5 Tips to Learn More About Your Kindle

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So you are convinced that a Kindle would get you out of your bad reading and help you read more. But after getting your hands on one and filling it with all the titles your heart desires, it still ended up sitting on your nightstand, collecting dust. For many users, the Kindle is actually one of the most effective tools that allow them to quickly go through their TBR (to-read list). But for others, it may take a bit of setting up. Maybe it’s not comfortable to continue reading. Or the font is too small, too spaced out, or simply uninteresting.

Lucky for you, you can make reading on the Kindle much more engaging than it currently is. You can try changing some Kindle settings, some accessories you can use, and some hidden features to explore. If you’re ready to finally catch up, here are five nifty tips to get you reading more on your Kindle.

There are instances where, while reading, you find yourself thinking how long it might take before you can finish the book or, at the very least, the chapter. Not knowing can make you lose motivation to continue because it feels like a never-ending task. Fortunately, the Kindle offers two solutions: the clock and the “Time Remaining in Chapter” function. Both can be displayed on the reading interface to give you a more concrete idea of ​​how much time you need (or want) to spend reading.

The clock is at the top center of the screen. When a book starts to drag on, you can challenge yourself to read for five more minutes. Sometimes that’s all you need to finish a chapter or even the entire book. If not, at least you still made some progress before stopping.

The “Time Remaining in Chapter” feature, on the other hand, is located in the lower left corner. This is one of the available reading progress indicators that Kindle uses, along with pages and location numbers. As you might have already guessed, the time remaining in the chapter tells you the total number of minutes you need until the end of the chapter. It’s based on your personal reading speed, and based on user reports, it’s usually a good estimate. This can help you decide if you can still read another chapter before bed or going out.

To enable the clock and time remaining in the chapter on your Kindle interface, simply open any book. Next, press the space at the top and select the Aa menu. In the More tab, enable “Show clock while playing” and set the reading progress to Time Remaining in Chapter.

Although the Kindle works pretty well on its own, there’s no harm in using it with a few cool Kindle accessories that could help you speed through a book in no time. To get started, you can try a page turner like Datafy Page Turner for Kindle. Its screen sensor simply clips onto the e-reader and waits for a signal from the remote control to advance the page. This is especially handy during reading sessions in bed or on the couch, where you usually have the Kindle on a stand or stand. Instead of leaving your comfortable spot and disrupting your reading momentum, just press the remote. Before you know it, you’ve already been immersed in your book for hours.

Any tablet stand works with the Kindle. But when you’re reading in bed or on the couch, it’s more convenient to use a tablet stand or gooseneck stand that attaches to a nearby desk or bed frame. If you prefer to bring the Kindle closer to you, a pillow stand like the Lamicall Tablet Pillow Stand might work better. For portable use, like when you’re on the bus home or waiting in line at a restaurant, you’ll need a handle or case with a wrist strap for your Kindle. This makes the e-reader more comfortable to hold.

A pair of headphones with a long-lasting battery are also essential for the Kindle. After all, the last thing you want is for your audio device to turn off while you’re in the middle of an exciting audiobook.

Reading is one of the best ways to expand your vocabulary, and the Kindle helps you do just that. It includes a built-in dictionary feature, which lets you simply long-press on a word to check what it means – without picking up your phone and Googling the term. Unfortunately, doing this every once in a while can quickly slow you down and discourage you from reading further.

Instead of using the dictionary, you can switch to another Kindle feature called Word Wise. Word Wise is like a dictionary, but it doesn’t wait for your input before showing you the meaning of the word. It automatically displays a short definition right above the term, making reading that much faster so your feed won’t be distracted. To enable Word Wise, follow these steps:

1. Connect to the Internet if you haven’t already. Word Wise requires an Internet connection to download resources.
2. Open a book on your Kindle device.
3. Hit the top of the screen.
4. Go to the Aa menu.
5. Tap More.
6. Choose Word Wise at the very bottom of the menu.
7. Activate it.

Now you can return to your book. A “Word Wise Download” indicator should appear in the lower right corner of the screen. Once the download is complete, tap Word Wise and adjust the number of hints you want to see. Fewer clues means that Word Wise will only show the definition of the most difficult words in the book, while More clues means it will define more words, some of which you may already be familiar with.

Setting a reading goal is a good thing, but if you’re struggling to achieve it, you may need a little external motivation. This is where the challenges of Kindle reading come into play. There are generally two types of Kindle reading challenges. The first is the Reading Challenge, which takes place all year round. Second, seasonal challenges, which change every few months. Beyond these two, Kindle Unlimited subscribers also get a special Kindle Unlimited Welcome Challenge for a limited time.

How these Kindle Challenges work is simple. They are active for a specific period, and during this period you will have to complete different types of tasks. For example, you must complete an eligible book before the challenge ends or read every day for an entire month. For each completed task, you earn the corresponding bookmark reward for your collection. For the Reading Challenge, however, your only task is to complete a book.

These Kindle challenges are unfortunately only accessible from your Kindle application. To see all challenges, launch the Kindle app and tap More. Next, head to the reading challenges. To start the One-Year Reading Challenge, simply go to Reading Challenges and tap Set Goal. Enter the number of books you plan to read during the year and click Save. To join a seasonal challenge, tap Challenge Details to see all tasks for that specific challenge. Simply complete the tasks as directed to earn the bookmark reward.

If you’ve ever used Duolingo, Snapchat, or Strava, you may already know the sequences. It counts the number of consecutive days or weeks you’ve committed to doing something, gamifying the system to incentivize you to continue doing what you started. Kindle reading sequences work the same way. Yes, if you don’t already know, your Kindle tracks whether or not you’ve read anything that day. It then offers you two reading sequences, a weekly sequence and a daily sequence. The weekly sequence just requires at least one reading activity per week, while the daily sequence requires you to read every day or it resets.

This hidden feature can help you learn more by passively encouraging you not to interrupt the streak. You don’t want to lose your progress and start from scratch. To view your Kindle series, you need to access your Kindle app. In the app, tap More and go to Reading Challenges. If you already have a sequence in progress, a blue banner with your current sequence will appear at the very top. Tap it to open your Reading Insights. If there is no blue banner on your side, scroll to the bottom of the page and click “Show classic reading information.”

If you don’t have a Kindle yet, there’s no better time to start than today. Keep reading until tomorrow and you will already have a daily streak. From there, it’s just a matter of consistency. A daily reminder to collect your Kindle can help, but at the moment the Kindle app doesn’t offer such a feature yet. Instead, you’ll need to create one on your phone.