Amazon Kindle: Difference between revisions

{{ProductLineCargo

|ArticleType=Product, Service<!-- both? the kindles and the kindle store are pretty intertwined-->

|Description=Amazon Kindle is a product line of e-readers made by Amazon.

|InProduction=Yes

|Logo=Amazon kindle logo.png

|ReleaseYear=2007

|Website=https://amazon.com/kindle

'''Amazon Kindle''' is a product line of e-readers made by '''[[Amazon]]'''.

=Consumer impact summary=

{{Ph-C-CIS}}

This is a list of all consumer-protection incidents this company is involved in. Any incidents not mentioned here can be found in the [[:Category:{{FULLPAGENAME}}|{{PAGENAME}} category]].

 

 

As for the sideloading itself, newer firmware versions of Kindle e-readers only work with {{Wplink|Media Transfer Protocol|MTP}},<ref>{{Cite web |author=Nathan |date=20 Oct 2024 |title=Amazon Removed Download and Transfer Option for New Kindles |url=https://blog.the-ebook-reader.com/2024/10/20/amazon-removed-download-and-transfer-option-for-new-kindles/ |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20251014062925/https://blog.the-ebook-reader.com/2024/10/20/amazon-removed-download-and-transfer-option-for-new-kindles/ |archive-date=14 Oct 2025|access-date=16 Mar 2025 |website=[[The Ebook Reader]]}}</ref> which led to controversy among {{Wplink|power user}}s as it disrupted existing workflow, which is to be expected. Book management software like Calibre<ref>{{Cite web |author=Kovid Goyal |date= |title=calibre - E-book management |url=https://www.calibre-ebook.com |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260222054742/https://calibre-ebook.com/ |archive-date=22 Feb 2026|access-date=2026-02-06 |website=}}</ref> addresses this issue, and can do the conversion of file formats locally. The recent firmware updates have caused other issues, like faster battery drain than before and a slower user experience.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Kozlowski |first=Micheal |date=20 Aug 2024 |title=The Amazon Kindle is in a state of decline |url=https://goodereader.com/blog/kindle/the-amazon-kindle-is-in-a-state-of-decline |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20251219161317/https://goodereader.com/blog/kindle/the-amazon-kindle-is-in-a-state-of-decline |archive-date=19 Dec 2025|access-date=16 Mar 2025 |website=[[Good EReader]]}}</ref>

Kindle devices regularly receive bad scores in repair reviews.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Frauenheim |first=Carsten |title=Kindle 11 Repair |url=https://it.ifixit.com/Device/Kindle_11 |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260221125927/https://it.ifixit.com/Device/Kindle_11 |archive-date=21 Feb 2026|access-date=16 Mar 2025 |website=[[iFixit]]}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last=Rodriguez |first=Kris |title=Kindle Paperwhite 5 (11th Generation) Repair |url=https://ifixit.com/Device/Kindle_Paperwhite_11th_Generation |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20251212013608/https://www.ifixit.com/Device/Kindle_Paperwhite_11th_Generation |archive-date=12 Dec 2025|access-date=16 Mar 2025 |website=[[iFixit]]}}</ref> The baseline model has a replaceable battery, but provides no official replacement parts or repair instructions, and solders the power button and usb-c port to the motherboard.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":2">[https://www.ifixit.com/repairability/e-reader-repairability-scores e-reader repairability scores] ([http://web.archive.org/web/20251211041003/https://www.ifixit.com/repairability/e-reader-repairability-scores Archived])</ref> The paper-white model uses excessive amounts of adhesive for the battery and motherboard, which make it harder to replace the battery.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":2" /> Most of the components of the device, most importantly the e-ink screen, are not available to the general market. Any stock for e-ink displays for these devices can rarely be found, and they usually approach the cost of the device itself, making repair uneconomical.

Kindle devices run a Linux distribution, however the bootloader is locked down and users have had trouble accessing debug ports on newer hardware.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Iftikhar |first=Hasib |date=2025-10-30 |title=Kindle Linux: Running Linux on Kindle Devices the Right Way |url=https://cyberpanel.net/blog/kindle-linux |url-status=live |access-date=2026-04-21 |website=[[CyberPanel]] |quote=Every Kindle device runs on a customized Linux kernel that Amazon has built. However, it is extremely locked down and does not allow users to have access to the system-level interface.}}</ref> Adding to this, Amazon relies on proprietary software and drivers which make it difficult to port a standard mainline Linux kernel onto their devices.{{Citation needed|date=30 Nov 2025}}

 

On 26 February 2025, [[Amazon]] removed the "download and transfer via USB" feature from their website. This means [[Amazon Kindle]] users are no longer able to download their purchased e-books from Amazon's website to their computers using the "download and transfer via USB" feature. A message describing this change appeared on the page for the download feature a few weeks before the feature was removed.

 

On April 7, 2026, Amazon began emailing customers that, starting May 20, 2026, the Kindle Store would no longer support nine pre-2013 Kindle e-reader models and four Kindle Fire tablet models, ending the ability to purchase, borrow, or download new content on the affected hardware.<ref name="kindle2026-pcmag">{{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=April 7, 2026 |access-date=April 8, 2026}}</ref><ref name="kindle2026-register">{{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=April 8, 2026 |access-date=April 8, 2026}}</ref> Amazon's email warned that any affected device deregistered or factory-reset after the cutoff cannot be re-registered and cannot be used "in any way."<ref name="kindle2026-pcmag" /><ref name="kindle2026-register" /> Amazon's only on-record justification was that the affected models had been supported "for at least 14 years, some as long as 18 years" and that "technology has come a long way," with no specific technical reason cited; the company offered affected owners a 20% discount on select new Kindle devices plus an eBook credit, valid through June 20, 2026.<ref name="kindle2026-pcmag" /><ref name="kindle2026-bgr">{{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=April 8, 2026 |access-date=April 8, 2026}}</ref>