Amazon to end support for older Kindle devices

Amazon is preparing to extremity enactment for Kindle devices released earlier 2012 — cutting them disconnected from the Kindle Store and making them virtually incapable to load immoderate caller content. The institution acceptable a cutoff day acceptable for May 20, 2026.

Amazon sent an email to customers this week announcing it would extremity enactment for the devices, according to screenshots of the connection posted to societal media and Reddit from customers, and confirmed by Amazon. According to the message, Kindle e-readers and tablets released successful 2012 oregon earlier volition suffer entree to Kindle Store functions aft the deadline. That means affected devices volition nary longer beryllium capable to buy, borrow, oregon download caller books directly.

After May 20, users volition lone beryllium capable to usage their devices to work contented that’s already downloaded. Once an older instrumentality is deregistered oregon reset to mill settings, it cannot beryllium re-registered aft May 20.

Amazon’s database of impacted models includes the archetypal Kindle (1st and 2nd generation), Kindle DX and DX Graphite, Kindle Keyboard, Kindle 4 and 5, Kindle Touch, and the first-generation Kindle Paperwhite.

“These models person been supported for astatine slightest 14 years — immoderate arsenic agelong arsenic 18 years — but exertion has travel a agelong mode successful that time, and these devices volition nary longer beryllium supported moving forward,” Jesse Carr, an Amazon spokesperson, said successful a connection to TechCrunch. “We are notifying those inactive actively utilizing them and offering promotions to assistance with the modulation to newer devices.”

Users tin proceed to entree their libraries done newer devices, the Kindle mobile app, oregon Kindle for Web, the Amazon spokesperson said.

Several longtime users voiced frustrations astir the determination to extremity enactment for older Kindles, galore of which are successful fantabulous information and person not seen immoderate operational degradation. On Reddit, aggregate users said they inactive trust connected these older devices and spot nary crushed to regenerate them. For some, it felt similar different illustration of tech companies discontinuing enactment for perfectly functional products, pushing customers toward upgrades portion contributing to increasing physics waste. One illustration of this is Google, which ended enactment for its older Nest thermostats successful 2025. According to the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR), planetary e-waste is estimated to scope 82 cardinal tonnes by 2030, a 32% leap from 2022.

One Reddit idiosyncratic wrote, “I’ve had my Kindle for years, but it inactive works perfectly and continues to service maine well. How wasteful is it to marque a merchandise practically unusable successful bid to unit radical to bargain a newer model.”

For some, the alteration meant it mightiness beryllium clip to get an alternate e-ink reader, similar the Boox Palma oregon Vivlio e-reader.

The determination to fundamentally termination older Kindle devices isn’t wholly unexpected, arsenic Amazon has gradually reduced enactment for its bequest devices. In 2016, the institution required Kindle e-reader models from 2012 and earlier to install updates conscionable to support entree to the Kindle Store, an aboriginal motion that semipermanent enactment for these devices would yet travel to an end.