Firmware Update Kindle 5.19.3 software is available

[boyunayim]

Amazon has released another software update for Kindles. This latest update is version 5.19.3, and it’s available for all versions of the Kindle Scribe, along with the Kindle Colorsoft, the 12th gen Kindle Paperwhite, and the 2024 11th gen Kindle.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/help/custo...MQC26VQQMM8XSW

Version 5.19.3 – March 2026

Here's what's new:

Improved USB-transferred PDFs: PDFs transferred to Kindle via USB now support latest reading features, including text selection, highlights, notes, and improved navigation. On Kindle Scribe, you can write directly on your PDFs. On Kindle Colorsoft and Kindle Scribe Colorsoft, PDFs display in color.

Performance improvements, bug fixes, and other general enhancements.

[davedeacon]

On my 2024 Kindle Paperwhite Signature this update changes:
1) Long-press word behaviour of sideloaded books and send-to documents to match that of purchased books - the top/bottom of screen UI, and no "open dictionary" option.
2) Another long-press change is you can now pin a number of looked up words in documents (but not books) which presents an always-on icon in the bottom right.
3) Also, on some books the word(s) selection indicator is different and a bit confusing; instead of just a start/end "circle with a line" it's..uh...there's a circle at the top right of the start line of the selection and at the bottom left of the lower extent of the selection but if you want to expand the selection you press on the cursor (small vertical line) at the end of the selection or the end of the line above the start of the selection (no cursor or circle - just where the line ends - not an obviously selectable element).... it's hard to believe this isn't a bug but I just restarted the kindle and tried this on purchased and sideloaded books plus documents and it's consistent. Is anyone else seeing this?
Here's an example from a azw3 book I created (from web articles) and sent via calibre via usb:




4) Page numbers haven't come back

[axu2]

Hopefully it solves the following problems and doesn't make things worse; I've seen like 30+ reports of it here in r/kindle regarding sideloaded AZW3 books:

Page numbers don’t work

% read tracker doesn’t work, always said Read

Painfully slow page turns

Embedded fonts don’t work

huge margins on fixed layout manga/comics at the top and bottom of the screen, which the community calls "death margins"

[Archibald Yates]

The Paperwhite 11th generation does not get the latest software anymore. I wonder if that is due to a actual hardware restriction or just because Amazon thinks a device four years old does not deserve updates anymore.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by Archibald Yates

The Paperwhite 11th generation does not get the latest software anymore. I wonder if that is due to a actual hardware restriction or just because Amazon thinks a device four years old does not deserve updates anymore.

There's no reason the PW5 should not be able to get the new firmware. It's not a good idea to leave it stuck on 5.19.2 which is an abomination from what I've read.

[JSWolf]

Has anyone tested 5.19.3 with KF8 and if so, have any of the issues with 5.19.2 been fixed?

[Archibald Yates]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

There's no reason the PW5 should not be able to get the new firmware. It's not a good idea to leave it stuck on 5.19.2 which is an abomination from what I've read.

You could put it that way.

[waffle0776]

Blank pages still occur on my Kindle Scribe Colorsoft on side loaded comics/manga books either through USB transfer or send to kindle method. These files being converted using KCC, mobi/azw3 format.

Sync progress has been lost on these books, now read 0% and in the Aa menu I now lost the options of selecting Animation, Fit to Screen, Virtual Panel. No way to manually sync either. This is true for both USB and send to kindle methods. Books directly from Amazon don't have issues.

PDF conversion is the best option for fixed layout books as there appears to be no issues rendering them this way. On my 22 Scribe I haven't experienced any blank pages using any method of sideloading and it is on 5.19.2 firmware.

I was hoping some of these issues would've been fixed sooner than later. I reached out to support few weeks ago regarding my experience and they were responsive and tried troubleshooting different methods. I have factory reset the device, even today after I manually updated the firmware with no success. They did honor me a return slip even though I was past the return window.

Unless they magically fix these issues by next week (my return window), I'll be looking elswhere. Shame as this is the best kaleido 3 screen rendering I have experienced. It is a well built device and should've fitted my use case as I mainly read comics/manga and don't rely on note taking features as much. The tech specs say it should read MOBI or AZW3 natively and I should expect that as a customer especially at its price point.

[colinsky]

Interestingly, the 5.19 firmware seems to be the first one where the numbering and release cadence --.1, .2 ,.3--match the calendar. I wonder if this will continue?

[tomsem]

This post on Reddit claims 5.19.3 fixes AZW3 'manga death margin' - whatever that is - but nothing about other AZW3 issues with side-loads (see attached screenshot)

Side loading AZW3 is not something I do except for sake of curiosity. Side loaded comic AZW3 (downloaded from Amazon when that was possible) seem to work fine.

[axu2]

Sideloaded books "page number" and "read" problem is fixed, but I still think battery drains fast

https://www.reddit.com/r/kindle/comm...mment/ocsxig8/

Still does not fix the embedded font glitch

https://www.reddit.com/r/kindle/comm...mment/ocrs8lk/

Side loaded comic AZW3 (downloaded from Amazon when that was possible) seem to work fine.

If you never tested any other fixed layout epub, then you may never have had the buggy feature activated for you, since amazon can remotely activate features.

[jhowell]

I make a quick comparison of the 5.19.3 firmware with the previous version. Some notable changes:

• New KindleSyncService application - May affect syncing of book-related info
• Internal library changes - May affect apps on jailbroken devices
• New instructions: "Draw a rectangle, oval, triangle, or line in 1 stroke. Keep your stylus down and hold. Your sketch snaps into a clean shape."

[tomsem]

Originally Posted by jhowell

I make a quick comparison of the 5.19.3 firmware with the previous version. Some notable changes:

• New KindleSyncService application - May affect syncing of book-related info
• Internal library changes - May affect apps on jailbroken devices
• New instructions: "Draw a rectangle, oval, triangle, or line in 1 stroke. Keep your stylus down and hold. Your sketch snaps into a clean shape."

I wonder if KindleSyncService will improve sync of handwritten annotations - in my past experiments it can be relatively slow to sync these between my 2 Scribes, compared to text and highlight annotations.

IIRC, previous updates had reference to 'shapes'. I assume this does not involve any change to nbk format.

It would be nice if they got around to implementing some way to rotate selection.

[Waylander]

Interesting that others are having the page numbers, percentage, and page turn issues with AZW3 on 5.19.2. My PW6 is on that firmware and all my sideloaded AZW3s are still ok. How did I escape?

[tomsem]

Originally Posted by axu2

Sideloaded books "page number" and "read" problem is fixed, but I still think battery drains fast

More than normal battery drain after an update is 'normal' as it re-indexes content. It's roughly proportional to amount of content on device.

If you never tested any other fixed layout epub, then you may never have had the buggy feature activated for you, since amazon can remotely activate features.

Not sure what you mean here. Remote activation isn't dependent on what you do with the device. Seems to be more about how Amazon chooses to roll out the feature across the devices that have updated firmware.

I do not side load fixed layout AZW3 (e.g. produced by KCC), which is what people have been having problems with. I generate KFX comic format for side loading using Kindle Create and KFX Input plugin.

Send To Kindle has issues converting fixed layout ePub.

There may have been some change to it recently (I cannot be sure): it has always converted it to AZW3 (rather than a fixed layout KFX), and IIRC it became 're-flowable' (had font and margin adjustments), and sent email that 'there was a problem converting'.

It still sends error email, but now it is fixed layout AZW3 at least for Kindles (iOS app has font/margin adjustment). On Scribe Colorsoft there are a lot of blank pages interleaved. There's no landscape/facing page option, no % read etc. But on 2022 Scribe it doesn't have blank pages - something to do with different display size? This is still the case with 5.19.3.