Amazon to end support for older Kindles, prompting user outcry

Amazon to end support for older Kindles, prompting user outcry11 hours agoLiv McMahonTechnology reporterAFP via Getty ImagesAmazon founder Jeff Bezos launched the Kindle-touch" class="entity-link entity-organization" data-entity-id="106251" data-entity-type="organization">Kindle Touch in 2011Amazon has told owners it will soon stop supporting older Kindle models - a move which has left some users outraged.In emails from the tech giant, affected users were thanked for being a "longtime Kindle customer" but told devices released during or before 2012 would no longer receive updates from 20 May.The move will mean owners of older Kindles, including its earliest models such as the Kindle-touch" class="entity-link entity-organization" data-entity-id="106251" data-entity-type="organization">Kindle Touch and some Kindle-fire" class="entity-link entity-organization" data-entity-id="104486" data-entity-type="organization">Kindle Fire tablets, will be unable to download new e-books.Amazon said it has supported affected models for years and their active users have been offered discounts to help "transition to newer devices", but some have criticised it for making up to two million devices "obsolete"."I have a Kindle-touch" class="entity-link entity-organization" data-entity-id="106251" data-entity-type="organization">Kindle Touch that I've had since 2013, it works great, I bought a book on it a few months ago, and suddenly it's obsolete," one X user wrote in a post tagging Amazon.Another frustrated user described the Kindle as "probably one of the most low-tech devices ever made" and queried why Amazon was discontinuing its support for it."A Kindle is a text device! There is no need for updates."Devices affectedIn a statement, an Amazon spokesperson said: "Starting May 20, 2026, customers using Kindle and Kindle-fire" class="entity-link entity-organization" data-entity-id="104486" data-entity-type="organization">Kindle Fire devices released in 2012 and earlier will no longer be able to purchase, borrow, or download new content via the Kindle Store. "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."It says the affected Kindle models are:Kindle: Kindle 1st Generation (2007), Kindle DX and DX Graphite (2009 and 2010), Kindle Keyboard (2010), Kindle 4 (2011), Kindle-touch" class="entity-link entity-organization" data-entity-id="106251" data-entity-type="organization">Kindle Touch (2011), Kindle 5 (2012), and Kindle Paperwhite 1st Generation (2012)Kindle-fire" class="entity-link entity-organization" data-entity-id="104486" data-entity-type="organization">Kindle Fire Tablets: Kindle-fire" class="entity-link entity-organization" data-entity-id="104486" data-entity-type="organization">Kindle Fire 1st Gen (2011), Kindle-fire" class="entity-link entity-organization" data-entity-id="104486" data-entity-type="organization">Kindle Fire 2nd Gen (2012), Kindle-fire" class="entity-link entity-organization" data-entity-id="104486" data-entity-type="organization">Kindle Fire HD 7 (2012), Kindle-fire" class="entity-link entity-organization" data-entity-id="104486" data-entity-type="organization">Kindle Fire HD 8.9 (2012)Users will still be able to read e-books they have already downloaded, and their accounts and their Kindle Library will remain accessible on its mobile and desktop app.Amazon also warned performing a factory reset on affected Kindles will make them unusable.Kay Aaronricks, 46, told the BBC she was surprised by Amazon's announcement - and by the sadness that came with the thought of potentially losing full use of her 14-year-old Kindle."It does show how much of a part that Kindle plays in my life," she said, adding it had allowed her to "take all of my books with me" when working and travelling."I love paper books like anyone does, but the Kindle is more practical," Kay added.Kay AaronricksKay said she was concerned she might be "forced to give up a device that works perfectly" with Amazon's changesKay said she was also concerned about the presence of adverts on some newer, discounted Kindle devices, and how these might alter the reading experience."It's about taking yourself away from reality and disconnecting from advertising, marketing, social media, all those other things that we're surrounded with in life," she said.E-waste concernsTech industry analyst Paolo Pescatore said while Amazon's move may frustrate owners of models which still work, the decision was "understandable from a security and support perspective"."The challenge is that these devices were built for a different era and are not equipped to run newer, more data-hungry services and features," he told the BBC, adding "ageing hardware" can also pose problems.But Pescatore said older devices losing the ability to connect to newer products and services can also "turn a once seamless device into a far more limited offline tool".Ugo Vallauri, co-director of the Restart Project, which encourages repair of electronics, said manufacturers' promises of newer devices offering better performance, when ceasing support for older products, has been seen before."However, that's hardly a good reason for soft-bricking millions of still functioning devices."Vallauri added while the company has said the change would only affect 3% of current users, "this could amount to 2 million devices rendered obsolete according to some estimates, potentially generating over 624 tons of e-waste".