Amazon is quietly making the Kindle app rather a lot smarter for readers who hate breaking their stream or unintentionally spoiling themselves.
A brand new characteristic referred to as Ask this E-book is now rolling out on the Kindle iOS app within the US, letting customers ask questions in regards to the guide they’re at present studying and get instantaneous, spoiler-free solutions.
The concept is straightforward however surprisingly helpful. Whereas studying, you may spotlight a passage and ask questions on characters, plot factors, or themes with out having to go away the web page. Crucially, the characteristic solely pulls data from as much as your present studying place, which means it gained’t smash what’s coming subsequent, a typical danger when Googling even probably the most fundamental story element.
Amazon positions Ask this E-book as a sort of in-context studying assistant. As an alternative of flipping again pages or looking out on-line to recollect who a personality is or why a second issues, the app offers quick, related solutions proper the place you’re studying. You’ll be able to select from urged questions or kind your individual, and even observe up should you want extra clarification.
At launch, the characteristic helps hundreds of English-language bestselling Kindle books and is at present restricted to the Kindle iOS app within the US. Amazon says help for Kindle gadgets and Android will observe subsequent 12 months, suggesting that is simply step one in a broader growth.
Ask this E-book additionally suits neatly alongside one other latest Kindle addition: Recaps. Designed for readers returning to a sequence after a protracted break, Recaps gives a fast refresher on key storylines and characters, which has similarities to a “Beforehand on…” section for TV exhibits. That characteristic is already out there on Kindle gadgets and the iOS app within the US.
Collectively, these updates level to a much bigger shift in how Amazon desires individuals to learn on Kindle: fewer interruptions, much less friction, and extra confidence to remain immersed within the story. For anybody who’s ever paused mid-chapter to look one thing up and immediately regretted it, Ask this E-book might be a genuinely welcome improve.
