Amazon is set to discontinue multiple of its early Kindle devices as of May 20, 2026, a move that will prevent users from being able to buy or borrow more e-books on the devices.
In an emailed statement to Global News, Amazon confirmed that “customers using Kindle and 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,” an Amazon spokesperson wrote.
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The impacted devices are listed as:
- Kindle: Kindle 1st Generation (2007), Kindle 2nd Generation (2009), Kindle DX and DX Graphite (2009 and 2010), Kindle Keyboard (2010), Kindle 4 (2011), Kindle Touch (2011), Kindle 5 (2012), and Kindle Paperwhite 1st Generation (2012).
- Kindle Fire Tablets: Kindle Fire 1st Gen (2011), Kindle Fire 2nd Gen (2012), Kindle Fire HD 7 (2012), Kindle Fire HD 8.9 (2012).
Amazon said that the company is “notifying those still actively using them and offering promotions to help with the transition to newer devices,” also adding that “their accounts and Kindle Library also remain fully accessible through the free Kindle app and Kindle for Web.”
Are you a Canadian Kindle user impacted by the discontinuation? Reach out using the form below or email us at shareyourstory@globalnews.ca to let us know what the move means for you, and we may be in touch for future articles.
Nothing beats physical books.
When YOU PAY the kind of money these people charge for KINDLES this is exactly why you should NEVER buy one. THEY get to control how long you get to use what you buy. We had the same problem buying a battery for portable phone system years ago. Paid over $200.00 for it and then could not find the right kind of battery to keep using it so we had to buy another landline phone and, the system was a popular brand name.