn’t mean the end of the conversion nightmare.

Beware of duplicating the books

This is a technical issue but it’s worth highlighting if you decide to add epub books in bulk to your Kindle library.

You have a large collection of ebooks on your computer, some of them in mobi, some of them in epub.

Be careful before bulk uploading the books. You may end up with duplicate content. 

Here is what may happen. Long time ago, you uploaded one book in mobi format, and started reading it, added a few notes, and made a few highlights. Today, you have uploaded the same book as epub.

These two books are displayed with the same cover and title. Amazon doesn’t recognize duplicated books. You will have to remove one of the books manually. There is no indication which book was originally in mobi and which in epub format. You may accidentally remove the mobi book with all your notes and highlights.

Which format to choose for future uploads?

Although epub is not as reliable as mobi, it’s clear that it should be the new default format for files users add themselves to their Kindle library.

There are few things to consider:

▸ I assume that most ebook platforms, learning that mobi is not supported by Amazon any longer, will stop generating mobi file variant for new books. 

▸ Many platforms still offer ebooks in pdf format. You can always pick it if you fail to add epub. However, from my experience, pdf files usually come with worse formatting, because their original destination was a print version of the book, not digital.

▸ Amazon has completed the process of separating books purchased in the Kindle Store from the books added by users themselves. The third-party books are called “Docs” and they are harder to find. For Amazon, your books are a worse category of digital content. On Amazon Fire tablets, they can be found not in a Kindle app, but the Docs app. 

▸ If Amazon separates your own books from Kindle Store books, you can do the same. Simply, use two apps on your iOS or Android device. Amazon Kindle app will be for pure 100% Kindle books, and the other app for all your epub books that you borrowed from your library or purchased from a different ebook platform. I have started using the Google Play Books app on my iPhone, again.

Keep exploring. Here are other tips and lists for Kindle users:

[ef-archive number=5 tag=”kindle”]

Amazon’s announcement about the end of support for mobi file format confused and sometimes even frightened many Kindle users. 

In recent days I got several emails from the readers of Ebook Friendly, asking about how to convert old mobi books to a new format – and which is the new Kindle format.

Things are simpler than you think. There is nothing to worry about. All mobi files that you have already added to your Kindle are safe. They won’t be deleted. They won’t be modified either. You will have full access to them.

However, please keep in mind that from August 2022 you will not be able to add any new mobi file to your Kindle library. You will have to choose another file format. The best one is epub.

Before we move on, please keep in mind that in your Kindle library there are two kinds of books, and Amazon handles them differently:

• The books you downloaded from the Kindle Store – they come with a full feature support
• The books you added to your Kindle library by yourself – we will also call them “third-party books” or “sideloaded books” – they come with a limited feature support

Read also: Epub file format for Kindle – things we know so far – From August 2022, Amazon will fully support epub file format. Already now, you can add epub books via email. Here are a few things you should know.

Mobi files for Kindle – things to know

Support for mobi files ends in 2022

▸ Mobi is one (or I should now rather say “was”) of the most popular ebook file formats introduced back in 2000 by Mobipocket.

▸ This file format is sometimes called “Kindle format,” as Amazon Kindle is the only major ebook platform to still use it. All other ebook platforms, including Barnes & Noble Nook, Kobo, Apple Books, or Google Books, use the other ebook file format – epub.

▸ So far, if you wanted to add to your Kindle library an ebook from a third-party source (such as sites with free public domain books), you had to select mobi. If you downloaded an epub file to your computer, you had to convert it to mobi, because Amazon didn’t accept epub.

▸ At the end of April 2022, Amazon was sending emails to Kindle users with information about discontinuing the support for mobi file format. The email says that from August 2022, you’ll no longer be able to send mobi (as well as azw) files to your Kindle library.

▸ Also, on the Amazon Help page with file formats supported by Kindle you can read that “Beginning in late 2022, you’ll no longer be able to send MOBI (.AZW, .MOBI) files to your library using Send to Kindle.”

▸ Taking these two messages into consideration, you have to assume “the late 2022” is the beginning of August 2022.

All mobi files you previously added to Kindle are 100% safe

The “goodbye, mobi” email from Amazon made many Kindle users confused. One could assume that the end of the mobi format support applies to all books, both new and old.

Calm down, all mobi files that you have already added to your Kindle are 100% safe:

• They will not disappear from your Kindle library
• They will not be modified or moved
• You will have full access to them
• You will be able to manage them the same way as before

You don’t have to convert anything

It’s worth stressing it loud and clear:

▸ You don’t have to convert your mobi files that are already in your Kindle library. There is no need to take any action – these files are there and nothing happens to them.

▸ Termination of the support for mobi format applies only to files that you would want to add in August 2022 or later.

What happens when a mobi file is added to Kindle?

Let’s explain what happens with a mobi file when you successfully add it to your Kindle library.

▸ When you send a file via email to your Kindle e-reader or application, this file is being processed on Amazon servers and then sent to a destination device or app.

▸ Once the book appears in your Kindle library, you can stop worrying about whether it’s in a mobi, prc, or azw format.

▸ From now on, it’s Amazon’s responsibility to guarantee the book’s full compatibility with whatever device or app you use to read Kindle books. 

▸ In other words, stop thinking of the file you have just downloaded to Kindle as “a mobi file,” and start thinking of it as “a Kindle book” you want to read.

Where are all my mobi files on Kindle?

Many users ask where they can find the files they add to their Kindle or Kindle app. Let’s explain a few things.

▸ All books – both the ones that you buy in the Kindle Store and the ones you add from third-party sources – are stored in your Kindle cloud library on Amazon servers. From there, you can download them to your Kindle or Kindle app.

▸ Please remember, that your own books (downloaded from third-party source) are not “mobi” any longer. You can find them by title or author, but not by file extension.

▸ Amazon has recently divided the digital content into separate parts. Third-party books (the books you didn’t get from the Kindle Store), although handled by the Kindle ecosystem, are no longer called “books.” They are called “docs.”

To find your own books in your Kindle library, you can use one of the following ways:

Use an Amazon website

1. Go to the Amazon website, then choose “Accounts & Lists” on the right-hand side of the top navigation bar, and then select “Content and Devices.”

2. Click on the block called “Docs” – it’s where all the books you downloaded to Kindle are stored.

If you want to see the books you bought in the Kindle Store, click the “Books” block.

Use your Kindle e-reader

1. Go to the home page, and tap “From Your Library” heading at the top. Alternatively, you can tap the “Library” button at the bottom.

2. Tap the slider icon in the top left corner, and select the “Documents” button at the bottom. You will see all the sideloaded books, no matter whether they have been added as mobi, prc, azw, or pdf files.

If you want to see the books or free samples from the Kindle Store, tap the “Books” button at the bottom.

3. When you tap the book cover of a single book, it will start downloading to your Kindle or Kindle app. You will be able to read it even without access to the internet.

Use your Kindle app

Kindle apps for Android and iOS/iPad have a similar design, so this short guide should work for both systems. 

1. Open the Amazon Kindle app on your device. Quit the book you are currently reading to go back to the main view.

2. In the main view, tap “Library” in the bottom navigation bar.

3. Tap “All” on the top – you are now seeing all the books in your Kindle cloud library, not only the ones that are downloaded to your Kindle app.

4. Tap the slider icon in the top-left corner, and then tap “Docs” in the menu. You will see the full list of the books you added yourself to the Kindle library.

Mobi file format – things to do

I mentioned above that the end of mobi format support means you don’t have to do anything. 

Well, there is one exception: if you have downloaded to your computer a large number of ebooks in mobi format and would like to add them to your Kindle library at some point.

In this case, you have to do it by the end of July 2022. Afterwards, you will have to:

• Convert the mobi files from your computer to another format (for instance epub) or
• Redownload the books from the original source, but in a different format.

Why is mobi file support discontinued?

Amazon bought Mobipocket (the company that developed mobi format) back in 2005.

Although mobi was a default format for adding third-party ebooks to Kindle, Amazon didn’t develop it, and in 2016 permanently shut down the Mobipocket website and servers.

The mobi format created a lot of confusion. Users had to remember that mobi was for Kindle, while epub was for the rest of ebook platforms. Many users had to learn how to convert files.

But from Amazon’s point of view, mobi was a tool to bring new customers. Choosing an ebook platform was determined by decisions about the compatible formats and potential pain related to file conversion.

Many smaller ebook platforms offer ebooks in two formats: epub and mobi. And mobi is there only for users who want to read ebooks on their Kindles.

Mobi has not been developed for several years, and it served its purpose as a point of difference. Now, as Amazon says it, “mobi  is an older file format and won’t support the newest Kindle features for documents.”

When does the Kindle file format matter?

If you buy and download an ebook from the Kindle Store, you don’t care about the format, because the book will be delivered in the latest and most compatible format Amazon provides, be it azw or kf8 or anything that comes next.

File format matters only when you add your own books to Kindle e-reader, Kindle app, and Kindle cloud library.

When you successfully add the file to your Kindle, the file format doesn’t matter any more because it’s now in the Kindle ecosystem.

What format to use instead of mobi

▸ The current list of supported Kindle file formats includes html, doc, rtf, and several others. 

▸ Please have a look at the files that you can add to Kindle via email (“Kindle Personal Documents Service” section). A new format appeared here most probably at the beginning of 2022. It’s epub.

▸ Epub is widely used by other ebook platforms. It’s also one of the most downloaded file formats from sites with free ebooks. Also, many smaller e-bookstores offer publications only in epub.

▸ Pdf files are converting quite well when you add them to Kindle, but from my personal experience, if a book is available in pdf, it means that pdf is usually an outcome of preparing a book for print. Therefore, there are many strange errors that make reading the converted book highly irritating.

▸ Therefore, if you have to pick up one format to add books to Kindle since the mid-2022, it should be epub.

▸ Please keep in mind that not all epub files will be successfully added to Kindle. Many ebook platforms offer books with a DRM lock. When you buy a book at Kobo, it’s available in epub format, but the file comes with DRM, so no third-party system will be able to access it.

Keep exploring. Here are other tips and lists for Kindle users:

So, your new Kindle has just been shipped, and you are expecting to unbox it tomorrow.

Compared to the image of the new Kindle, the one you currently have suddenly looks so vintage. There is a scratch here and there, but in general, it’s still a fully working device.

What to do with it?

You can obviously trade in your old Kindle. Simply go to Amazon Kindle Trade-in front page, pick up the model you have, send it to Amazon for free, and get paid by Amazon Gift Card value that would be automatically applied when you buy the newer Kindle model.

No, getting rid of the device that gave me so many unforgettable moments? Not possible. But I also don’t want to put it away, somewhere in the garage or high up in a wardrobe.

Here are some ideas what you can do with your old Kindle that you still love.

5 ways to repurpose your old Kindle e-reader

1. Use is as a photo frame

Kindles (and other e-readers) look like great alternatives to digital photo frames. They can display a fixed content for weeks, as the e-paper screen consumes almost no energy when the fixed image is being displayed.

Therefore, using an old Kindle as a picture frame seems like an obvious idea.

However, it’s not as easy as you think, especially if you want the pictures to change in a slideshow manner. It involves jail breaking your Kindle. If you are ready for the challenge, you can try this guide by Prateek Srivastava.

Also, How-to Geek blog has a tutorial on how to jailbreak your Kindle Paperwhite to display custom wallpapers.

2. Use it as a dedicated audiobook player

A much easier way to repurpose your Kindle is turning it into a dedicated audiobook player.

All Kindle models since the 2017 Oasis come with an Audible support. They have an integrated audiobook player interface, and you can download Audible audiobooks directly from an Amazon store.

The Kindles can play audio content via a built-in Bluetooth module. You will have to connect a Bluetooth-enabled speaker or headphones to be able to listen to audiobooks.

The audiobook-playing Kindle will need to be recharged more often, even every few days.

That’s why it’s reasonable to split the content between the two devices you own.

Your primary Kindle will be used for reading, and you will need to recharge it every few weeks. Your old Kindle can be placed on a stand near a power socket, and you can use it as a stationary audiobook player.

The Ebook Detectives blog has helpful tips on how to listen to Audible audiobooks on a Kindle.

How many audiobooks can be stored on a Kindle?

An average length of an audiobook is 10 hours. Each hour of an Audible audiobook requires approximately 15 MB of space when you download it in standard quality. Therefore, an audiobook usually takes about 150 MB of your Kindle’s internal memory.

If you own a Kindle with 4 GB of memory, some 3 GB are available for you. The rest is being used by system files.

Therefore, your repurposed 4 GB Kindle can hold up to some 20 full-length Audible audiobooks.

3. Connect with another Amazon account

When your new Kindle arrives, you will register it with your main Amazon account, and get immediate access to your Kindle library.

Why would you need another Amazon account? For instance, if you want to be eligible for Kindle Unlimited subscription free trial.

If you have ever tried Kindle Unlimited with your main Amazon account, you won’t be able to enjoy a 30-day free trial for the second time.

Kindle Unlimited is $9.99 a month, and you can store up to 20 titles on your device or devices. Will you be able to read 20 titles in a month? Probably not.

Connect your old Kindle to your second Amazon account, start a 30-day free trial of Kindle Unlimited with that account, download 20 books free of charge, and disconnect the Kindle from a Wi-Fi network. You will be able to actually finish these 20 books, even after the free trial.

There is one thing to remember: cancel Kindle Unlimited within the free trial, if you don’t want to automatically pay the monthly fees.

4. Give it to other members of your family

Three years ago, when I asked my daughter to test Kindle Paperwhite, she said she was not interested, as she would never ever read ebooks.

Now, she keeps asking me when the new Paperwhite arrives because she wants to take it from me, returning the old one after two years of heavy use.

You never know when people’s attitudes change. Three years ago, you were the only member of your family who was reading on a Kindle. Today, two e-readers might not be enough.

All you have to do is ask again. And if you hear “yes,” make sure to clean the device, as well as renew a Kindle case (which is easier than you think).

5. Use it as a 100% private ebook reader

You may be surprised how much data an ebook platform may gather about you: the books you buy (and the process that leads to it), how you read a book (reading session duration, time of day, reading speed), how many devices you have (and how rich you are), how many personal documents and third-party ebooks you add to your account, what are your interests, and so on.

The data is then used to show you book recommendations based on your preferences, or display screensaver ads you will be more prone to tap.

You may disable data collection on a Kindle, but it will not give you 100% privacy. Some personal data has to be sent to Amazon to let you, for instance, sync the last-read position between connected devices.

Another way to increase privacy is to disconnect a Kindle from a Wi-Fi network. But you don’t want your main Kindle to be blind and not fully functional, do you?

That’s how you can repurpose your old Kindle – as an offline device whose content won’t be synced to an ebook platform. You can download your personal documents and ebooks to the Kindle via the cable, and keep them 100% yours.

Keep reading. Here are other lists and tips to explore:

How old is your Kindle? Are you going to use it for a bit longer? Let me guess: your new Kindle is on the way, and other family members are longing to take over the device from you – no matter whether it’s new or old.

If you have invested in the cover, your Kindle is probably in an almost perfect condition – what you probably can’t say about the cover itself.

Your family can enjoy your two- or three-years-old Kindle for two or three more years. All you have to do is a bit of cleaning.

In this short post, I will show you how I renewed my old fabric Kindle case. I am not a DIY professional, so please forgive me sounding too newbie here and there.

Let’s start!

The case – some facts

▸ This is an original fabric case for Kindle Paperwhite 4 in Marine Blue color. Fabric Kindle cases cost $29.99.

▸ Originally, I wanted to buy an alternative case because there are plenty of third-party Kindle cases. In the end, I changed my mind, and decided to give a try to the official cover, especially that Amazon claims it’s “water-safe.”

▸ I bought this case back in 2018, so it’s almost three years old. The Kindle is being used quite intensively, mostly by my daughter, who reads for at least an hour a day.

▸ As you see on the pictures above, the case is in a pretty good condition. It’s not broken or deformed in any way, despite the fact that you can fold the front completely when reading.

▸ However, when you take a closer look, you will see signs of deterioration:

– Unpleasant stains from grease and (probably) coffee – these stains can’t be removed using just a wet cloth.

– The fabric on the edges, especially on the right and bottom side, is jagged heavily.

▸ I have already pre-ordered the new Kindle Paperwhite 6.8. What to do with the old device? In our case, it’s pretty simple: the old Paperwhite will come back to me, and Kasia – my daughter – will grab the new one:-)

Renewing an old Kindle cover – things to prepare

• A clean piece of cloth (I used one of the Swedish dish cloths)
• A wash basin with warm water and a dash of laundry detergent
• A towel
• A hair dryer
• A box cutter, a ruler, and a cutting mat or board
• Optional: if the stains are too hard to remove, you can use a carpet cleaning foam
• Optional: pet hair remover roller to get rid of fabric particles and other dirt

How to renew an old Kindle case in 4 steps

The case is made of fabric, and Amazon claims it is water-safe (it means it can’t be damaged by water).

Therefore, I assumed that the case can be treated the same way as clothing – with warm water and laundry detergent. It worked. No damage was made to the cover during the cleaning!

The entire process should take no more than 20 minutes.

1. Clean the case with laundry detergent

▸ Prepare the wash basin: pour some warm water, add a dash of detergent, and stir it to make the granules dissolve completely.

▸ Place the case in the water and gently rub its surface with the cloth. Try not to touch the edges to avoid fraying of the fabric.

2. Dry the case inside a towel

▸ Take the case out of water, put it on the towel, and cover it with the rest of the towel.

▸ You can gently press the towel with your palms to squeeze the water out of the cover’s fabric.

3. Dry the case with a hair dryer

▸ To speed up the drying process, you can use the hair dryer.

▸ You will be surprised how quickly the case gets dry. Wet parts are a bit darker. When you use the dryer, you can actually see the dark areas fade out.

▸ The case should be completely dry in 3-5 minutes.

(Optional) Clean the case with a carpet cleaning foam

▸ When the case is dry again, you can see whether there are still dirty areas on it.

▸ If you take a closer look at the picture above, you will see that some dirty spots are still visible.

▸ That’s why, I decided to use a stronger method: a carpet cleaning foam (by the way, I was curious to see whether there would be any color alterations after applying the foam).

▸ Put the foam on the case and let it work for a few minutes. Then clean the case with cold water.

▸ You can put the case back into the water with detergent, and repeat step 1.

(Optional) Use a pet hair remover roller to get rid of dirt and fabric particles

▸ If you have a pet hair remover at home, you can use it to remove dirt particles from the surface.

▸ Only use the roller with a soft head. Otherwise, you may damage the fabric, especially on the edges.

4. Cut out the fabric from the edges

▸ The final step is about removing the fabric from the edges. This way we will prevent it from further fraying.

▸ Cut the fabric along the edge of the case, but do it very gently.

Done!

The case is ready. I was not expecting it to look so good. What do you think?

Keep reading. Here are other lists and tips to explore:

If reading books is one of the top reasons to get an Amazon Fire, make sure to pick up the model that answers most of your needs.

Finally, after hesitating between the Kindle and Fire, you have decided to go for a more versatile Amazon tablet, and now the only thing to do is to pick up the best model.

And “the best” means the one that answers most of your needs and expectations. It doesn’t make sense to buy the most expensive Fire HD 10 if all what you need is a device that’s similar in size and weight to the Kindle.

Below, you will find a few first-person statements that will let you decide which Amazon Fire model is best suited for reading ebooks.

Jump to the list

Obviously, Fire tablets can be used for lots of other things, such as playing games, browsing the web, or writing emails and social media updates.

However, reading is so easy these days that it would be a pity not to try to use the Fire to read more books than ever before.

When it comes to using the Fire tablets for reading ebooks, the main decision is to find the right balance between the price and the screen size & resolution. Most other features are available in all the models.

Reading ebooks on Amazon Fire tablets – things to keep in mind

LCD screen – Fire devices are tablets with LCD screens. They are less friendly for the eyes than Kindle e-readers.

Landscape-first design – all Fire tablets are designed for the convenient use in a landscape format. If you like to read one-handed, in a portrait mode, you can rotate the screen and lock it in a portrait position.

Quick access to Kindle books – books you have downloaded from the Kindle Store can be easily accessed via the Books app which is integrated into the Fire’s operating system.

Limited access to own books – if you want to read books downloaded from other sources than Amazon, you will have problem accessing them. They are stored in a different place and not so easy to manage. More info.

Blue-shade mode – a special warm light mode that you can enable for the evening use is the best way to reduce distractions and help your mind get ready for the sleep. You can use the Blue-shade mode on top of reading themes available in the Books app.

Which Amazon Fire tablet is best-suited for reading?

I want to read novels

If you are mostly interested in reading novels or books without images, then the entry-level Fire 7 or Fire HD 8 are the most suitable options.

Both devices are the size of a paperback book, and you can easily pack them into your bag or even a pouch.

There are two differences to take into consideration:

• Price
• Display quality

Amazon Fire 7 costs $49.99, while Fire HD 8 is $40 more expensive ($89.99).

On the other hand, the smaller device comes with a lower-resolution display (1024 × 600 px versus 1280 × 800 px). You may see a difference in how crispy and readable the text looks on the screen.

⇢ Amazon Fire 7 ⇢ Amazon Fire HD 8

I usually read for long hours

It’s where not only the size but also the weight matters.

If you love long reading sessions, the lighter the device, the better. The 10-inch Fire is out of the equation as its weight is almost 18 ounces (500 grams).

You have two devices to consider: the lighter Fire 7, and a bit heavier Fire HD 8. None of them is weighs more than 12.5 oz (355 grams).

Thanks to that – and combined with a compact size – you will be able to read for long hours while holding the device in one hand.

⇢ Amazon Fire 7 ⇢ Amazon Fire HD 8

I like to read in a small font

Every reader has its own unique set of reading preferences. For instance, I set up the text to be large to be able to read without glasses.

If you prefer to read ebooks in the small text, you should take into consideration the screen resolution.

The rule is that the smaller the text you set, the better the display resolution should be.

In this case, you should forget the 7-inch Fire which comes with the lowest-resolution display. You may find out that the small text is blurry or pixelated, and that may cause a discomfort when reading books.

Both the 8-inch and 10-inch Fire models offer HD displays, with the same features: resolution of 1280 × 800 pixels, and pixel density of 189 ppi (versus 171 ppi in the Fire 7).

⇢ Amazon Fire HD 8 ⇢ Amazon Fire HD 10

I want the cheapest possible e-reading device

If this is what you need the most, the choice is obvious: you should go for the 7-inch Fire. The device costs $49.99, but you can grab it for under $35 during major shopping events: Black Friday (November) or Prime Day (July).

Compared to the entry-level Kindle model, Fire 7 costs almost twice as less. In other words, you can buy two Fire 7 tablets for your family instead of one Kindle, to serve the same purpose: make family members read more books.

⇢ Amazon Fire 7

I want to avoid eye fatigue

If you are seriously concerned about eye comfort, you should go for a Kindle e-reader. Every Kindle is equipped with an e-paper display which is neutral to your eyes and can be used without any problem in the direct sunlight.

All Fire tablets are equipped with LCD screens. These screens display pictures by sending the light from behind – right into your eyes.

Eye fatigue is an inevitable part of using tablets, but you can reduce it by choosing the smaller screen with a relatively good resolution.

Amazon Fire HD 10 is out of question as it has the large 10-inch display.

Amazon Fire 7 is out of question as it has the worse screen resolution. The blurry text may force the eyes and brain to involve more energy to comprehend the text.

The best combination of size and screen quality is offered by the mid-range Amazon Fire HD 8.

⇢ Amazon Fire HD 8

I want to read comics and graphic novels

To fully enjoy the fascinating world of comic books, you should invest in a larger device with a better screen.

The best option is to get Amazon Fire HD 10, but the 8-inch model will also serve the purpose.

Don’t buy Amazon Fire 7 to read comics. You will have to zoom into and move along the page, to be able to follow the story.

⇢ Amazon Fire HD 8 ⇢ Amazon Fire HD 10

I want to read in a two-page mode

Some users love to read on a tablet as they were using an open print book, with two pages facing each other.

Obviously, it’s possible in any Fire tablet – all you can do it unlock the screen, let it rotate to a landscape position, and lock again.

From my experience, the larger the screen, the better it is to read in a two-page mode.

It’s because the small display combined with a large font, may the page layout look ridiculous, especially if you like large margins. There would be simply too little text in a single line.

Therefore, go for the 10-inch Fire, and treat Fire HD 8 as a back-up option.

⇢ Amazon Fire HD 8 ⇢ Amazon Fire HD 10

I want to read together with kids

If you are planning to read many books with your children, for instance within Amazon Kids+ (formerly known as FreeTime Unlimited), then you should go for as much screen space as possible. The 10-inch Fire is the best option.

The large screen would be especially suitable when reading interactive books with your kids. Small fingers will not have any problem with touching small buttons and play with interactive elements (dragging, pinching, swiping, etc.).

Also, the 10-inch tablet is the only reasonable solution if you have two kids in the same age and want to read to them together.

⇢ Amazon Fire HD 10

I want an e-reading tablet for my kids

If you are looking for a tablet that would be used mainly by your kids, you should check out the Fire Kids or Fire Kids Pro line. They are the tablet bundles designed with kids in mind.

Each bundle includes, besides the tablet, a kid-friendly case, 2-year worry-free guarantee, and 1 year of free Amazon Kids+ subscription. The only thing to decide is which tablet size to choose.

If your children play with the tablet to the fullest, and you can’t have 100% control of what happens, you can go for the most affordable solution and pick up Amazon Fire 7 Kids edition.

For a better experience, and still peace of mind thanks to a worry-free guarantee, you can go for the bundle based on Amazon Fire HD 8.

Finally, there is a 10-inch Fire Kids edition which is a perfect device for reading and playing in a group.

⇢ Fire Kids tablets

I want to read textbooks

If you are planning to use your tablet for studying, you should go for the biggest and fastest Amazon Fire model: the 10-inch one.

The screen size is important when you are reading textbooks, books in a fixed format (such as pdf) or books with lots of images. On a large-screen tablet, you will be forced less often to zoom into an element of a page to make it readable.

But there is also one more thing to consider when picking up a tablet for studying: the performance.

Fire HD 10 is the fastest Amazon tablet you can get. It’s always one performance level above the smaller models. It is especially helpful if you want to actively read books: make sidenotes, organize highlighted passages, or write essay drafts while reading.

⇢ Amazon Fire HD 10

Keep exploring. Here are other posts for Amazon Fire users:

[ef-archive number=5 tag=”amazon-fire”]

The new feature may confuse users, as now the Reading and Library view are controlled differently.

The new feature started rolling out to customers since the latest update of the Kindle for iOS and iPad OS, released on April 13, 2021 – version 6.41.

As usual, Amazon is very enigmatic when it comes to app update descriptions. New features are being announced in the app itself.

When I opened a book in the Kindle app today, the message appeared saying that now the color interface is matching the system settings.

In other words, the automatic theme switching is the default feature. If you don’t like it, you will have to disable it. Read about it at the end of the post.

I was waiting for this feature for a long time. Apple introduced Dark Mode (and an option to automatically turn it on and off with sunset and sunrise) in September 2019.

However, the introduction of an automatic theme switcher in the Amazon Kindle app for iPad and iPhone will certainly make many readers confused. Here is why:

• The Kindle app had an option to switch the Library view colors (Light or Dark) since October 2017 – two years before the iOS Dark Mode.
• The theme color was controlled from the app’s Settings ⇢ Menu – and it only applied to the Library view.
• Both color management settings – for Library and Reading view – were to be enabled or disabled manually.
• To change the color of the Reading view, you had to use the Reading view controls, not general settings. You could choose from four colors: White, Sepia, Green, and Black.
• Switching the color of the Reading view was a multi-step process, and I found a way to make it quicker – via setting up custom Dark and Light themes.
• From now on, the option to switch the Library theme (Light or Dark) is gone from the app’s general settings.

Tip: to make the Kindle app work properly after the update, close and reset it. If you don’t do it, the app may switch colors incorrectly, behaving like the Library and Reading colors were tied together – they are not.

In fact, the Library view is separate from the Reading view. You can control the Library view via the iOS settings. You can keep the Reading view tied to the iOS, but you can turn it off in the Reading controls – see below.

How to disable automatic theme switcher in Kindle for iOS

1. In the home view, tap any book cover to open a book in a Reading view.

2. Tap once anywhere on the screen to reveal Reading view controls.

3. In the top bar, tap the “Aa” icon.

4. In the widget that comes from the bottom, select “Layout.”

5. Right under “Page Color” – four color options you can choose for your reading interface – you will see a small checkbox saying “Update Page Using System Theme.” Uncheck this box.

6. Alternatively, you can tap any other color of the Reading view, and the automatic theme switcher will immediately get unchecked.

How to change the Library view color in Kindle for iOS

From now on, the Library view colors are matching the colors of your iPhone or iPad. If your device is in a Dark Mode, the Library view of the Kindle app is also in the Dark view.

In other words, to change the Library view color, you have to change your device’s color mode.

Can I use Green and Sepia mode with automatic theme switcher?

No, these two colors can’t be matched with automatic theme switcher. If you enable one of them, the Reading view goes manual as the automatic theme switcher is being unchecked.

However, when you re-enable automatic theme switcher, the Reading view color goes back to the last used. So, if you used Sepia in the manual mode, you will see Sepia again.

Keep reading. Here are more tips and lists for iPad and iPhone users:

[ef-archive number=5 tag=”ipad”]