# New Kindle Update 5.8.5 Oasis/Voyage/PW/Basic



## Atunah (Nov 20, 2008)

Some changes that some have waited for with the view of sideloaded books.

This update includes general performance improvements and the following new features:

*Improved Manga Experience*: Reading manga on Kindle has been improved with faster page turns, zoom, and panning around a page. You can also press and hold for fast, continuous page turns.
*Redesigned Settings Menu*: Settings have been refreshed with an easier-to-use design.
*Library View Improvement*: Books that were manually loaded to your device will now appear in both the All and Downloaded library views.

I am manually updating as we speak. Previous latest version was 5.8.2.1 for references. Once My Oasis is updates, I will do the Voyage. I am curious about hte changes in the settings menu. I don't read manga so those changes I will never see.


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## barryem (Oct 19, 2010)

Thanks for letting us know about this.  I started downloading it after reading your post and I've just installed it on my Paperwhite 2, which I'm currently using.  It looks pretty good.  Nothing earth shaking but they've obviously been thinking.  I'm updating my Voyage now and downloading the update for my Paperwhite 3.

Barry


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## readingril (Oct 29, 2010)

I updated my Voyage. 

The settings menu is cleaner looking. I wish they'd get rid of the checkmark for every title under the downloaded list of books. It's so redundant! 

ETA: I'm not just wishing... I've told Amazon they're redundant, but this time they're not listening to me! (Hey, they did bring back the 'dots" at my suggestion.  )

from my Galaxy S6


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## Linjeakel (Mar 17, 2010)

readingril said:


> I updated my Voyage.
> 
> The settings menu is cleaner looking. I wish they'd get rid of the checkmark for every title under the downloaded list of books. It's so redundant!
> 
> ...


Man, that was _your_ fault?  

Seriously though, I have to agree about the checkmarks, but it's a minor irritation - at least you can't see it when you're reading a book.

I almost always have to manually download updates, so I guess I'll get this one done tomorrow when I have some time.


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## Atunah (Nov 20, 2008)

I think they keep the checkmarks for consistency. For those that can't recall, or don't always know what view they are on. So it always shows the same, no matter the setting. I know it somewhat redundant, but it is consistent. 

The settings menu looks very nice now. Before it was this mishmash of options where you had to guess where to go, reading options? Nope, wrong one, back you go. Now the top menu, once you hit settings, is on one page with cute little icons preceding it. Look at me using a big word. Big for me.   I am blaming this on reading a Meredith Duran title. That author is making me smart by using a very generous and enlightening vocabulary. Reading is how I learned english after all. I do think I am a lost cause when it comes to comma's. Where the heck do those things go.  

Sorry, so off topic.  

So one thing I am going to mention which I don't think is completely in my head. The home page in list view looks darker. I mean the text is thicker and darker. I even took pictures on my Voyage once I noticed it on my Oasis. Voyage before and after. Reason I noticed this is because the Voyage overall has a tad bit better contrast than the Oasis. But once I put the update on the Oasis, suddenly its home page looked so much darker in text and the contrast stuck out to me. That is the opposite from before. Once I updated my Voyage, they then looked about the same, but I still think for some reason the oasis now shows more contrast. In home view. I haven't compared inside a book, that looks the same to me. Both very close.


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

Just downloaded and transferred the update file -- it's a big one . . . took a minute to d/l and about a half minute to transfer.

Kindle is now updating.



Atunah said:


> So one thing I am going to mention which I don't think is completely in my head. The home page in list view looks darker. I mean the text is thicker and darker. I even took pictures on my Voyage once I noticed it on my Oasis. Voyage before and after. Reason I noticed this is because the Voyage overall has a tad bit better contrast than the Oasis. But once I put the update on the Oasis, suddenly its home page looked so much darker in text and the contrast stuck out to me. That is the opposite from before. Once I updated my Voyage, they then looked about the same, but I still think for some reason the oasis now shows more contrast. In home view. I haven't compared inside a book, that looks the same to me. Both very close.


I think you're right about that. I paid close attention to the home page before updating and I think they've emboldened the titles -- both of collections and books -- on the homescreen list view.

The settings is MUCH nicer! And now you don't have to go to the settings menu a second time to do a restart -- it's an option under Device Options. In fact all the things available that way are now shown there. Also, it shows the Wireless right up front and says what network you're connected to.

Now, in a way, they 'fixed' things that weren't really broken, but I do think it's an overall improvement, so . . . . thumbs up!


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## barryem (Oct 19, 2010)

I also think the titles in the home screen are bolder now.  Unfortunately I've already updated my 3 fairly recent Kindles so I don't have an un-updated one to compare with.  I didn't notice it till I read this but I think you're right.

The settings page certainly has bolder headings.  I'm not sure I like the new organization that much more than the way it was.  Once I learn it maybe I will but I already knew where everything was the old way.  Now I have to search.  Still, that's a small thing.  I'm glad they're still trying to improve things even if I don't agree with all the changes.

Barry


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## hamerfan (Apr 24, 2011)

Thanks for the heads-up, Atunah! Updating now.


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## Lursa (aka 9MMare) (Jun 23, 2011)

I did a restart and am still on  5.8.2.1. The option to "Update Your Kindle" is grayed out.

Do I have to wait for this update to be pushed to my Voyager?


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

Lursa (aka 9MMare) said:


> I did a restart and am still on 5.8.2.1. The option to "Update Your Kindle" is grayed out.
> 
> Do I have to wait for this update to be pushed to my Voyager?


Amazon's usual practice is to push the updates over time . . . so not everyone gets it at once. It generally will happen at night when the device isn't being used. You won't even notice it. It'll then update itself which you probably WILL notice because that process will likely start the next time you pick up the device and wake it up to use it.

It will NOT download over the cell network -- only if you're connected to a good WiFi network.

If you'd rather not wait, the file is available via Help. The easiest way to find it it to go to MYC&D and then click the 'kindle support' link along the top menu bar. You'll see a picture of your devices -- click on the one you want to update and scroll down. The update file is near the bottom in the "Learn More" section. On that page you'll see a link to the update which you can download. There's also a link with step-by-step of how to download it and apply it to your device. Note that there's also a download link for "source code" as well as various notices -- you can ignore those.

Kindle Devices Help


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

Another thing I noticed this morning:

I use 'home screen view' which shows the three most recently opened/downloaded books as cover thumbnails, 3 items from my kindle wish list -- and a link to the rest -- and then recommendations down below from either amazon or GR.

The items from the wish list are text only; before the update, the titles were in italics with the author in normal text. Now, the titles are in normal text with the author in italics. It's a small thing but gives a different look to the page.

I've noted the more bold titles in list view . . . . there does not appear to be any change to the grid view: still no dots there.


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## Lursa (aka 9MMare) (Jun 23, 2011)

Ann in Arlington said:


> Amazon's usual practice is to push the updates over time . . . so not everyone gets it at once. It generally will happen at night when the device isn't being used. You won't even notice it. It'll then update itself which you probably WILL notice because that process will likely start the next time you pick up the device and wake it up to use it.


Thanks. No rush, nothing critical. I checked again this am and it hasnt updated but I dont need it. It's just something to look forward to then.

Are these updates linked to the Fires too? Or are those all updated separately? Mine just did one on Sun or Mon.


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

Lursa (aka 9MMare) said:


> Thanks. No rush, nothing critical. I checked again this am and it hasnt updated but I dont need it. It's just something to look forward to then.
> 
> Are these updates linked to the Fires too? Or are those all updated separately? Mine just did one on Sun or Mon.


All the devices have slightly different OSs . . . as you can tell if you go to the update page: there's basically a different set of updates for every device.  But some do tend to be done at the same time. This update -- though you need a different file depending on which kindle you have -- are all for relatively recent model kindles.

They do put out Fire updates periodically -- sometimes people will post about them in the Fire Talk section of kboards. But I think fewer people here use Fires as eReaders than use the eInk kindles, so the eInk updates tend to get posted here more often.


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

So, FWIW, I opened my Voyage this morning and it was updating! I'd already manually done the 5.8.5. 

When it finished, I checked, and it's now on 5.8.5.0.1 -- so very much an incremental update. I'm sure the original file just called it 5.8.5 and, in fact, if you go to the support page at Amazon, that's the number they have there as well.

so . . . . not sure this means anything . . . . .probably not . . . . . just sharing.


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## gdae23 (Apr 30, 2009)

Ann in Arlington said:


> So, FWIW, I opened my Voyage this morning and it was updating! I'd already manually done the 5.8.5.
> 
> When it finished, I checked, and it's now on 5.8.5.0.1 -- so very much an incremental update. I'm sure the original file just called it 5.8.5 and, in fact, if you go to the support page at Amazon, that's the number they have there as well.
> 
> so . . . . not sure this means anything . . . . .probably not . . . . . just sharing.


I turned on my Wi-Fi to get my newspaper this morning and after it was downloaded I saw that the router was still going strong with some kind of download. I immediately came over here to check if there was something new and saw your post. Thanks!

Under "What's new in version 5.8.5.0.1", it says "Your Kindle is regularly updated with improvements to the reading experience." That's all it says. I'm guessing it's just some sort of bug fix.


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## barryem (Oct 19, 2010)

Thanks for the heads up.  I'm downloading the new update now.  Probably they just hadn't changed the update web page when you looked but 5.8.5.01 is there now.

Barry


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

barryem said:


> Thanks for the heads up. I'm downloading the new update now. Probably they just hadn't changed the update web page when you looked but 5.8.5.01 is there now.
> 
> Barry


It is indeed!

It's also 5.8.5.0.1 for the intro level Kindle as well as the Oasis . . . .


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## Atunah (Nov 20, 2008)

Both my Oasis and my Voyage updated sometime in the last hour. I checked at first when I heard about the new update and they hadn't yet. Then I made a salad and the voyage was, now the Oasis. Didn't notice when though, as I been using it on and off in between chores. Probably some bug fixing based on the number? No clue. Looks and works the same.


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## barryem (Oct 19, 2010)

A salad will do it every time. 

I updated mine but I haven't really noticed any differences.  I haven't been reading with it much since I updated it but I did look it over a bit.

Barry


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## Toby (Nov 25, 2008)

Sounds like a nice update. Anything to improve the contrast is worthwhile. I'm still waiting for my Oasis to update. Didn't check my other devices yet.


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## Gertie Kindle (Nov 6, 2008)

Looking forward to the bolder titles.


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## Ronald (Sep 8, 2010)

I was wondering do you need the 5.85 update in order to get the newest .1 update.
I'm still waiting for the 5.85. I thought of manually updating but the only update showing is the .1
Ron


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

Ronald said:


> I was wondering do you need the 5.85 update in order to get the newest .1 update.
> I'm still waiting for the 5.85. I thought of manually updating but the only update showing is the .1
> Ron


5.8.5 was a major update that they've since tweaked -- which is why it's 5.8.1.0.1 and not even something as substantial as 5.8.2 or even 5.8.1.1.  If your device updates automatically, it'll be with the current version which is 5.8.1.0.1.

Or you can do it manually . . . .


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## Gone 9/21/18 (Dec 11, 2008)

Hmm. I have 5.8.2.1 on both my Oasis and Voyage. Does that mean I'm majorly behind? I think they both updated pretty recently when I had them in wifi range.


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## Atunah (Nov 20, 2008)

ellenoc said:


> Hmm. I have 5.8.2.1 on both my Oasis and Voyage. Does that mean I'm majorly behind? I think they both updated pretty recently when I had them in wifi range.


yeah, they been coming in a bit more frequently lately. 5.8.5 came out about October 18th where I started the thread, then they followed with 5.8.5.0.1 fairly quickly. The one you have isn't that old either. Just catch it next time you are in a wife area. Don't think there is any hurry. 5.8.5 added manga features and changed the look a bit in the settings. It also made the font bolder in the home view in listing. So if you think the font is a bit thin where it lists your books, this will help a lot.


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

I think that's what my KO is on, Ellen.

Betsy


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

5.8.2.x.x.x etc is the one that was active immediately before the one discussed here 5.8.5.x.x.x. So anyone on that isn't _that_ far behind.

And, arguably if you don't read manga, you'll hardly notice a difference. I do think the settings menus are nicer now, and I'm sure the titles and all on the home screen in list view are darker but both those are cosmetic differences only.


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## Gone 9/21/18 (Dec 11, 2008)

Ah, okay, thanks, ladies. Mine hasn't been bugging me with the want to do an update so get yourself to wifi message lately.


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## Chris @ Escapist Reads (Oct 28, 2016)

Can anyone with a 2nd gen Paperwhite confirm if the latest update helps with performance? I have 5.8.2.1 on mine currently and I get multi-second lag when I do things like hit the home button or try to do any navigation besides page flips.


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## barryem (Oct 19, 2010)

I have the second generation Paperwhite with the latest updates and I haven't noticed any performance differences.

A couple of things you might do are to turn the Paperwhite off and then back on and see if that helps.  Also check that there's not a book stuck indexing, which can slow things down a lot and use your battery pretty fast.  Check that by searching on some nonsense word from the home page.  A word like zzxyabc for example.  It'll search every book that's been indexed and report those that haven't been indexed.  Any books that haven't been indexed are probably causing your problem.  I'd delete them and redownload them.  Of course do this when you haven't just downloaded a book.

The next thing that comes to mind is how many books you have on your Paperwhite.  The more you have, the larger the indexes get and the more work the device has to do.  I only keep a few books on board and that's one of the reasons.  A lot of people keep a lot more and have no problems but past a certain point they all have problems.  Especially if the device is fairly full.

Last, but not least, is the reset to factory defaults.  This fixes most problems but it also empties your Kindle so you have to re-register it and download everything again.  I do this once or twice a year anyway, which is another reason I only keep a few books on board.  It helps avoid problems.  But it's a lot of work and most people prefer not to do it unless they just have to.  If all else fails that probably will fix it.

Barry


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## Chris @ Escapist Reads (Oct 28, 2016)

Thanks for the tips, Barry!

I've done the restart trick many times. It helps for a bit and then it gets slow again. Didn't see any books still indexing. I did have 100+ books on it so I took the lazy option and went ahead and reset it. Hopefully that does the trick!


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## barryem (Oct 19, 2010)

I hope that works for you.  If you only have 100 books that probably isn't the issue so the reset is likely the solution.

These things get screwed up over time.  All computers do and Kindles are just little computers.  An interesting article i read a few decades ago explained that in every sizeable computer cosmic rays will change a few bits every day.  By the standards of those days our Kindles are gigantic computers so if that's still true, and I suspect it is, things change more than ever.  Of course there are so many bits in a Kindle that are unused at any given time that the odds are we won't notice any problems.  But it can turn the wrong bit and things get weird.

I'm not saying cosmic rays caused your problem.  I'm just using that as one example of the many things that can go wrong even if we do everything right.  And of course we always do, don't we. 

Barry


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

So, here's the thing with kindles, in my experience -- which is since July 2008: Over time, they slow down.  Not while actually IN a book, mind you; I've only ever noticed it when manipulating things via the home screen.

If you don't use collections at all, I think you won't see as much lag when moving between books until you have so many books that your device is over half full!

But, if you use collections, the device is using memory to keep everything straight, and then there's the whole syncing with the cloud thing as well. The more collections, the more books in collections, etc. the more likely that response will be a bit laggy when manipulating things via the home screens: putting books in and out of collections, removing from the device, downloading from the cloud, etc.

Is it ideal? Maybe not. But I can deal with it since, once I'm reading, I've forgotten all that. Pages turn when I tell 'em to, and all the extras -- like access to definitions and translations for example -- work without delay.

An analogy.

If you have books and a set of shelves where each book has a designated spot, it's pretty quick and easy to put them back in the 'right spot' when you're talking a handful of books. Once you have more books, it's going to take a bit longer to find the right spot and re-shelve the book. If, before re-shelving the book, you ALSO have to make sure it's marked as to whether it's romance/mystery/been/read/not finished/completed etc., that's going to have to take a little longer. And if you have to change some of those labels, longer still. Similarly if your practice is to also verify all that when you take down a book to read.

BUT, once you've selected the book and start reading . . . . you forget about the time you spent organizing. 

All that said . . . . I have found that an occasional restart usually fixes anything that seems like a worse than usual lag. Clears out any stray bits and bytes. I don't resort to a reset -- which wipes everything -- unless I really just want to start over. If it's behaving so badly that a reset is _needed_, it's probably time to contact Customer Service! (I had that with my Oasis where it would randomly pop up menus in the middle of a book when I'd not only not touched the screen I'd not even been touching the device -- and it wouldn't respond when I did touch it on purpose!)


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## Muddypawz (Jan 13, 2009)

That was a great analogy, Ann!


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

Muddypawz said:


> That was a great analogy, Ann!


 Thanks.


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## Toby (Nov 25, 2008)

I generally put on wifi on my Oasis every night to get books. Then I turn it off. I will put on wifi again every other morning. When I charge it up. Then I turn off wifi. I still haven't gotten the update. Should I just leave wifi on all night long? I was wondering if that would make a difference in getting the update. Anyone's thoughts on this.


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

It's a fairly substantial update, so if you only ever have wifi on for a few minutes at a time, it probably won't ever download. If you leave it on over night you have a better chance of getting it. Still, don't count on it showing up the first night you leave it on. And it may never if they've already tried to send it a few times and never got connection. But it's dead easy to do it manually.


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## Toby (Nov 25, 2008)

Thanks Ann!!!


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## Rasputina (May 6, 2009)

I've had wifi turned on for the last 2 weeks on my Oasis and it still hasn't updated. But that's par for the course with kindle updates IME. They are pathetically slow.


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## The Hooded Claw (Oct 12, 2009)

Yeah, my Oasis and Voyage still hadn't updated last night. So slow, but I'm too lazy to manually update.


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## crebel (Jan 15, 2009)

My Voyage finally updated  to 5.8.5.0.2 on its own some time on Saturday.

Initial observations:

- the titles on the home page in list view are absolutely significantly darker ('thicker' font as well?), which is a great thing for my eyes.  The author name and percentages underneath are lighter than the titles, so maybe no change there.

- it's only been a little over 24 hours, but I think the battery life is improved for me.

- I like the icons showing in the settings menu rather than just lists.  

I have a hard time moving up and down a page when there is a touch bar within a menu instead of a page turn (same thing in the Kindle Store from the Kindle), I think because dry hands/fingers don't register the touch.  Does anyone use a stylus and does that work well/better?  Is there a specific type of stylus I should try?


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## cko1xxxx (Nov 16, 2016)

Just a stupid questions but how does one update a Kindle?  I looked at my new Oasis and it had firmware version 5.8.1.0.1 and the newest version is 5.8.5.0.2 so I downloaded the new one to my PC and tried to run it there with my Oasis hooked to it thru USB but Win 10 says it doesn't know what to do with a .bin file.  Should I just move the file to the Oasis?  How does a firmware version upgrade happen on an Oasis?


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## Atunah (Nov 20, 2008)

Once you made sure you downloaded the right bin file to your computer, you would then move it from your computer to your kindle. It goes into the main directory of the kindle, not in any of the folders. Once that is done and you ejected safely you go to your menu on top of your kindle and select settings. then you go to device options. Now that is what my updated kindle has, I can't recall now where it settings it is on a non updated. But it will say "update your kindle" Then you select that and it will do its thing.


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## cko1xxxx (Nov 16, 2016)

Upgrade completed successfully.  Thanks.  How often does one have to check for upgrades?  I have used a Sony E-reader for years and I never upgraded it so upgrades to an ereader are new to me.


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## barryem (Oct 19, 2010)

You never have to check for updates but you can check as often as you like.  I usually wait till I read about an update in here or one of the other Kindle places I read and then go download it.

If you don't want to do that and you keep your Wifi on you'll eventually get the updates anyway.

Barry


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

If you generally keep the wireless on, your kindle will update itself. But if it's a major update, lots of us like to get it manually -- there are links on Amazon that explain how, if you forget.  For this update -- from 5.8.5.0.1 to 5.8.5.0.2 -- I'm not going to bother doing it manually. It's a very very minor update -- probably just bug fixes.


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## The Hooded Claw (Oct 12, 2009)

My Oasis finally updated either last night or the night before. Though this didn't seem an important update, I was beginning to worry.

Twice in the last month I've used my Voyage for at least a few hours, rather than my Oasis. Makes me appreciate my Oasis more. The Oasis is much easier to hold, and I was reminded how deeply I loathed the "buttons" on the Voyage! I haven't checked on my Voyage, but I'll bet it is updated also. I've concluded I want to keep it, I do need a spare occasionally.


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## Rasputina (May 6, 2009)

I gave up and finally switched back to 3G when I needed to charge my Oasis a day ago. Still hasn't updated. Completely stupid.


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