Amazon has come up with another software update which would apply to the 11th and 12th generation Kindle devices, along with the Kindle Scribe and the Kindle Colorsoft. As the eBook Reader Blog mentioned, the Software Update version 5.18.4 is a significant update as it introduces some cool new features. Prime among them is the new accessibility feature, which includes text-to-speech.
The Assistive Reader feature, as you might have already guessed, will read aloud the e-book for you. This way, any book can be turned into an audiobook. The feature is also very handy, as you can always continue with an e-book even when you’re engaged in something else, such as driving, doing household chores, or gardening. Currently, the feature supports the following languages: English, Spanish, French, German, and Italian.
However, as you might already know, TTS has to be enabled for the particular book you are reading. That isn’t the case with all e-books. Check in the feature section for the e-book in the Amazon Kindle Store to check if TTS is available. Needless to say, the Assistive Reader won’t work if it isn’t applicable for the particular title.
Coming back to the update, you can find the new Assistive Reader feature by tapping on the Aa menu while reading a book. Select More from the list of options that you come across, and the Assistive Reader should be right up there, which you can turn on. After you have done that, all that you need to do is tap on the Play button at the bottom right corner of the on-screen menu shown.
Apart from this, another new feature addition is the ability to increase text size. This isn’t about the e-books, but across the entire user interface. This should be very helpful for those who have poor eyesight and have trouble viewing the various UI elements in their default setting. To increase the text size, go to Settings > Accessibility > Display & text size.
Interestingly, as the eBook Reader Blog stated, many received some or all of the features mentioned here with the 5.18.3 update itself. Feel free to share in the comment section below if you have received the latest update or noticed any additional features beyond those discussed here.
