Sojourna at 22:53, 16 April 2026

2026-04-16T22:53:30Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 22:53, 16 April 2026
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	[[Category:Digital rights management]]		[[Category:Digital rights management]]
	[[Category:Right to repair]]		[[Category:Right to repair]]
	~~[[Category:2026 incidents]]~~

PixelRunner: fix categories

2026-04-16T12:52:32Z

fix categories

← Older revision		Revision as of 12:52, 16 April 2026
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	[[Category:Amazon]]		[[Category:Amazon]]
	[[Category:Amazon Kindle]]		[[Category:Amazon Kindle]]
	[[Category:Planned ~~Obsolescence~~]]		[[Category:Planned obsolescence]]
	[[Category:Digital ~~Rights Management~~]]		[[Category:Digital rights management]]
	[[Category:Right to ~~Repair~~]]		[[Category:Right to repair]]
	[[Category:2026 incidents]]		[[Category:2026 incidents]]

Louis: Replace Wikipedia citations with Amazon press releases; convert dates to American format; fix Kindle Touch ship date (was incorrectly Nov 15, actually Nov 21 per Amazon)

2026-04-09T05:34:01Z

Replace Wikipedia citations with Amazon press releases; convert dates to American format; fix Kindle Touch ship date (was incorrectly Nov 15, actually Nov 21 per Amazon)

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Louis: Create article from img-intake-triage campaign; see research brief for sources

2026-04-09T05:13:04Z

Create article from img-intake-triage campaign; see research brief for sources

New page

{{IncidentCargo
|Company=Amazon
|StartDate=2026-04-07
|EndDate=
|Status=Active
|ProductLine=Amazon Kindle
|Product=
|ArticleType=Product
|Type=Planned Obsolescence,Digital Ownership,Right to Repair
|Description=Amazon will disable Kindle Store access on 13 pre-2013 Kindle devices on 20 May 2026; factory reset becomes a one-way brick.
}}

On 20 May 2026, [[Amazon]] will disable [[Amazon Kindle|Kindle Store]] access on thirteen Kindle devices released between 2007 and 2012, preventing owners of those devices from buying, borrowing, or downloading new content on the hardware.<ref name="pcmag-kan-20260407">{{Cite web |last=Kan |first=Michael |title=Got a Kindle From Before 2013? Amazon Is Pulling Support |url=https://www.pcmag.com/news/got-a-kindle-from-before-2013-amazon-is-pulling-support |website=PCMag |date=7 April 2026 |access-date=8 April 2026}}</ref><ref name="register-kunert-20260408">{{Cite web |last=Kunert |first=Paul |title=Amazon rewards loyal Kindle devotees by closing the book on old e-readers |url=https://www.theregister.com/2026/04/08/amazon_kindle_support_discontinued/ |website=The Register |date=8 April 2026 |access-date=8 April 2026}}</ref> Amazon notified affected customers by email beginning 7 April 2026 and warned that any device deregistered or factory-reset after the cutoff cannot be re-registered and cannot be used "in any way."<ref name="pcmag-kan-20260407" /><ref name="register-kunert-20260408" /> The shutdown covers nine e-reader models and four Kindle Fire tablet models.<ref name="pcmag-kan-20260407" /><ref name="register-kunert-20260408" /><ref name="goodereader-kozlowski-20260408">{{Cite web |last=Kozlowski |first=Michael |title=You can no longer buy e-books on Amazon Kindle made in 2012 or earlier |url=https://goodereader.com/blog/kindle/you-can-no-longer-buy-e-books-on-amazon-kindles-2012-and-earlier |website=Good e-Reader |date=8 April 2026 |access-date=8 April 2026}}</ref>

==Background==

Amazon launched the first Kindle e-reader on 19 November 2007.<ref name="wikipedia-kindle-launch-dates">{{Cite web |title=Amazon Kindle devices |url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amazon_Kindle_devices |website=Wikipedia |access-date=8 April 2026}}</ref> The last two pre-2013 Kindle e-readers, the Kindle Paperwhite 1st Generation and the entry-level Kindle (the "Latest Generation Kindle," internally the fifth-generation Kindle), were both announced on 6 September 2012, with the Paperwhite priced at $119 for the Wi-Fi model and $179 for the Wi-Fi + 3G model at launch.<ref name="amazon-paperwhite-2012">{{Cite web |title=Introducing the New Kindle Paperwhite, the Most Advanced E-Reader Ever Constructed |url=https://press.aboutamazon.com/2012/9/introducing-the-new-kindle-paperwhite-the-most-advanced-e-reader-ever-constructed |website=Amazon Press Center |publisher=Amazon.com |date=6 September 2012 |access-date=8 April 2026}}</ref>

Several pre-2013 Kindles originally shipped with "Whispernet," Amazon's branding for the built-in 3G cellular link that allowed device registration and book delivery without Wi-Fi. Amazon retired the Whispernet brand name in June 2021, replacing it with generic "WAN" terminology in product descriptions, coinciding with the planned shutdown of global 3G infrastructure.<ref name="goodereader-whispernet-2021">{{Cite web |last=Kozlowski |first=Michael |title=Amazon Whispernet branding has been retired |url=https://goodereader.com/blog/kindle/amazon-whispernet-branding-has-been-retired |website=Good e-Reader |date=16 June 2021 |access-date=8 April 2026}}</ref> According to the Bipartisan Policy Center, AT&T completed its 3G shutdown on 22 February 2022, Verizon on 31 December 2022, and Sprint and T-Mobile completed their 3G shutdowns later in 2022.<ref name="bpc-3g-sunset-2022">{{Cite web |title=3G Sunsetting and the Digital Divide |url=https://bipartisanpolicy.org/explainer/3g-sunsetting-and-the-digital-divide/ |website=Bipartisan Policy Center |date=21 March 2022 |access-date=8 April 2026}}</ref> Those carrier shutdowns ended cellular Kindle Store access on affected 3G-equipped models years before the May 2026 Amazon-side shutdown; the 2026 EOL is a separate, Amazon-initiated event covering Wi-Fi-only and Wi-Fi + 3G variants alike.

The Kindle product line has been the subject of prior Amazon-initiated feature removals; see [[Amazon Kindle removes download feature of purchased books]].

==Announcement and scope==

Michael Kan of PCMag published an early English-language report on the notice on 7 April 2026, based on a Kindle owner in Australia who had received the email.<ref name="pcmag-kan-20260407" /> Coverage from The Register, Engadget, TechCrunch, Good e-Reader, BGR, and The eBook Reader Blog followed on 8 April 2026.<ref name="register-kunert-20260408" /><ref name="engadget-moon-20260408">{{Cite web |last=Moon |first=Mariella |title=Amazon is cutting off support for older Kindles |url=https://www.engadget.com/mobile/amazon-is-cutting-off-support-for-older-kindles-115653205.html |website=Engadget |date=8 April 2026 |access-date=8 April 2026}}</ref><ref name="techcrunch-forristal-20260408">{{Cite web |last=Forristal |first=Lauren |title=Amazon to end support for older Kindle devices |url=https://techcrunch.com/2026/04/08/amazon-to-end-support-for-older-kindle-devices-2012/ |website=TechCrunch |date=8 April 2026 |access-date=8 April 2026}}</ref><ref name="goodereader-kozlowski-20260408" /><ref name="bgr-sayers-20260408">{{Cite web |last=Sayers |first=Jonathan |title=Amazon Is Discontinuing Support For These Older Kindle Models |url=https://www.bgr.com/2143389/amazon-discontinued-support-older-kindle-models/ |website=BGR |date=8 April 2026 |access-date=8 April 2026}}</ref><ref name="theebookreader-groezinger-20260408">{{Cite web |last=Groezinger |first=Nathan |title=Amazon Ending Support for All Kindles Released Before 2013 |url=https://blog.the-ebook-reader.com/2026/04/08/amazon-ending-support-for-all-kindles-released-before-2013/ |website=The eBook Reader Blog |date=8 April 2026 |access-date=8 April 2026}}</ref>

The Amazon email tells affected owners that starting 20 May 2026, the company is "discontinuing support for Kindle devices released in 2012 or earlier."<ref name="pcmag-kan-20260407" /><ref name="register-kunert-20260408" /> Amazon's only on-record justification, quoted in PCMag and Engadget, is that the affected "models have been supported for at least 14 years, some as long as 18 years" and that "technology has come a long way."<ref name="pcmag-kan-20260407" /><ref name="engadget-moon-20260408" /> BGR's Jonathan Sayers noted that "no official reason was given" beyond the age of the devices; Amazon has not cited a TLS deprecation, certificate expiry, 3G carrier sunset, security-protocol change, or cost justification.<ref name="bgr-sayers-20260408" />

The nine affected e-reader models, with launch dates:

* Kindle (1st Generation), 19 November 2007<ref name="wikipedia-kindle-launch-dates" />
* Kindle (2nd Generation), 23 February 2009<ref name="wikipedia-kindle-launch-dates" />
* Kindle DX, 10 June 2009<ref name="wikipedia-kindle-launch-dates" />
* Kindle DX Graphite, 1 July 2010<ref name="wikipedia-kindle-launch-dates" />
* Kindle Keyboard (3rd Generation), 27 August 2010<ref name="wikipedia-kindle-launch-dates" />
* Kindle 4, 28 September 2011<ref name="wikipedia-kindle-launch-dates" />
* Kindle Touch, 15 November 2011<ref name="wikipedia-kindle-launch-dates" />
* Kindle 5 ("Latest Generation Kindle"), 6 September 2012<ref name="amazon-paperwhite-2012" /><ref name="wikipedia-kindle-launch-dates" />
* Kindle Paperwhite 1st Generation, 1 October 2012<ref name="wikipedia-kindle-launch-dates" />

The four affected Kindle Fire tablet models, confirmed as in scope by PCMag and Good e-Reader:<ref name="pcmag-kan-20260407" /><ref name="goodereader-kozlowski-20260408" />

* Kindle Fire 1st Generation, 15 November 2011<ref name="wikipedia-amazon-fire">{{Cite web |title=Amazon Fire |url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amazon_Fire |website=Wikipedia |access-date=8 April 2026}}</ref>
* Kindle Fire 2nd Generation, 14 September 2012<ref name="wikipedia-amazon-fire" />
* Kindle Fire HD 7, 14 September 2012<ref name="wikipedia-amazon-fire" />
* Kindle Fire HD 8.9, 20 November 2012<ref name="wikipedia-amazon-fire" />

==Impact on affected devices==

After 20 May 2026, owners of affected Kindles and Kindle Fire tablets will no longer be able to "purchase, borrow, or download new content" on the hardware; previously downloaded books remain readable on the device.<ref name="register-kunert-20260408" /><ref name="pcmag-kan-20260407" />

Amazon's email to affected customers includes a warning that "if you deregister or factory reset these devices, you will not be able to re-register or use these devices in any way," quoted verbatim by PCMag, Engadget, Good e-Reader, and BGR.<ref name="pcmag-kan-20260407" /><ref name="engadget-moon-20260408" /><ref name="goodereader-kozlowski-20260408" /><ref name="bgr-sayers-20260408" /> PCMag reported that affected customer accounts and Kindle libraries remain accessible through the free Kindle app and Kindle for Web, meaning the purchased ebook library itself is not lost; the hardware binding is.<ref name="pcmag-kan-20260407" />

==Amazon's response==

Amazon's direct statement to press coverage was limited to the age-of-hardware justification quoted above.<ref name="pcmag-kan-20260407" /><ref name="engadget-moon-20260408" /> In parallel with the shutdown notice, Amazon offered affected owners a 20% discount on select new Kindle devices plus a $20 eBook credit automatically added to the customer account after a qualifying new-device purchase, valid through 20 June 2026 at 11:59pm.<ref name="pcmag-kan-20260407" /><ref name="bgr-sayers-20260408" /><ref name="goodereader-kozlowski-20260408" />

==Consumer response==

PCMag's Michael Kan reported that the story first surfaced after a user in Australia reported receiving the customer email.<ref name="pcmag-kan-20260407" /> BGR's Jonathan Sayers noted that "no official reason was given" by Amazon beyond the age of the devices.<ref name="bgr-sayers-20260408" />

==See also==
*[[Amazon]]
*[[Amazon Kindle]]
*[[Amazon Kindle removes download feature of purchased books]]
*[[Amazon alters the content of purchased ebooks]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

[[Category:Amazon]]
[[Category:Amazon Kindle]]
[[Category:Planned Obsolescence]]
[[Category:Digital Rights Management]]
[[Category:Right to Repair]]
[[Category:2026 incidents]]

Amazon Kindle discontinues support for pre-2013 devices - Revision history

Sojourna at 22:53, 16 April 2026

PixelRunner: fix categories

Louis: Replace Wikipedia citations with Amazon press releases; convert dates to American format; fix Kindle Touch ship date (was incorrectly Nov 15, actually Nov 21 per Amazon)

Louis: Create article from img-intake-triage campaign; see research brief for sources