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.
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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.
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.
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My kindle paperwhite is approx a year old and I do not like the new update especially where the bookmark is concerned!
In fact there is no bookmark at all,I’ve been in touch with “support” who told me to factory reset it and it “should” return, it doesn’t and I’ve reset it 3 times now! The only way to bookmark it is to get the Android Kindle app ,find the book,page and bookmark that then sync the kindle and it sometimes appears!
I don’t think they should meddle with things that work ok , “if it’s not broken then don’t fix it ” .
I have also had problems with the bookmark features on kindle, it is not fit for purpose. The old one worked just fine. Also the ability to highlight a portion of text and email it to me is also a backwards step, you have to type in your email, as it doesn’t remember it even when ticked. Overall a bad update.
I am unhappy about the change to the dictionary lookup function. There is no longer an “open dictionary” option, which I frequently used to look at the etymology of words, to look up related words, and to look up a word other than a word I am looking at on the Kindle.
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