If you’re a Kindle user who, like many, opted for the ‘ad-supported’ model to get your reading device just that much cheaper, you’ll be interested to learn that the latest software update has made that portion of your ereader a tiny bit better.
The 5.18.3 software update for the Amazon Kindle Scribe, Colorsoft, and the 11th and 12th-generation standard models (as well as version 5.18.1 on the 10th-generation model), released in May this year, quietly added an option to tweak the ads shown on the device’s lock screen when not in use.
A better budget Kindle
It may not seem like much, but one of the two options added for the lock screen (found by heading to Settings, then Your Account, and finally Lockscreen Adverts) lets users turn off “ads that may not be appropriate for everyone”. What those ads look like isn’t explained, but we can’t claim to have ever seen one. Still, your kids likely won’t be bombarded by ads for whichever bodice ripper is tearing up TikTok this week.
The other option, found in the same location, turns off personalised ads on the Kindle’s lock screen. These ads are based on your browsing and purchase history. If you’ve recently gone on a Spike Milligan bender, they can sometimes get a little weird. At least you’ll be spared exposing your latest embarrassing reading obsession to the world by mistake.
The other option, should you own an ad-supported Kindle, is to give Amazon some extra money to stop displaying ads on your device. Then you, too, can have the cover art for whatever you’re currently reading displayed when the ereader is first opened. Whether that’s an embarrassment is entirely up to you. That’s called personal responsibility in some circles.
