Is there a hack to disable tapping for turning pages on the Kindle Paperwhite?

supervioletrain · 01-25-2020, 02:37 PM

Just wondering if anyone knows of a way to hack the Kindle Paperwhite to disable tapping for turning pages, and just use swipe for that? I know the Paperwhite has a Disable Touchscreen option, but that doesn't allow you to look up words while you're reading, or change the brightness. I don't know why there's no option to only turn pages by swiping, but still have the other features. Curious if there's a way to hack the kindle to do this?

PS: I've seen a lot of people frustrated by the touchscreen on e-book readers being too sensitive, some wanting to get an e-reader with buttons for that purpose. I think all of us who can relate should submit a complaint or a suggestion like a just swipe option to kindle-feedback@amazon.com so they can see people want this improved.

JSWolf · 01-25-2020, 02:44 PM

I know of no way to disable tap to change the page on a PW. But, Kobo's have an option to turn off tapping to change the page and only allow swiping.

j.p.s · 01-25-2020, 03:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JSWolf

I know of no way to disable tap to change the page on a PW. But, Kobo's have an option to turn off tapping to change the page and only allow swiping.

Kobo does seem more responsive to suggestions that make sense instead of requiring overwhelming demand before even considering them.

Junket · 01-25-2020, 03:15 PM

The only way that I know of (requires jailbreak) is to use koreader as your PW reader UI. Then you can configure koreader to do what you want.

tomsem · 01-27-2020, 07:14 PM

Which Paperwhite? I have the 10th generation Paperwhite (“PW4”) and it has Disable Touchscreen feature (5.12.3). You must use swipe to turn pages. Oasis has this feature as well (for at least a couple of years).

However my Voyage, running same 5.12.3, does not. I also have Kindle 8th and 10th generation but do not have them at hand to check.

It is not clear to me why it would depend on hardware and not just software, but my 2 device sample suggests it is the case.

My guess is that you need 8th generation or later Kindle for the feature to be present, and that therefore it only exists on the latest Paperwhite (which you probably do not have).

It is not a feature I’ve ever used (except to try). It is rare when I read something straight through without looking up a word, X-ray, tap to see where I am in the book, highlight etc., all of which are not readily available.

JSWolf · 01-28-2020, 12:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tomsem

Which Paperwhite? I have the 10th generation Paperwhite (“PW4”) and it has Disable Touchscreen feature (5.12.3). You must use swipe to turn pages. Oasis has this feature as well (for at least a couple of years).

However my Voyage, running same 5.12.3, does not. I also have Kindle 8th and 10th generation but do not have them at hand to check.

It is not clear to me why it would depend on hardware and not just software, but my 2 device sample suggests it is the case.

My guess is that you need 8th generation or later Kindle for the feature to be present, and that therefore it only exists on the latest Paperwhite (which you probably do not have).

It is not a feature I’ve ever used (except to try). It is rare when I read something straight through without looking up a word, X-ray, tap to see where I am in the book, highlight etc., all of which are not readily available.

Kobo does it better. Tapping is still available for when you need to tap to change settings or lookup words and page turns do not work with taps. You need to swipe. This (IMHO) works much better.

Jetyx · 03-30-2024, 04:14 PM

A lot of times we want to tap a word for definition and the page turns rather than giving a definition. This can be really frustrating. As far as I know, there is no hack for models that don't offer the option to change page turn settings.

The only way to avoid turning the page by accident is to press and hold on the word momentarily and release.

tomsem · 04-01-2024, 03:38 PM

I have never had much of an issue with accidental page turns. Mostly I use swipe, not tap. I can see where requiring swipe might reduce accidental page turns but it's probably not something I would enable if that were a feature.

01-25-2020, 02:37 PM	#1
supervioletrain Junior Member Posts: 1 Karma: 10 Join Date: Jan 2020 Device: Kindle Paperwhite	Is there a hack to disable tapping for turning pages on the Kindle Paperwhite? Just wondering if anyone knows of a way to hack the Kindle Paperwhite to disable tapping for turning pages, and just use swipe for that? I know the Paperwhite has a Disable Touchscreen option, but that doesn't allow you to look up words while you're reading, or change the brightness. I don't know why there's no option to only turn pages by swiping, but still have the other features. Curious if there's a way to hack the kindle to do this? PS: I've seen a lot of people frustrated by the touchscreen on e-book readers being too sensitive, some wanting to get an e-reader with buttons for that purpose. I think all of us who can relate should submit a complaint or a suggestion like a just swipe option to kindle-feedback@amazon.com so they can see people want this improved.

01-27-2020, 07:14 PM	#5
tomsem Grand Sorcerer Posts: 6,491 Karma: 26425959 Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: USA Device: iPhone 15PM, Kindle Scribe, iPad mini 6, PocketBook InkPad Color 3	Which Paperwhite? I have the 10th generation Paperwhite (“PW4”) and it has Disable Touchscreen feature (5.12.3). You must use swipe to turn pages. Oasis has this feature as well (for at least a couple of years). However my Voyage, running same 5.12.3, does not. I also have Kindle 8th and 10th generation but do not have them at hand to check. It is not clear to me why it would depend on hardware and not just software, but my 2 device sample suggests it is the case. My guess is that you need 8th generation or later Kindle for the feature to be present, and that therefore it only exists on the latest Paperwhite (which you probably do not have). It is not a feature I’ve ever used (except to try). It is rare when I read something straight through without looking up a word, X-ray, tap to see where I am in the book, highlight etc., all of which are not readily available. Last edited by tomsem; 01-27-2020 at 08:49 PM.

03-30-2024, 04:14 PM	#7
Jetyx Junior Member Posts: 1 Karma: 10 Join Date: Mar 2024 Device: None	How to avoid one tap frustration(page turn on tap) A lot of times we want to tap a word for definition and the page turns rather than giving a definition. This can be really frustrating. As far as I know, there is no hack for models that don't offer the option to change page turn settings. The only way to avoid turning the page by accident is to press and hold on the word momentarily and release.

04-01-2024, 03:38 PM	#8
tomsem Grand Sorcerer Posts: 6,491 Karma: 26425959 Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: USA Device: iPhone 15PM, Kindle Scribe, iPad mini 6, PocketBook InkPad Color 3	I have never had much of an issue with accidental page turns. Mostly I use swipe, not tap. I can see where requiring swipe might reduce accidental page turns but it's probably not something I would enable if that were a feature. Last edited by tomsem; 04-01-2024 at 03:44 PM.

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01-25-2020, 02:44 PM	#2
JSWolf Resident Curmudgeon Posts: 74,312 Karma: 129333690 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Roslindale, Massachusetts Device: Kobo Libra 2, Kobo Aura H2O, PRS-650, PRS-T1, nook STR, PW3	I know of no way to disable tap to change the page on a PW. But, Kobo's have an option to turn off tapping to change the page and only allow swiping.

01-25-2020, 03:15 PM	#4
Junket Nil adsuetudine maius Posts: 278 Karma: 500000 Join Date: Nov 2019 Location: US Device: PW4	The only way that I know of (requires jailbreak) is to use koreader as your PW reader UI. Then you can configure koreader to do what you want.