Despite my love of technology, I was a staunch reader of physical books until last year. I always felt that paper books were the best way to truly disconnect, and I’ve always enjoyed collecting them. It wasn’t until I picked up my first Kindle e-reader last year that I realized just how convenient and comfortable digital reading can be.

While I still buy physical books, being able to instantly purchase and travel with dozens of books on my Kindle has been incredibly convenient, and it’s also helped keep my ever-growing reading backlog in check.

One of the benefits I quickly discovered though is that Kindle e-books are, of course, not just limited to the e-reader itself. They’re also available through the Kindle app. So if I want to sneak in a quick chapter when I have time, and don’t have my Kindle on me, I can easily pick up right where I left off on my iPhone.

That said, compared to reading on my Kindle’s paper-like E Ink display, my iPhone’s screen is much brighter and far more distracting, making it harder to read on.

The good news is that there are solutions to this. While it’s impossible to make an iPhone screen feel exactly like reading on a Kindle, there are ways to make it much closer and more comfortable. So if you want to read Kindle books on your iPhone, or turn your old iPhone into a dedicated handheld Kindle, here are a few simple tweaks I’ve used to make the experience noticeably better.

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Amazon

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Yes

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Enable Night Shift

Make your screen warmer and easier on your eyes

Before you dive into the Kindle app and start reading, I highly recommend turning on Night Shift on your iPhone. This setting shifts your screen’s colors toward the warmer end of the color spectrum, giving it a more yellowish tone.

The big benefit here is comfort. Warmer colors are easier on your eyes, helping reduce eye strain from harsh brightness and cutting down on blue light. While Night Shift is technically geared more towards nighttime use, it works just as well during the day, especially for reading.

To enable Night Shift on your iPhone, open Control Center by swiping down in the top right corner of your screen, then tap and hold the Brightness slider. From there, you’ll see an option called Night Shift at the bottom of the screen. Tap it to turn it on. Whenever you want to disable it, you can do so from the exact same spot.

Change the page color

Get rid of the blinding white page color

Next up, we’re moving on to the Kindle app itself. Even with Night Shift turned on, the white background in books can still be a bit uncomfortable, especially during longer reading sessions. To fix this, I’ve found that changing the page color is very helpful. Here’s how.

While you’re reading a book in the Kindle app, simply tap the screen and select the “Aa” icon at the top of the screen. This opens a customization menu at the bottom of the screen. From there, tap Layout, and you’ll see four different page color options: white, sepia, light green, and black.

Personally, I prefer the black background with white text, which is essentially dark mode for the app. That said, it’s worth experimenting to see what feels best for your eyes. I don’t mind sepia either, as it reminds me of the page color in older paperbacks. Additionally, there is an option under page color called “Updated Page Using System Theme,” which essentially just automatically enables dark mode/the black page color in the app if your iPhone is also in dark mode.

Adjust the font and spacing of books

Increasing the font size can make it easier to read on smaller iPhone screens

While you’re still in the customization “Aa” menu, after playing around with page color, I also recommend heading to the Font section. This is where you can make several tweaks that can really help make reading on your iPhone much more comfortable.

The first thing I’d start with is font style, which is the first option you’ll see. There are eight choices in total, but I personally find Amazon Ember Bold or Bookerly work best. Next is font size, which you can adjust to whatever feels right for you. I found the default size a bit small, so I bumped it up to make the text easier to read. If you’re using an older iPhone with a smaller screen, increasing the font size can make a big difference.

The last option is spacing. Tapping into it gives you controls for line, paragraph, word, and character spacing. Again, this one comes down to personal preference. You can move the sliders and see a live preview in your book above until you land on something that feels just right.

Turn on Focus Mode

Stop distracting notifications

Aside from its E-Ink display, one of the biggest benefits of reading on a Kindle e-reader is that it’s distraction-free. There isn’t a constant stream of email, text messages, or social media notifications popping up on your screen, as there is on your iPhone. Admittedly, seeing some of these notifications on my iPhone takes me out of what I’m reading, so I found the best remedy is to make my iPhone as distraction-free as possible, and that starts by enabling Focus Mode.

Focus Mode, also known as Do Not Disturb, stops notifications from popping up on your device, which is incredibly handy for staying focused on what you’re reading. To give it a go, open the Control Center on your phone and tap the Focus button. A list of options will appear on your screen. At the bottom, tap “New Focus.”

From there, you’ll see a number of preset options, including one specifically for reading. Select the Focus Mode for reading, and then you’ll be able to customize it based on your preferences. You can either temporarily stop all notifications or allow certain notifications through even while it’s enabled, like from a family member or friend or from a specific app. Once you’ve set that up, anytime you open the Control Center and tap Focus, you can easily enable Reading Focus Mode to stop notifications and choose to keep it on for an hour, until the evening, or until you leave your current location.