Amazon Calls Time on its Earliest Kindle Models, Ceases Support for Everything Prior to 2013
From the first-generation Kindle through to the Kindle Keyboard, DX, and Paperwhite, Amazon is pulling the plug on older eReaders.
Amazon is finally calling time on its earliest Kindle models, announcing the removal of support for everything 2007's original Kindle through to the Kindle Paperwhite from 2012 — plus a selection of its Kindle Fire tablets.
"Starting May 20, 2026 — 14 to 18 years after their initial launches — we are discontinuing support for Kindle devices released in 2012 or earlier," Amazon told Kindle users in a recent email. "Here's what this means for you: You can continue to read books already downloaded on these devices, but you will not be able to purchase, borrow, or download additional books on them after that date. If you deregister or factory reset these devices, you will not be able to re-register or use these devices in any way."
The loss of support will come as a blow to those still using their early-generation Kindles, which gained popularity as some of the easiest-to-use ePaper-based electronic book readers thanks to heavy integration into Amazon's eCommerce ecosystem — and thanks, too, to early models including a cellular modem with free, albeit basic, web browsing at no extra cost.
Amazon has confirmed that the end-of-life announcement covers everything from the original Kindle, launched in 2007, through its second-generation successor, the Kindle DX and DX Graphite, Kindle Keyboard, Kindle 4, Kindle Touch, Kindle 5, and the first-generation Kindle Paperwhite. The end-of-life announcement also covers Amazon's early Android-based Kindle-branded tablets, the Kindle Fire first and second generation and the Kindle Fire HD 7 and HD 8.9.
The company is clearly hoping users will upgrade: the email includes a 20% discount code good for any new Kindle device, along with a $20 credit for electronic books. Many, however, will likely seek alternative means of making use of their still-working hardware — which could include salvaging their displays for use elsewhere or repurposing the whole device as a weather display. Those still wanting to use their devices as an eReader, meanwhile, can find guides to "jailbreaking" their devices to support third-party firmware and software on sites like kindlemodding.org.
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