Amazon to End Support for Older Kindle and Fire Devices
Amazon has officially announced that starting on May 20, 2026, users of Kindle e-readers and Kindle Fire devices released in 2012 and earlier will no longer have access to the Kindle Store. This decision marks a significant change for long-time users of these devices.
According to an Amazon spokesperson, Jackie Burke, in an email, devices from 2012 and earlier will be restricted from purchasing, borrowing, or downloading new content via the Kindle Store. However, users will still be able to read books that they have previously downloaded to their devices. Access to their accounts and Kindle purchases will continue through the Kindle mobile app, Kindle for Web, and newer devices.
Notably, if older devices are deregistered or reset to factory settings, users will not be able to re-register them after the May deadline. The list of devices that will be affected includes the original Kindle, which launched back in 2007, and other models from subsequent years.
- Kindle 1st Generation (2007)
- Kindle DX and DX Graphite (2009 and 2010)
- Kindle Keyboard (2010)
- Kindle 4 (2011)
- Kindle Touch (2011)
- Kindle 5 (2012)
- Kindle Paperwhite 1st Generation (2012)
- Kindle Fire 1st Gen (2011)
- Kindle Fire 2nd Gen (2012)
- Kindle Fire HD 7 (2012)
- Kindle Fire HD 8.9 (2012)
In an effort to assist affected users, Amazon will notify them via email ahead of the May 20 deadline, providing details about what their older devices can and cannot do. While pre-2012 Kindle Fire devices will face similar restrictions regarding books, other applications and Amazon services on those devices will remain functional.
For those who have been using these older devices for a long time, Amazon is offering a significant incentive to upgrade. Users who choose to purchase newer Kindle hardware will receive a 20% discount on the new devices and will also be credited with $20 for ebooks, which will be added to their accounts after upgrading. This promotion is valid until June 20, 2026, at 11:59 PM PT. Users will also have access to their previous purchases on new devices as long as they log into the same account they have been using for at least 14 years.
The decision to end support for these older devices comes a decade after Amazon had required users of several Kindle e-reader models from 2012 and earlier to update their software in order to maintain access to the Kindle Store. Now, it appears the time has truly come for these older devices to be phased out.
As technology continues to advance, Amazon's move reflects the broader trend in the tech industry where support for legacy products eventually comes to an end, pushing users towards newer, more capable devices.
Source: The Verge News