21 Secrets Your Kindle Really Wants You To Know

Time to get g-READ-y.

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First off, if you don't have a kindle but have been thinking of buying one, Amazon just released the new Kindle Paperwhite that has a built-in adjustable light. But these tricks work with almost any model. Check out every model here.

1. Borrow Kindle books from your local library.

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When borrowing a kindle book from your library's website, click "Get for Kindle" and have it delivered to straight your device. Most books will work wirelessly, but if that's unsuccessful, you can transfer them from your computer to your Kindle via flash drive.

Learn more here.

2. Lend and borrow Kindle books for free.

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You can lend a book to someone for up to 14 days and that person doesn't even have to own a Kindle e-reader! They'll be able to read it through the Kindle app, which they can download on either their phone or tablet.

More details here.

3. Keep track of characters and key concepts using the X-Ray tool.

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The X-Ray tool is a super useful way to remember characters throughout the story. After getting a brief description of the character, you can scroll through X-Ray to see all the times that the character is mentioned in the book. You can also do this with main plot ideas or important places.

Learn more about X-Ray here.

4. Send Word, PDF, JPEG, HTML, and other documents to your Kindle.

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First, you'll need your Kindle email, which you can find under "Manage your devices" in your Amazon account. Then you’ll be able to send and read 9 different file types on your device.

See instructions here.

5. Connect to both Wi-Fi and 3G to save data.

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If you have the version with both 3G and Wi-Fi, your Kindle will turn 3G coverage off when connected to Wi-Fi. To learn how to set up your Wi-Fi, go here.

6. Learn other languages using the vocabulary builder.

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As motivation to read books in foreign languages, your Kindle compiles every word you've ever looked up into a list. You can scroll through them or sort them by book. And if you want more practice, use the built-in flashcards.

Find out more here.

7. Expand your vocabulary with built-in flashcards.

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You can build flashcards from either the X-Ray or Notebook tool. Once you have your sets built, you'll be able to access them whenever you read. Kindle also lets you sort your cards into correct and incorrect piles as you practice them.

See more here.

8. "Pinch" the screen to make the font size smaller.

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Magic. Swipe your fingers away from each other to make the font size bigger.

9. Remove Amazon's recommended content from your home screen.

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First, make sure you have the latest Kindle firmware installed (5.8.1.1). Once that's done, go to Settings > Device Options > Personalize Your Kindle > Recommended Content. You're free!

10. Save battery by switching to airplane mode.

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11. Choose what your kids can see with Kindle Freetime.

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Kindle FreeTime automatically blocks access to the Kindle store, the web browser, and Wikipedia. After you create a Parental Control password, you'll be able to customize what books your kids can read on your Kindle.

See more details here.

12. Have your books read to you with your phone or tablet's text-to-speech function.

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Most of the newer Kindle e-readers do not have audio support. However, you can use text-to-speech functions on your iPhone, iPad, or android to have your text read to you. Just turn on "Speak Screen" (iOS) or "TalkBack" (Android) in your settings and it'll read books from your Kindle app. It'll even turn pages for you.

Learn more here.

13. Read high-quality comics and manga using the Kindle Comic Converter.

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While the latest Kindle has great support for comics, certain comics still don't translate well. You can fix this by converting them with the Kindle Comic Converter and then sending them to your Kindle.

See how to use it here.

14. Jailbreak your Kindle to get maximum customization.

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Advantages of jailbreaking include custom fonts, interactive novel readers, an improved PDF reader, a video player, and so much more! But don't fret, you'll still be able access the Kindle store and browse the web. Before you start however, make sure to back-up your files.

You can follow these simple steps here and you'll be able to find other Jailbreak packages and info here.

15. Add a custom font using the e-book management system, Calibre.

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Don't know about Calibre? It's a free library management system for any and all of your e-book needs. In order to use it, you'll need to remove your Kindle's DRM (digital rights management), which you can do easily. Once you have Calibre installed, you can convert your books into any font of your choosing.

See how to do it here.

Or, if you don't want to go through Calibre, you can add alternate fonts after connecting your Kindle to your computer. Once you have your fonts, you can drop them into your Kindle's root directory.

Learn more here.

16. Set your own screensaver instead of using Amazon's default.

You'll first need to jailbreak your Kindle. Once that's done, all you have to do is place a screensaver hack into your Kindle's root directory. Easy! Get wild!

See more here.

17. Change the text alignment from full to left justification.

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You can access this hidden justification option by editing its code through your computer's text editor or you can set it up through Calibre.

18. Use eReaderIQ to keep track of Amazon eBook Prices.

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Never pay more than you have to! Start tracking here.

19. Set up a password for turning on your Kindle.

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Go to Settings > Device Options > Device Passcode. In case you stop on a ~shocking~ page with little context.

Watch a video instruction here.

20. Screenshot by tapping on the top left and bottom right simultaneously.

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21. Read notable short stories, essays, and journalism with Kindle's Singles.

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Read shorts by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Lee Child, Steven King, and more.

Most Kindle's Singles are $1.99 but there are many that are free.

Alright, there you have it. Now go bury your face in a book.

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See if this were an e-book, it probably wouldn't have been thrown at that dude's face.

For more tricks, check out this list of 21 other things you didn't know you could do with your Kindle!

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