Amazon has announced that Kindle e-readers and Kindle Fire tablets released in 2012 or earlier will no longer be able to purchase, borrow, or download new content from the Kindle Store starting May 20, 2026. After this date, previously downloaded content will remain accessible on the affected devices.

What Will Change on May 20 and Which Kindle Devices Will Be Affected

After May 20, the affected devices will not be able to connect to the Kindle Store to purchase, borrow, or download titles. Books and content downloaded to the device before that date will remain accessible indefinitely.

Users who registered or factory reset an affected Kindle device will need to re-register the device before May 20. Otherwise, access to the relevant Amazon account library on that device will be permanently blocked.

The following models will lose access to the Kindle Store on May 20:

  • 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's Offer for Affected Kindle Users

Amazon is offering affected device owners a 20% discount on a new Kindle and a $20 e-book credit. The company stated that it will provide more information about the offer and transition by contacting affected users directly via email.

Amazon did not provide a specific technical reason for the May 20 cutoff or clarify whether any server-side infrastructure changes have impacted the discontinuation of support for older devices.