Bookmarks on my paperwhite (11th generation) have changed

[Elaine T]

I was happily reading along and came to a place I wanted to bookmark. Tapped the top of the screen to bring up the menu: no bookmark icon.
Various attempts to find a way to make a bookmark followed.

The successful one is: tap the upper right corner of the screen. If you do it just right, you'll get a bookmark. If you tap it again, you delete the bookmark.

Figured other people would be running into this.

[j.p.s]

Tapping the upper right corner is the only way I have ever known to make a bookmmark on touchscreen kindles, which I have been doing since 2014.

[tomsem]

This is a recent change they've made and is being rolled out. The implementation more closely resembles that of the Kindle apps, and for all we know, the legacy behavior was 'confusing' for people who use the Kindle app and then get their first Kindle.

I had not seen this until today, when I let the last 'update eligible' Kindle on my account update (I was gonna maybe jailbreak it but now it is trade-in fodder for Scribe Colorsoft).

And indeed, after updating it, downloading a book and tapping, it says "We've improved bookmarks / Simply tap to add or remove a bookmark. You can see all of your bookmarks in your annotations along with your notes and highlights."

However, unlike the apps, there are no Filter options for annotations (which the Apps have), at least on this Kindle, Paperwhite 11th generation and Scribe 2022 (both of which switched to the new implementation without my noticing, or maybe as soon as the last Kindle updated).

My Colorsoft still uses 'legacy' implementation, and there is an annotations filter (you can choose to see only highlights or only notes, and select color), but annotations do not include bookmarks, which remain in a separate list.

I am guessing/hoping that in the end, every updatable Kindle will at least have a Filter that includes Bookmarks selection, but it's in an awkward state now: they have made it more difficult to use bookmarks as convenient navigation points, which is what they are supposed to be for.

Even with a filter it's not gonna be 'convenient'. Maybe they can restore the bookmark icon that directly shows list of bookmarks for tapping on. I'm not holding my breath.

[tomsem]

Originally Posted by j.p.s

Tapping the upper right corner is the only way I have ever known to make a bookmark on touchscreen kindles, which I have been doing since 2014.

Yes, but it has always required 2 taps to establish a bookmark on Kindle, and only one with the apps. It's changing to the 1 tap implementation for better and for worse. And the bookmark icon in toolbar is gone, you have to scroll through annotations to find them.

[see my previous post: my Kindles are all using the new implementation now, except for Colorsoft]

[j.p.s]

Avoiding kindle firmware updates pays off again. I don't use bookmarks much,but checking for them is high up for the times I do.

I read the OP as claiming bokmarks via upper right corner tap is new.

[tomsem]

Originally Posted by j.p.s

Avoiding kindle firmware updates pays off again. I don't use bookmarks much,but checking for them is high up for the times I do.

I read the OP as claiming bokmarks via upper right corner tap is new.

I embrace change myself, even when they are sometimes not to my liking. Avoiding updates is possible, but only at cost of inconvenience and forgoing new features one might actually want to have.

FWIW, Kobo implements bookmarks the same as the new style for Kindle, except it does have a Filter to select bookmarks in annotations. There is no more direct access to some list of bookmarks like that which older Kindles have and newer ones are about to lose.

(I am probably giving them more credit than they merit but) they cannot be unaware that Filter is needed for annotations, as both Colorsoft and the apps have this feature. But priority is likely to be with new Scribe features for now.

[davedeacon]

Originally Posted by tomsem

Yes, but it has always required 2 taps to establish a bookmark on Kindle, and only one with the apps. It's changing to the 1 tap implementation for better and for worse. And the bookmark icon in toolbar is gone, you have to scroll through annotations to find them.

[see my previous post: my Kindles are all using the new implementation now, except for Colorsoft]

I'm just reading a book on my Kindle Paperwhite (12th Generation) - 2024 Release (Signature edition) with v5.19.2 firmware. I've just noticed this bookmark change but it only applies to this book I just bought, not other books I've copied onto my kindle using Calibre. I also notice that on this book the dictionary behaviour when you long press a word is different - it's at the top or bottom of the screen instead of a popup. Also, this recently puchased book has different line spacing options. And on no books can I "open dictionary" and lookup arbitrary words like I used to be able to (on an earlier kindle model). Is there something I can do to the books (in Calibre, perhaps) to have them exhibit the same behaviour (bookmarks, spacing, dictionary UI) ? And is the "open bookmarks" change a firmware thing or dependant on the kindle model somehow?

[tomsem]

Bookmark behavior change affects KFX re-flowable format only. If you are side loading AZW3 it's probably the same as ever. The spacing options appeared a couple of updates previous to this, again for KFX re-flowable only. So if you want these options use KFX Output plugin to generate KFX.

At least 5.19.2 has made it possible to filter Notes for the different types of annotations, including Bookmarks.

[davedeacon]

Originally Posted by tomsem

Bookmark behavior change affects KFX re-flowable format only. If you are side loading AZW3 it's probably the same as ever. The spacing options appeared a couple of updates previous to this, again for KFX re-flowable only. So if you want these options use KFX Output plugin to generate KFX.

At least 5.19.2 has made it possible to filter Notes for the different types of annotations, including Bookmarks.

Thanks for the reply.

I looked into that plugin - I use linux so it looks like a bit of a faff to configure (ie Wine, a non-flatpak Calibre install etc). Also, while line spacing options are nice in theory, I only needed them for this purchased book, so I could make it have the same spacing as books I sideloaded or created myself. I do like the new dictionary UI, but it turns out that the "open dictionary" option is still available for the sideloaded books so if anything I should be sideloading azw3 versions of books I've purchased to force the old dictionary behaviour!

[tomsem]

Windows 11 Pro licenses can be gotten for $15 (Mashable) and VirtualBox is free. It would also afford environment to decode Kindle books if you do that sort of thing.

I prefer KFX myself, and they have managed to break fixed layout AZW3 support when it's side loaded. So might be worth having a way to generate KFX when you want to.