How to control theme colors of Kindle app for iPad & iPhone

Amazon Kindle app interface colors can be switched automatically with the iOS settings. The theme colors used for Library and Reading are controlled independently – and differently.

Kindle app for iPad and iPhone – things to know

▸ Just like other book reading apps, Amazon Kindle lets you change the colors of the Reading view. You can choose from four themes: White, Sepia, Green, and Black.

▸ In 2017, a setting to change the color of the Library view was also introduced. You could set either Light or Dark mode.

▸ Both the Reading and Library view themes were controlled manually.

▸ The April 2021 update of the app introduced automatic mode switching, relying on the iOS settings.

▸ The Reading view relies by default on the iOS Dark Mode setting, but you can disable it in the Reading mode “Aa” control panel.

▸ The Library view fully relies on the iOS Dark Mode setting, and there is no way to unlink it.

Tip: Before you start playing with themes after the update of your Kindle app to the April 2021 version, close the app and reset it to make sure the new features and settings are fully loaded.

How to disable the automatic theme switcher of the Reading view

As I said, the color interface of the Reading view is by default matching the current color theme of your iPad and iPhone:

• If you enable the Dark Mode on your device, the Reading view automatically changes to Black.
• If you disable the system Dark Mode, the Reading view goes back to the last used light color: White, Sepia, or Green.

Fortunately, there is an option to disable the link with iOS or iPad OS system Dark Mode setting.

To disable automatic theme switcher:

1. In the apps’ home view, tap any book cover to open a book in a Reading view.

2. Tap once anywhere on the screen to reveal Reading view controls.

3. In the top bar, tap the “Aa” icon.

4. In the widget that comes from the bottom, select “Layout.”

5. Right under “Page Color” (and four color options you can choose for your reading interface), you will see a small checkbox saying “Update Page Using System Theme.” Uncheck this box.

6. Alternatively, you can tap any other color shown in the “Page Color” area. The automatic theme switcher will immediately get unchecked.

To re-enable automatic theme switcher of the Reading view, check “Update Page Using System Theme” box.

How to switch the color of the Library view

The April 2021 Kindle for iOS update links the Library view color to system Dark Mode settings:

• When the system Dark Mode is enabled, the Library view in the Kindle app is Dark.
• When the iOS / iPad OS Dark Mode is disabled, the Library view is Light.

Unfortunately, opposite to other iOS apps, Amazon Kindle doesn’t offer an option to disable automatic color switcher of the Library view. As I mentioned above, the option was removed from the main Settings area of the app.

Therefore, if you want to change the Library view color, you will have to change the Dark Mode setting of your iPhone or iPad. You can do it in two ways:

1. Go to Settings ⇢ Display & Brightness, and tap the theme preview you want to select – either Light or Dark.

2. An easier method is to use the Control Center – swipe down from the top-right edge to reveal the control panel and switch the Dark Mode button.

Amazon Kindle app is different from other apps. When you use it daily, it becomes highly important how it looks. I set the Library in the Dark mode for a long time, and now I find it strange to see it in a Light mode during a day.

I hope one day, Amazon will bring back the option to manually control the color of the Library view.

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