Amazon is ending support for Kindle devices released in 2012 or earlier, cutting those devices off from Kindle Store functions and preventing new purchases, borrows or downloads after a company-set cutoff.
The company emailed affected customers and confirmed the change, with screenshots of the message posted to social media and Reddit and verified by Amazon, the company said in an announcement.
Impacted models include the original Kindle (1st and 2nd generation), Kindle DX and DX Graphite, Kindle Keyboard, Kindle 4 and 5, Kindle Touch, and the first-generation Kindle Paperwhite. After the cutoff, affected devices will only be able to read content already downloaded. Devices that are deregistered or reset to factory settings cannot be re-registered once support ends.
“These models have been supported for at least 14 years — some as long as 18 years — but technology has come a long way in that time, and these devices will no longer be supported moving forward,” Jesse Carr, an Amazon spokesperson, said in an announcement to TechCrunch. Amazon said users can still access their libraries via newer Kindle devices, the Kindle mobile app, or Kindle for Web, and that it is notifying active users and offering promotions to help with the transition.
Longtime users posted frustrations on Reddit, saying older Kindles still work well and that ending support forces upgrades and risks more electronic waste. According to the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR), global e-waste is projected to reach 82 million tonnes by 2030, a 32% increase from 2022.
The recap
- Amazon will end support for Kindles released in 2012 or earlier
- Affected devices lose Kindle Store buying and downloading access
- Support ends on the company's announced cutoff date; re-registration blocked