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Amazon no longer supporting older Kindle models: is your device affected?
Drawing on nearly half a decade at Which?, Natalie helps readers cut through the noise with practical guidance on trending products, pest control, cleaning advice and money-saving tips during the sales.
If you’re still holding on to an older Kindle, a major change is on the horizon. Amazon has announced it will soon end software support for models released 2012 or earlier, limiting how users access new books.
While older Kindle devices won’t stop working completely, their capabilities are about to shrink significantly. Many owners are outraged that their functioning devices may now become unnecessary e-waste.
We walk you through what to expect, what to do with your old Kindle if it's affected and your options if you're after a newer model.
Best e-readers: we've tested a range of the most popular Kindles and Kobo e-readers so you can find the top models
What's happening to older Kindles?
Amazon announced recently in an email to customers that it would be pulling software support for all Kindles older than the 2012 edition on 20 May 2026. A report from the BBC suggests the change will affect up to two million devices.
If you’re using an older Kindle, it will still work but with limitations.
You’ll be able to read any books already downloaded to your device and can continue transferring documents manually using a USB cable. Users' accounts and Kindle libraries will remain accessible on the mobile and desktop apps.
However, affected models will no longer be able to connect to the Kindle Store, meaning you can't browse, purchase or download new ebooks directly on the device.
The affected models include both Kindles and Kindle Fire models:
- Kindle 1st generation (2007)
- Kindle DX and DX Graphite (2009 and 2010)
- Kindle Keyboard (2010)
- Kindle 4 (2011)
- Kindle Touch (2011)
- Kindle 5 (2012)
- Kindle Paperwhite 1st generation (2012)
- Kindle Fire 1st generation (2011)
- Kindle Fire 2nd generation (2012)
- Kindle Fire HD 7 (2012)
- Kindle Fire HD 8.9 (2012)
Amazon has also warned that factory resetting an affected Kindle will render it unusable.
Our ebook readers expert says
It's not surprising that Amazon is ending support for old Kindle models, as this will increasingly become a drag on its resources. However, abruptly ending support with little notice or compensation is unfair to users, who may now need to replace still-working devices just to access new ebooks. It also highlights the downside of becoming too heavily invested in a single company's device and software ecosystem.
What to do with your old Kindle
This decision from Amazon raises concerns about increasing avoidable e-waste.
But you don't have to ditch your old Kindle just yet, as you can still use it to read your already downloaded ebooks.
If you're ready to say goodbye, make sure you check out our advice on how to recycle electrical items to get rid of it sustainably.
Popular Kindles and ebook readers we've tested
We've rounded up a few popular ebook readers from our testing for you to consider, though only Which? members can see how these models performed in our rigorous tests.
Log in or join Which? for unlimited access to our expert reviews in our guide to the best ebook readers.
