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

The latest Kindle update brings a useful new feature to the 12th-generation Paperwhite and Colorsoft. | Photo by Andrew Liszewski / The Verge

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.

Although the 5.18.1 software update is also available for older versions of the entry-level Kindle, Paperwhite, Scribe, and Oasis, the new double-tap feature is only available for the Colorsoft and 12th-generation Paperwhite, Amazon spokesperson Connor Rice confirmed to The Verge.

Update, March 26th: Added confirmation from an Amazon spokesperson.