- Kindles from 2012 and older will be discontinued on May 20
- Amazon has started sending emails to users about the impending loss of support
- First to fifth generation Kindle and Kindle Fire devices will be affected
RIP, Kindle 1st generation, I loved your keyboard.
A decade after users of older Kindles had to update the software to maintain access to the Kindle Store, Amazon decided to remove them completely on May 20 of this year.
Reddit user Amorisaiya said he had already received an email from Amazon informing him that Kindle and Kindle Fire devices “from 2012 and earlier” would no longer be supported. However, other users still using these older models have not yet been informed.
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Although owners of these older Kindles will still be able to use them to read previously downloaded content and access their accounts, they will no longer be able to “purchase, borrow, or download additional books after this date.”
Kindle removes support for OG devices from r/kindle
If any of these devices have been deregistered or a factory reset performed, users will not be able to re-register them after the May deadline, rendering them completely obsolete.
The full list of affected Kindles is as follows:
- Kindle 1st generation from 2007
- Kindle DX from 2009
- Kindle DX Graphite released in 2010
- Kindle keyboard also from 2010
- Kindle 4 launched in 2011
- Kindle Touch also released in 2011
- Kindle Fire 1st generation from 2011
- Kindle 5 released in 2012
- Kindle Paperwhite 1st generation also launched in 2012
- Kindle Fire 2nd generation from 2012
- Kindle Fire HD 7 tablet also released in 2012
- Kindle Fire HD 8.9 from 2012
It’s clear from the Reddit thread that third- and fourth-generation Kindle users are still pretty happy with their e-readers, but it doesn’t surprise me at all that Amazon finally pulled the plug on these pioneering models.
First, 3G-enabled Kindles lost Internet access, although that wasn’t Amazon’s fault, and then the company announced that it would remove access to the Kindle store on devices older than 10 years.
Each time, Amazon has offered its customers an incentive to upgrade and this time is no different. According to The Verge, Amazon will offer a 20% discount on new Kindles to affected users and offer a $20 e-book credit to the Kindle store, although the offer is only good until June 20.
So, is it time to turn things back on?
Unless you reset or deregister your old Kindle, affected older models will still be usable, although you will only be able to read books that you have already downloaded to the device. And while you can still purchase new content through the Kindle mobile app or through a web browser, you won’t be able to access new content on affected devices.
That said, you may still be able to load books on these older devices, as downloading and USB transfer have only been stopped for newer models.
I would still recommend an upgrade at this point, mainly for ease of use and staying connected to the Kindle Store through the device. Plus, in fairness, the performance on the newer devices is excellent, although I struggle to justify Amazon’s price hike on the current 2024 Kindle lineup.
If you’re looking to upgrade, my choice would be the base model of the 12th generation Kindle Paperwhite (2024), especially if it’s discounted. It’s fast and the screen is excellent – I think the implementation of the E Ink Carta 1300 screen on the latest Paperwhite alone justifies the upgrade, but I’m a little biased because it’s the best grayscale e-reader screen I’ve used to date (and I’ve used quite a few since 2012, when I bought my first e-reader).
You can take a look at my selection of the best Kindles below, or if you want more options, consider something else from what I consider to be the best e-readers available today.
The best Kindles
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