Amazon Injects Accessibility Features Into Kindle App for iOS

Amazon on Wednesday announced new accessibility features for the Kindle reading app that will make it easier for blind and visually impaired users to navigate the Kindle libraries, read and interact with their books, and more. Those rocking an iOS device get first crack at the new features, which are available starting today on Kindle for iOS. Amazon says they'll be ported over to other platforms in the future.

“We’re excited to introduce these new features to our Kindle for iOS app, making it easier than ever for our blind and visually impaired customers to access the vast selection of over 1.8 million books in the Kindle Store on their iPhone or iPad," said Dorothy Nicholls, Vice President, Amazon Kindle. "With this update, we’re also making customer-favorite features—such as X-Ray, End Actions, sharing, highlighting and bookmarking—more accessible. We look forward to continuing to develop and extend our accessibility features on Kindle Fire and our other Kindle apps."

Kindle for iOS

The updated app will now read aloud over 1.8 million titles using Apple's VoiceOver technology. It also offers seamless navigation within the user's library or within a book, with consistent title, menu, and button names. The ability to add and delete notes, bookmarks, and highlights was also added, along with a handful of other enhancements.