# Kindle puts a . after each word. HELP!



## heleninseattle (Oct 19, 2012)

Hi, I'm hoping someone can help. My cousin has been corresponding with me on Facebook using her Kindle.  Every word has a period after it and the next word is capitalized.  it's driving me NUTS and is hard to read!

Example from her last post:  "Thanks. I. Can. See. U. Really. Like. It."

She says she doesn't know how to fix it and she's tried everything.  I don't even HAVE a Kindle but would love to help fix the problem for her.  Any suggestions?  

Thanks,
Heleninseattle


----------



## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

She's using an eInk Kindle?  I've heard there are issues using it for Facebook; the experimental browser is pretty rough....

Betsy


----------



## heleninseattle (Oct 19, 2012)

Betsy the Quilter said:


> She's using an eInk Kindle? I've heard there are issues using it for Facebook; the experimental browser is pretty rough....
> 
> Betsy


Thanks for asking Betsy, I checked with her. Her answer (complete with the horrid periods) is: "Àkindle. Fire. Got. In. JANUARY" So if anyone has a Kindle Fire and knows how to fix this it would be vastly appreciated!

H.


----------



## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

It's a Fire? An original one if she got it in January. I'm thinking she's having trouble with the touch screen keyboard on the Fire and is hitting the period when she thinks she's hitting the space.

I'd test but I recently got rid of my Fire, but that would be my guess. Let me see if I can find an image of the what the Fire onscreen keyboard looks like....










I'd wonder about calibration, but if the space/period is the only problem she's having. Anyway, that's the only thing I can think of.

Betsy


----------



## heleninseattle (Oct 19, 2012)

Betsy the Quilter said:


> It's a Fire? An original one if she got it in January. I'm thinking she's having trouble with the touch screen keyboard on the Fire and is hitting the period when she thinks she's hitting the space.
> 
> I'd test but I recently got rid of my Fire, but that would be my guess. Let me see if I can find an image of the what the Fire onscreen keyboard looks like....
> 
> ...


Betsy,

Thank you for responding so quickly. I sent her the information. When I hear from her I will post the result. I appreciate it! 

H.


----------



## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

Let us know, Helen!  Rereading your original post, it does sound like that's what's happening, as the Fire will automatically start the next word with a capital letter when the period key has been struck.

If she's is hitting the space key and a period is getting entered, I'd suggest she contact Kindle CS because there's something wrong.

Betsy


----------



## Kathy (Nov 5, 2008)

I don't have a Fire but other touch screen devices. If you hit the space bar twice some times it thinks you are ending a sentence and automatically puts a period in and then capitalizes the next word. We get use to double-clicking with a mouse and a it can be an automatic action.


----------



## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

I agree with Betsy's assessment. . . .but note that some of the details of the keyboard change depending on what you're using it for -- there might be a ".com" key on a web page or "go" instead of "search", etc.

Also, there was an update that slightly changed the layout. . .the comma, for instance, is no longer there to the left of the space bar, but is accessed via a "123!?" key or by a 'long press' on the period that opens a menu to punctuation options.

I mention this only so if you're looking at the image above and it's not exact, don't worry about it too much.  But, regardless, when you press the space bar, whether you hold it or not, it should ONLY make a space.

I also note, in your post above, there's an accent mark on the A. . . . .that makes me wonder if somehow she's got a non-standard keyboard layout. . .like she's got it for a language other than the one she's actually using. I wouldn't _think_ so, unless she's done some 'unauthorized OS manipulation', because the original Fire was US only and didn't allow for alternate keyboards or input method. Assuming she's NOT done that, that's a further indication that the software is misbehaving and a call to Kindle CS at Amazon is in order.

The only thing I can think to try before doing that is for her to turn it all the way off: hold the button until it asks and they confirm you want it off, let it sit 10 seconds or so, and then turn it back on. This essentially reboots the device and may clear out whatever stray bits and bytes are causing the problem.

If that doesn't work, she may want to try a "Reset to Factory Defaults" which will remove all personal data from the device and de-register it from Amazon. She'd then have to re-register it and, once she does that, all her content at Amazon will again be available. Anything she loaded outside of Amazon would have to be re-loaded as it will have been erased. She'll also have to reset her reading preferences -- like what font size and stuff like that. And re-enter her WiFi log in credentials. The reset can be done by tapping the gear in the upper right, then 'more', then scroll down to 'device', and then the bottom option. I probably would NOT recommend this step until she's talked to Amazon first, however. They may suggest it and would walk her through the process over the phone.

For reference, if she can't find it on Amazon, the phone number for Kindle support is in the FAQ at the top of this board. If she goes through Amazon, there is a 'call me back' feature which generally works pretty well. There's a 'help and feedback' link on the Fire itself, but this is a 'send message only' function. . . . it's not a 'work with and troubleshoot' connection. 

And, hey, tell her to pop in here and say Hi! 



Kathy said:


> I don't have a Fire but other touch screen devices. If you hit the space bar twice some times it thinks you are ending a sentence and automatically puts a period in and then capitalizes the next word. We get use to double-clicking with a mouse and a it can be an automatic action.


Saw this just after I posted the above so I tried it out as it's a good thought as to the issue. I found that my original Fire does not behave that way. I tried it on a web page as well as in an application. When you press the space bar twice it just makes a bigger space. 

Another thought occurs, Helen: Is she seeing the period too? Or is it just appearing when the message gets to you?


----------

