Amazon improves Kindle accessibility with new text spacing adjustments

The latest bundle update for caller Kindle models greatly expands spacing options. | Screenshot: YouTube/The eBook Reader

Amazon released a new bundle update for respective caller Kindle models past week. The company’s release notes lone mention “performance improvements, bug fixes, and different wide enhancements,” but the update includes notable upgrades erstwhile it comes to adjusting substance and enactment spacing, improving legibility and accessibility for galore users, arsenic spotted by The eBook Reader.

The 5.18.3 bundle update presently supports the Kindle Scribes, Kindle Colorsoft, and 11th and 12th procreation versions of the basal Kindle and Paperwhite models. Amazon is dilatory rolling it retired done the Kindle’s automatic updates system, but if you don’t privation to wait, you tin download the circumstantial update file for your e-reader, transcript it implicit to your device, and execute a manual update using the instructions Amazon has provided.

Previously, these Kindles lone offered 3 basal enactment spacing options recovered nether the “Layout” section, including options for adjusting the size of margins. The caller spacing options are present recovered by selecting the fastener for the “Font” section, which takes you to a dedicated page. There, you volition present find 4 size options for adjusting enactment spacing, paragraph spacing, connection spacing, and adjacent quality spacing, positive the enactment to reset them each to default settings.

Customizing the substance and enactment spacing connected Kindles has agelong lagged down the options offered by immoderate of Amazon’s competitors successful the e-reader space. However, portion the latest procreation Kobo devices inactive connection much size accommodation options for font size, enactment spacing, and margins, they don’t connection circumstantial controls for paragraph, word, and quality spacing. With the latest bundle update, these caller Kindle models could beryllium a amended enactment for users with a ocular impairment, oregon those dealing with dyslexia.