A major update for the Kindle for iOS app was released today. The new version (v3.7) enhances the app with a number of accessibility features that make it more user friendly to those with vision disabilities.
New accessibility features of the Kindle app enable blind and visually impaired customers to:
- Read aloud over 1.8 million titles available in the Kindle Store using Apple’s VoiceOver technology. Over 300,000 of these books are exclusive to the Kindle Store. Over 900,000 books are less than $4.99; over 1.5 million are less than $9.99.
- Seamlessly navigate within their library or within a book, with consistent title, menu and button names; navigate to a specific page within a book and sort books in the library by author or title.
- Read character-by-character, word-by-word, line-by-line, or continuously, as well as move forward or backward in the text.
- Search for a book within their library or search within their book and navigate to specific text.
- Add and delete notes, bookmarks, and highlights.
- Use customer-favorite features like X-Ray, End Actions and sharing on Facebook and Twitter.
- Look up words in the dictionary and Wikipedia.
- Customize the reading experience including changing the font, text size, background color, margin, and brightness.
- Use iOS accessibility features like Zoom, Assistive Touch, and Stereo to Mono, as well as peripheral Braille displays.
There is a free guide to using the new accessibility features – Kindle for iOS Accessibility Gestures – Quick Reference Guide – that can be downloaded from the Kindle Store.
Amazon says it is working to bring the new accessibility features soon to the Kindle Fire tablets and the other Kindle reading apps. Users of the Kindle for PC app can download and install the Kindle for PC with Accessibility Plugin.
