Firmware Update Kindle 5.19.5 software is available

[axu2]

Release notes still say 5.19.4, I will add them when they update.

All devices this time are updated.

11th gen still on 5.19.2

My hopes (quote from email I sent to amazon via Kindle settings > help > contact us > email):

And please fix the the relevant bugs with Japanese/German dictionaries, and the battery drain bug caused infinite request retries to *.minerva.devices.a2z.com if a user has a custom DNS set up since that's on a common default blocklist. And the various AZW3 bugs like missing virtual panel in mangas, slightly broken %read tracker, and broken full refresh. I think page turn animation is also broken too for azw3.

I also really miss the Open Dictionary option and the older dedicated bookmarks bar.

And please port some of the fixes to kindles still stuck on 5.19.2 or allow a downgrade.


edit:

Version 5.19.5 – June 2026

Here's what's new:

Story So Far: You can now easily return to books you love without backtracking through chapters by accessing spoiler-free recaps up to where you’ve read. Story So Far is available for thousands of best-selling English language Kindle books you have purchased or borrowed.

Moving sticky notes: Move any sticky note by tapping and holding the icon with your finger, then dragging it around on the page. Or, select the "Move note" action in the 3-dot menu in the sticky note dialog or side panel note.

Structured outlines: You can now draw circles that automatically snap to neatened annotations in eBooks with enhanced typesetting and Word documents.

Bookmarks in Page Flip View: In addition to tapping in the top right corner while reading, you can now create bookmarks by tapping on the bookmark icon in the page thumbnail, in Page Flip View.

Performance improvements, bug fixes, and other general enhancements.

[Julius Caesar]

Screenshot of what’s new from my kindle:

Screenshot deleted since Amazon has posted what’s new at their site.

[Julius Caesar]

Originally Posted by axu2

I also really miss the Open Dictionary option

They brought it back.

[davedeacon]

None of my sideloaded books are loading. All are azw3 format. Upon "loading" I get a white screen which takes about 10 seconds before I can do anything, then it thinks I'm at loc 1, 100%, and when I swipe up the indicator is at the end of the book. Every page is empty. I did a factory reset and copied a handful of books over (calibre via usb) - the same result. Paperwhite 12th edition (2024) - signature edition.

Edit: converting to mobi sorted it. So... don't install this update if you enjoy sideloading azw3 files.

[jhowell]

Originally Posted by davedeacon

So... don't install this update if you enjoy sideloading azw3 files.

I wonder if it is just broken or has been removed completely. Amazon removed KF8 (azw3) support from the new Kindle app for Windows that replaced Kindle for PC.

[davedeacon]

Originally Posted by jhowell

I wonder if it is just broken or has been removed completely. Amazon removed KF8 (azw3) support from the new Kindle app for Windows that replaced Kindle for PC.

I suspect it's broken, or the attempt to remove support is broken. Opening the book just confuses the kindle. The initial delay, but the correct page count... but every page all white with another delay whenever you try and do anything, but you can toggle the bookmark on the empty page. This behaviour is clearly not intentional! It they wanted to prevent support of azw3 they should simply delete/hide them.

btw: In Calibre it takes me 6 clicks to send my azw3 books to the kindle as mobi (send droptown, selected format, click on mobi, send, yes convert, ok) then I'm left with mobi files in my library to delete. Is there a single click "send this file as mobi then delete the mobi" option I'm missing? (I'm assuming mobi is better than epub on the kindle...not that there's even an option for epub it seems, other than going to the convert books menu).

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by davedeacon

I suspect it's broken, or the attempt to remove support is broken. Opening the book just confuses the kindle. The initial delay, but the correct page count... but every page all white with another delay whenever you try and do anything, but you can toggle the bookmark on the empty page. This behaviour is clearly not intentional! It they wanted to prevent support of azw3 they should simply delete/hide them.

btw: In Calibre it takes me 6 clicks to send my azw3 books to the kindle as mobi (send droptown, selected format, click on mobi, send, yes convert, ok) then I'm left with mobi files in my library to delete. Is there a single click "send this file as mobi then delete the mobi" option I'm missing? (I'm assuming mobi is better than epub on the kindle...not that there's even an option for epub it seems, other than going to the convert books menu).

Mobi is meh! at best.

[davedeacon]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

Mobi is meh! at best.

Yeah looks like this blank page for azw3 issue has been affecting some users for around a year. Seems like my choice is put up with mobi (line spacing I can't reduce, for one thing) or jump through hoops to get kfx conversion working from Linux.

[cellaris]

I sent a book via send.djazz and it opened without any problems (although the screen refresh still isn’t working)

[davedeacon]

Originally Posted by cellaris

I sent a book via send.djazz and it opened without any problems (although the screen refresh still isn’t working)

Maybe calibre needs a tweak to tweak the azw3 as it's being copied? Maybe Amazon are only slowly breaking it.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by davedeacon

Yeah looks like this blank page for azw3 issue has been affecting some users for around a year. Seems like my choice is put up with mobi (line spacing I can't reduce, for one thing) or jump through hoops to get kfx conversion working from Linux.

There is a plugin to convert to KFX that runs with calibre and doesn't need the Kindle Previewer for Windows. It's done in Python. Have a look in the plugin forum to find it.

With KFX you cannot change the line spacing. But you can change the font and the font weight. You get hyphenation, kerning, and ligatures.

[davedeacon]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

There is a plugin to convert to KFX that runs with calibre and doesn't need the Kindle Previewer for Windows. It's done in Python. Have a look in the plugin forum to find it.

With KFX you cannot change the line spacing. But you can change the font and the font weight. You get hyphenation, kerning, and ligatures.

I got the previewer working with Wine so it's all good. And it does let me reduce the line spacing - from 1 to 0 anyway - which was all I needed. Maybe I'm imagining it - I've spent more time installing, converting and fiddling today than reading - but it seems that kfx files are faster to operate than mobi. It's good to see Open Dictionary back!

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by davedeacon

I got the previewer working with Wine so it's all good. And it does let me reduce the line spacing - from 1 to 0 anyway - which was all I needed. Maybe I'm imagining it - I've spent more time installing, converting and fiddling today than reading - but it seems that kfx files are faster to operate than mobi. It's good to see Open Dictionary back!

How did you manage to reduce the line spacing?

[davedeacon]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

How did you manage to reduce the line spacing?

Aa / Font / Spacing:
this has Line Spacing, Paragraph Spacing, Word Spacing and Character Spacing options

[axu2]

Could someone test this comic file by directly USB dropping it onto their Kindle's documents folder on a 5.19.5 Kindle? (do not use calibre)

And then send me screenshots of the two submenus in the Aa menu? (tap opposite corners to screenshot, screen will flash and add to the usb screenshots folder).

And test whether or not the Virtual panel option exists in the first menu and if it works (double tap a corner to zoom).

And whether or not the full refresh or page animation options work in the 2nd menu? (Don't activate both at the same time.)

And whether or not the % read tracker works. (It gets stuck at 100% and won't mark as read in 5.19.4)

I think kcc users are burned out about manga changes in recent firmwares fixing some bugs and introducing new ones.

Credit

Author: Hiroshi Seo
First Printed in: ASCII magazine book “Kantan Ubuntu!” (Japanese)
Publisher: ASCII MEDIA WORKS Inc. (Japanese)

EDIT

Initial report of Kindle Scribe Colorsoft 5.19.5: still no virtual panels, still stuck at 100%