There are several reasons why reading e-books on Kindle is better than reading on your phone, including the fact that Kindles are better for your eyes than phones or tablets. Anecdotal evidence also suggests that Kindle e-readers have a long lifespan, with some people managing to keep them running successfully for almost a decade. However, the Kindle reading apps that many use on their smartphones, tablets and desktop computers have a series of benefits and features that you don’t get on the e-reader. The benefits may be useful for someone who prefers to use their phone to read or who uses both the e-reader and their mobile device, depending on the situation and needs.
These Kindle app-exclusive features range from offering a nice summary of which part of the book you’ve read so far to a nifty reading rule for better concentration. Keep in mind that the availability of these features may vary by platform, and one platform, such as Kindle for iOS, typically gets the features first, before rolling them out to other platforms. If you have access to them, though, they’re at least worth checking out.
Story so far
Although Kindles released since 2018 and Kindle apps can recap most of the books you’ve already finished, in case you want a more recent refresher, only the Kindle app has the Story So Far feature to refresh your memory of a book you’re still reading. As the name suggests, Story So Far retells the gist of the part of the book you’ve read so far, helping you remember it in case you return to reading after a long period of absence. The feature only shows you the spoiler-free version to avoid accidental reveals.
Story So Far is unfortunately limited to Kindle for iOS in the United States as of May 2026. To access it, tap and hold the book in your Kindle library and look for the “Read Summary” button. Alternatively, when the book is open, use the three-dot menu to navigate to Summary, then select Story So Far. It’s unclear when this feature might reach the Android version of the Kindle or desktop apps.
Request this book
Ask this Book is another feature of the app currently limited to the iOS version of the Kindle in the United States. It’s easy to use and essentially functions as your reading assistant, answering your questions about various aspects of the books, including characters, plot, and themes. According to Amazon, the responses are contextual and immediate, and they won’t spoil anything you haven’t already read. You can use it to ask questions about a selected paragraph, what you’ve read so far, or the entire book.
You can access the feature via the book menu or select the paragraph you want to talk about, and you will get the Ask option in the context menu. The feature also supports follow-up questions and even suggests its own follow-ups. The company says it plans to bring this feature to the Kindle app for Android, as well as the Kindle e-reader itself, later in 2026.
Reading rule
Reading Ruler is an accessibility feature you can take advantage of on Kindle apps. Although designed to help people with dyslexia, ADHD or visual stress focus on one line of text at a time and make it easier to read, it can help anyone. It’s also handy to mark where you left off when you put your phone or tablet away for a few minutes. The Reading Ruler essentially creates a colored overlay bar over the part of the text you are reading.
The Kindle app’s Reading Ruler also gives you the option to change the color, opacity, style, and size of the bar to suit your needs. You simply move the reading ruler with your fingers as you continue reading. To use this feature when reading a book in the Kindle app, simply tap the center of the screen to get the reading toolbar. Next, go to Aa, select More, then Reading Ruler.
Continuous scrolling
If you don’t like constantly flipping to the next page of an e-book, the Kindle app’s exclusive continuous scrolling feature will come in handy and will likely help you read the book faster. As the name suggests, the feature changes the layout of the eBook and essentially removes pages, making the entire book one continuous scroll. However, continuous scrolling may not be available on all titles, especially eBooks not purchased from the Amazon store, due to different formats. More importantly, the feature is limited to the Android and iOS versions of the Kindle app and cannot be used on desktop apps or Kindle e-readers.
To enable continuous scrolling, open any eBook in your Kindle library and tap in the center of the screen. Next, open the Aa option from the menu and go to Layout, where you will have the option to enable or disable the feature. Once the feature is enabled, you can simply scroll up or down to read the eBook and save some time.