Newest Kindle replace could strip units of this well-liked performance

Amazon has rolled out a number of substantial updates to its Kindle e-readers in latest months, introducing some helpful new options. In June, it launched an replace that added new spacing options for phrases, characters, and paragraphs. In August, it launched one other replace that launched a brand new Assistive Reader characteristic to Kindles, which reads books aloud like an audiobook, together with a new font option that enlarges the Kindle’s consumer interface to enhance visibility.

Persevering with this pattern, Amazon has launched yet one more software program replace for its Kindle e-readers, version 5.18.6. As typical, the discharge notes are imprecise, merely mentioning “efficiency enhancements, bug fixes, and different basic enhancements.” Nonetheless, Amazon did spotlight one new characteristic — the E book Hyperlink Preview Window — which, in response to the corporate, works by long-pressing inner hyperlinks inside a e-book to open a preview window. I think about this characteristic can be fairly helpful when studying supplies comparable to encyclopedias, journey guides, or magazines.

Past that, Amazon hasn’t disclosed any extra adjustments on this replace, though it is at all times attainable that some new options could not have been found but. That stated, there’s widespread hypothesis that the principle motive Amazon launched this replace wasn’t so as to add new options to its Kindle e-readers, however to strip away a preferred performance from them by patching a brand new jailbreaking method that has been gaining recognition.

Has Amazon patched the AdBreak jailbreak technique?

It hasn’t been confirmed by the Kindle Modding Wiki, but it surely seems to be the case

A couple of weeks in the past, a brand new Kindle jailbreaking technique referred to as AdBreak was launched by members of the Kindle Modding Wiki, exploiting a vulnerability within the advertisements displayed by Amazon on a few of its Kindle e-readers to jailbreak the units. Sure, that is proper — Amazon’s advertisements are the principle motive folks have been in a position to jailbreak their Kindles over the previous month or so.

The jailbreak labored on most Kindle fashions, besides the Kindle Colorsoft or the Kindle Scribe, resulting from their lack of advertisements to start with. Provided that the jailbreak labored on a overwhelming majority of Kindles, you may think about Amazon wasn’t too happy by the truth that folks had been liberating their Kindles in droves, and certain needed to place an finish to it.

There is a robust chance that with this newest Kindle replace, model 5.18.6, Amazon could have completed simply that. Whereas it has not been confirmed but by the Kindle Modding Wiki, in response to a number of posts from customers on the MobileReads forums, Amazon has certainly patched AdBreak with this replace, and hypothesis on Reddit additionally factors to the identical conclusion.

“Its primary ‘characteristic’ might be to dam the newest jailbreak exploit,” one Reddit consumer commented concerning the replace, with one other saying, “So that is clearly to counter AdBreak.”

On the Kindle Modding Wiki, AdBreak is listed as “probably” being patched after software program model 5.18.5.0.1, so I would be stunned if Amazon did not repair it with 5.18.6, contemplating how widespread the jailbreak has develop into since its launch in late September.

In fact, Amazon’s patch notes for the replace merely state that it has applied “bug fixes,” and the corporate would by no means verify that it has really fastened an enormous jailbreak, which was admittedly embarrassing for them resulting from the way it used its personal advertisements in opposition to it.

That stated, if you happen to’re focused on jailbreaking your Kindle however have not gotten round to it but, you may need to think about placing it in airplane mode to forestall the newest replace from being downloaded. In any other case, if 5.18.6 is put in, you’ll doubtless be unable to get AdBreak to work.