Amazon’s Kindle line of devices are designed first and foremost for reading eBooks. But you can also use them to buy eBooks thanks to integration with the Kindle Store. Amazon has certainly gone out of its way to put that store front and center in recent Kindle software updates.
Now Amazon has announced that it’s ending Kindle Store support for some older Kindle devices though. If you’ve got a model that’s 10 or more years old, then you may soon no longer be able to browse the store or purchase books from your Kindle.
Amazon Kindle Keyboard (2010/2011)
Amazon has begun emailing customers who are still using older Kindle models to let them know that “as of August 17, 2022, store functionality will no longer be available,” which means that they’ll “no longer be able to browse, buy, or borrow books directly from these Kindle devices.”
Affected models include:
- Kindle (2nd-gen) International
- Kindle DX International
- Kindle Keyboard
- Kindle (4th-gen)
- Kindle (5th-gen)
In other words, if you’ve got an older Kindle with a physical keyboard or physical page turn buttons instead of a touch screen, then you’re probably going to lose access to the Kindle Store.
You can keep using your device to read eBooks. But if you want to buy or borrow eBooks from Amazon’s Kindle Store you’ll need to do that using a PC, phone or tablet. Once a title has been added to your library you should still be able to download it on your Kindle.
Alternately, Amazon is offering discounts and eBook credit to customers who want to upgrade to a newer device.
If you’re wondering why even older Kindle devices aren’t on the list, that’s because they didn’t have WiFi in the first place and relied on 3G connectivity for internet access. So they already lost access to the Store, along with all other wireless functionality, last year when most wireless carriers in the US shut down their 3G networks.
via /r/Kindle
