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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.

But if you have an older Kindle device, you’ll no longer be able to access the Kindle Store on that device starting August 17th, 2022, because Amazon has ended support for the store on older models that lack touchscreen displays.

Amazon Kindle Keyboard (2010/2011)

The change only affects Kindle devices that are at least a decade old, including:

  • 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.

Try to fire it up on an older Kindle, and you’ll be greeted with a message that says “The Kindle Store is no longer available on this device.”

Badcatalex / MobileRead forum

I know there are still some folks out there handing onto those older models, and if you’re one of those people, there is some good news. You can continue to use your Kindle to read eBooks or download eBooks that you’ve already purchased. You’ll just need to use a PC, phone, tablet, or any other device with a web browser to actually buy new books from the Kindle Store. Once a title has been added to your library, you should be able to download it on your Kindle.

What you can’t do anymore is browse, buy, or borrow books from the Kindle Store directly from a Kindle device.

If you’re wondering why even older Kindle devices aren’t on the list, that’s because they’ve already become nearly useless. Amazon’s earliest Kindles didn’t have WiFi and instead 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

This article was first published May 24, 2022 and most recently updated August 17, 2022.

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25 replies on “Older Amazon Kindle devices lose Kindle Store access”

  1. This has even happened to the new models as well and on any device, you can download Kindle! I have a Kindle 10 and I cannot purchase books through the Kindle app. I have to go to the Amazon website to purchase. The same thing with my phone. I cannot purchase books on the app. I have to go to the Amazon website to purchase.

  2. I wish I had known this before I purchased a book for my kindle from Amazon today

  3. saving the planet by artificial obsolesce.I have kindle 4, wifi supported, no 3G sa mentioned but just because it’s without touchscreen I need to buy new one? And now let’s create additional steps, complicate how to access store so that we can just throw away perfectly working devices.

    Nice to see that whole “save the planet” story is applicable just when selling new technology.

  4. Just because I bought a kindle a decade ago should not exclude my from enjoying the continued service and access to the kindle store… Will they do the same thing again in another 10 years? The kindle still works well and there is no real reason to buy another other than lack of continued access to amazon… Very poor follow up service and from the comments people have lost the books they already purchased! Not good enough.. Please give us back our access…

  5. I am 89 years old (90 in July)- and am disgusted with the high handed way in which Kindle is just writing off all older customers – leaving them without access to what they’ve enjoyed for many years..do we all have to follow the modern technology by renewing the Kindle that we have- for the possibly few years that we have left? My Kindle has been wiped clean off all the books in my index and the three books that I purchased and paid for- yesterday- have not been entered or acknowledged in any way – where are they ? Will they arrive on Kindle or be posted- to what address?
    The note stated re my Credit Card-is because of illness and a change of card- now rectified……Eileen Speers

  6. Ummm…I lost access on both my 6th gen. and 7th gen. tablets. Neither are a decade old, both are completely touchscreen accessible. I don’t miss it much, since I’m an iOS gal anyway, and use other, more GUI pleasing e-readers, but it did have a certain convenience now and then.

  7. I have a kindle fire hd8 7th generation and I’ve just received the same advice from Amazon

  8. They better bring back page turning buttons and the ability to turn off the touchscreen on a new Kindle model (entry level price one, not some ridiculous Oasis for $350) by 9/30/22 or I’m switching to Kobo. I’ll pay the extra $79 bucks to Kobo just to send Amazon an F U.

  9. I have an old kindle. Turned it on and I have lost all my downloaded books except four pages. Had 800 books on here not all read. How do I get them back?

  10. Will never buy a Kindle reader because of greedy nonsense like this. If you own a Kindle, you own another ticking eWaste time bomb, just like any mobile phone or Windows computer these days. AT&T just cut off my “obsolete” 2-year old phone. Windows 11 will never run on my “obsolete” laptop. Obsolescence and abandon-for-profit is the business model these days.

    1. You should be glad Microsoft locks you out of Windows 11. Switch to Linux Mint XFCE and be happy.

    2. A decade-old device lost support for natively browsing the store, and you’re upset. You can use your phone or computer to purchase the book and the Kindle will automatically download it.

      It’s not “greed” for Amazon to drop the legacy “non-touchscreen” store after a decade of producing only touchscreen-based devices.

      1. I don’t mind so much having to buy the book with my phone… but the system update they forced on my older kindle has removed ALL functionality, and now I can’t access the menu or settings or ANYTHING – not even the library of books that used to be available, already downloaded to the device! I was to keep this device be cause it was one of the last e-paper kindles with a headphone jack, and the function that would read the text. It was a robot voice, but still nice when my eyes get tired. I want my access to this device back! It still works just fine!

  11. The 3G shutdown is one thing and Amazon deliberately disabling older devices’ functionality to pressure customers to buy new ones is something altogether different; the former may be acceptable but the latter is not. Amazon, eBay, and other companies are colluding with fraudulent sellers on their websites by claiming that goods have been shipped when they haven’t and profiting when customers fail to jump through the hoops to obtain refunds — denying old Kindles access to their store pales into insignificance in comparison with the massive, organized fraud in which Amazon engages. The Federal Trade Commission needs to act; my last two online purchases never arrived because they were never sent, contrary to eBay and Amazon’s false representations to the contrary. Over seven weeks after my purchase, Amazon insisted that the item was “On its way, but running late”, in fact, it’s still claiming this after issuing a refund; when I clicked on “Track package”, Amazon directed me to contact the USPS and provided its phone number — without tracking information! Ever wonder why it’s impossible to get through to the USPS by phone? Until its impending indictment and the resolution of criminal charges, it would be best to stop covering Amazon products altogether.

  12. amazon is worth more than $300 BILLION . WHY THE F**K PUT THE STUPID KINDLE STORE
    B E F O R E THE PEOPLE WHO HELPED YOU WITH THE BILLIONS ????????????????????????????????????????????????
    I WILL NOT PURCHASE ANY MORE KINDLE READERS OR KINDLE BOOKS.

  13. Terrible. This is in essence bricking devices. There needs to be an e-waste bill which forces manufacturers to allow rooting of devices in case there is no more support for the devices. This could allow someone else to step in and provide a working version of the OS, perhaps not even running on the Amazon platform anymore. I refer to it as e-waste because it is a way of recycling old devices to reduce the amount of electronics waste if their usefulness can be extended.

  14. Amazon announced recently that they are adding support for the ePub file format. I wonder if they plan on releasing an update for these affected models.

    Not a big deal either way. I make do with .Mobi files, despite being inferior. And I can still side-load ebooks over USB.

    1. They’re not adding native support for EPUB to the eReaders. They’re adding it to the Send to Kindle program, which means you can email an EPUB file to your Kindle-specific email address (or use a Send to Kindle app) and it will be converted to AZW3.

      So there’s no firmware update required for these older Kindles.

      1. Ah that makes sense. Well I suppose that won’t work for these devices then, as I assume the Send to Kindle feature is probably being discontinued for them too.

        1. Nah, that should still work. Send to Kindle basically sends a document to your Kindle Personal Documents account in the cloud.

          And since Amazon says you’ll still be able to download Store content you’ve already purchased, I don’t see why you wouldn’t be able to continue to download Kindle Cloud docs.

          1. Yeah you’re probably right, if they’re still maintaining their cloud service for the devices, that might still work.

            I’ve actually never used the Send to Kindle feature in the 11-12 years I’ve owned my Kindle. I just transfer over USB.

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