The new Kindle update is out

Amazon regularly updates its Kindle devices, and its first major Kindle update of 2026 is now rolling out. Version 5.19.2 is available for all 11th and 12th-generation Kindles, as well as all three generations of the Kindle Scribe.

As usual, the release notes for the update mention “performance improvements, bug fixes, and other general enhancements” for all Kindle models, but the biggest changes are aimed at the newest Kindle Scribe models: the Kindle Scribe Colorsoft, the standard Kindle Scribe, and the Kindle Scribe without frontlight.

For these devices, the update adds a new settings option for Microsoft OneDrive and Google Drive. This lets you control whether files imported from your cloud drives are shared across your Kindle devices. So, for example, if you’d rather a document from Google Drive you imported onto your Kindle Scribe not show up on your Kindle Paperwhite, you can easily manage this in Settings > Connections.

Additionally, a new AI feature called Send to Alexa+ has landed on the latest Kindle Scribe models with this update. This feature lets you send any notes or documents from your Kindle Scribe to Alexa+, Amazon’s AI assistant, so you can ask questions about them, summarize them, or brainstorm ideas from them.

How to update your Kindle

This update could include more than we expect

To update your Kindle to the latest software, go to Settings > Device Options > Software Updates. If an update is available, it will automatically download and install. Kindles also update automatically, so your device might already be running version 5.19.2. When you tap the Software Updates button and see the “Kindle is up to date” pop-up, double-check that the software version shows 5.19.2. If it doesn’t, the update may not have reached your device yet. You can also manually install Kindle updates if you don’t want to wait.

If you have one of the newest Kindle Scribes, this update is definitely worth installing to get the latest features. However, even if you don’t have a new Kindle Scribe, the update still includes bug fixes and improvements for other Kindle models, making the overall experience smoother.

It’s also worth noting that not all the features from a new update are always available immediately. Amazon sometimes activates new Kindle features remotely weeks later. So even if it seems like there’s not much in this update for non-Scribe Kindles right now, new features could appear soon. This happened last year with additions like Assistive Reader and a larger interface font option, so its possible it could happen again.