Some Kindles now let you double-tap anywhere to turn the page

Amazon has released a software update for the current-generation Colorsoft and Paperwhite that lets you double-tap on the sides or back of your Kindle to turn the page. The new feature, as spotted by The eBook Reader, is listed in the release notes for the 5.18.1 update and can be found in Settings > Device Options.

The new software wasn’t immediately available as an over-the-air update for my Kindle Colorsoft, but I was able to download it and install it manually following Amazon’s instructions. The feature works well using relatively light taps anywhere on the Colorsoft, and since it requires two taps in rapid succession, it’s not easy to trigger by mistake. Unfortunately, it’s limited to just one direction. You can either use it to jump to the next page, or scroll down a long list of books. Perhaps a future update will enable triple-taps as a way to scroll up or go back to a previous page.

The Verge has reached out to Amazon for more details on this new feature, including whether it was introduced to improve accessibility, and if there are plans to make it available on other Kindle models.