- Kindles from 2012 and earlier 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, first generation Kindle, I loved your keyboard.
A decade after users of older Kindles had to update the software to retain access to the Kindle Store, Amazon decided to shut them down entirely on May 20 of this year.
Reddit user Amorisaiya posted that they already received an email from Amazon informing them that Kindle and Kindle Fire devices “from 2012 and earlier” will no longer be supported. However, others who are still using these older models have not yet been notified.
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While owners of these older Kindles will still be able to use them to read already downloaded content and access their accounts, they will no longer “be able to purchase, borrow, or download additional books after that date.”
Kindle removes support for OG devices from r/kindle
If any of these devices have been unregistered or performed a factory reset, users will not be able to re-register them after the May deadline, leaving them completely inactive.
The full list of affected Kindles is:
- Kindle 1st generation 2007
- 2009 Kindle DX
- Kindle DX Graphite released in 2010
- Kindle keyboard also from 2010
- Kindle 4 released in 2011
- Kindle Touch also released in 2011
- Kindle Fire 1st generation 2011
- Kindle 5 released in 2012
- First generation Kindle Paperwhite was also released in 2012
- Kindle Fire 2nd generation 2012
- The Kindle Fire HD 7 tablet was also released in 2012
- 2012 Kindle Fire HD 8.9
It’s clear from the Reddit thread that third- and fourth-generation Kindle users are still quite happy with their e-readers, but I’m not the least bit surprised that Amazon has finally pulled the plug on these pioneering models.
First, 3G-enabled Kindles lost Internet access, although that was not Amazon’s fault, then the company announced that it would remove access to the Kindle Store on devices that were more than 10 years old.
Each time, Amazon offered its customers an incentive to upgrade and this time is no different. Amazon will discount new Kindles by 20% for affected users and offer a $20 Kindle Store e-book credit for US customers. In Australia, where most of the users who receive the email notification apparently are located, Amazon will offer the same 20% discount on hardware and an additional AU$30 credit for the Kindle Store, with the offer ending on June 20, 2026 worldwide.
So is it time to turn back on?
Unless you factory reset or unregister your previous 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 download books on these older devices, as USB downloading and transferring has stopped for newer models only.
I would still recommend an upgrade at this time, mainly for ease of use and staying connected to the Kindle Store through the device. Plus, in all honesty, performance on the newer devices is excellent, although I’m struggling to justify Amazon’s price increase on the current range of 2024 Kindles.
If you’re looking to upgrade, my pick would be the base model Kindle Paperwhite 12th Generation (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 in the latest Paperwhite alone justifies the upgrade, but I’m a little biased as 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 picks for the best Kindles below, or if you want more options, consider some more of what I consider to be the best e-readers available right now.
The best Kindles
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