Armwood Technology Blog

Wednesday, April 22, 2026

Got an Old Kindle? It Might Not Work Anymore. Here’s What to Do.

“Amazon will end support for Kindle and Kindle Fire devices released in 2012 or earlier starting May 20, preventing new content downloads from the Kindle Store. This affects devices like the Kindle 1st Generation, Kindle DX, and Kindle Paperwhite 1st Generation. While existing content remains accessible, users may need to upgrade to newer models or switch to alternative e-readers like the Kobo Clara.

April 9, 2026

A Kindle resting on a wooden surface. — Lauren Sullivan/NYT Wirecutter

By Brenda Stolyar

Brenda Stolyar is a writer covering consumer technology. Her beats include smartphones, tablets, and wearables.

The beauty of a Kindle has always been its simplicity.

You can’t use it to scroll through social media, receive notifications, or multitask. The e-reader’s sole purpose is to display text and provide a distraction-free experience.

Because Kindles are durable devices that can’t do much, they tend to last a long time. Many people have used the same model for years — and some Wirecutter staffers have used their Kindles for more than a decade. But some Kindle owners may end up having to upgrade to a newer version — or ditch their Kindles altogether.

Earlier this week, Amazon notified its customers via email that, starting May 20, it will end support for Kindle and Kindle Fire devices released in 2012 or earlier. That means you’ll no longer be able to download new content to your e-reader via Amazon’s Kindle Store.

Although you don’t have to stop using your old Kindle immediately, the restricted functionality may force you to consider whether you want to upgrade to a newer version or ditch the Amazon ecosystem altogether.

If you own a Kindle that’s no longer supported, Amazon wants you to buy a new one. The company is offering a 20% discount that you can apply toward one of its new Kindle models, along with a $20 e-book credit that will automatically be applied to your account with the purchase of a new device. The promotion will be valid through June 20, exactly a month after the company ends support for its older models.

Here’s what you need to know about Amazon’s decision to sunset its older e-readers and tablets, and what that means for you.

Why Amazon is ending support for older Kindles

If you own one of the following Kindles, you won’t be able to download new books after May 20: Kindle 1st Generation (2007), Kindle DX (2009), Kindle DX Graphite (2010), Kindle Keyboard (2010), Kindle 4 (2011), Kindle Touch (2011), Kindle 5 (2012), and the Kindle Paperwhite 1st Generation (2012). The Fire tablets that will no longer be supported are: Kindle Fire 1st Generation (2011), Kindle Fire 2nd Generation (2012), Kindle Fire HD 7 (2012), and Kindle Fire HD 8.9 (2012).

To check which model you have, go to Settings > Device options > Device infoon your Kindle or Fire tablet. You might see a serial number instead of the model name. If that's the case, Google the serial number to find out which Kindle you own.

Amazon’s decision to end support for devices dating back to 2007 was a surprise to many Kindle users, leaving them with more questions than answers. In a statement to customers, Amazon said that the now-obsolete 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.”

But the company remains tight-lipped on exactly why the technology is no longer supported and the rationale behind the chosen models. According to security experts, it likely comes down to engineering overhead and ongoing maintenance.

“From a security perspective, there may be hardware-specific security vulnerabilities that cannot be patched with software. Rather than recalling a bunch of devices to fix them, it’s easier to issue credits and get people into newer devices than try to figure that out,” said Mark Beare, a cybersecurity expert at Malwarebytes.

There’s less of a security risk for older Kindles and Fire tablets, given their limited features. But Beare points out that devices designed years ago didn’t account for future security vulnerabilities and are difficult to patch after the fact.

“The longer they sit out in the wild, the harder they are to maintain through software updates, and that becomes a significant burden on engineering teams and a broad security risk,” he said.

Amazon says this will impact less than 3% of its Kindle e-reader and Kindle Fire customers worldwide. It’s unclear exactly how many Kindles are in the wild, but market research firm Market Growth Reports estimated that 72 million total Kindle devices had been sold as of 2024. So it’s safe to say that this move will brick a not-insignificant number of e-readers.

“Companies cutting support for devices is a giant and massive, increasing problem,” said Nathan Proctor, senior director of the Right to Repair Campaign with the nonprofit Public Interest Research Group.

“Electronic waste is the fastest-growing global waste stream, so when companies make these decisions, they have huge consequences for the ecosystem, and for the owners of those products,” he said.

Amazon offers a trade-in program to its customers: If you send in your old device, you’ll receive a rebate that you can use to purchase another eligible Amazon device. (The trade-in amount varies depending on the device.) The company says that it “takes unused devices and restores them, making them suitable for resale, or recycles them.” If your device isn’t eligible for a trade-in (and is no longer in good enough condition to resell), the company will help you send it to a recycler that’s “Amazon-approved.”

Devices that are losing support are older, which means the trade-in value will likely be low. The Kindle Keyboard from 2011, for example, can be traded in for up to $5. Keeping it as a memento (or giving it to a relative who’d enjoy the library of books on the device) might be better for the environment. You’ll also still be able to take advantage of the promo code that Amazon is offering if you decide to buy a new Kindle.

What this means for your older Kindle

If you own one of the affected Kindles, you’ll still be able to access all of the books that are already downloaded to your device. However, you’ll no longer be able to purchase, borrow, or download books to your device from the Kindle Store. You also won’t be able to use features like Send to Kindle or third-party app integrations like Libby and OverDrive.

It’s also unlikely that there will be any legal way to download content to your Kindle once Amazon ends support, but we plan to test this ourselves after May 20. And while you can sideload DRM-free (digital rights management–free) titles to the Kindle via USB from open-source platforms (like Project Gutenberg), it’s not the best option from a security standpoint.

“Kindle devices have a relatively small attack surface, and successful exploitation through ebook files is rare, though not impossible,” said Bogdan Botezatu, a senior director of threat research and reporting for cybersecurity software company Bitdefender.

Our advice: Upgrade or switch

Unfortunately, if your old Kindle can no longer download new books, there aren’t many options other than getting a new e-reader.

Amazon’s entry-level Kindle has a bright, 6-inch display, support for USB-C, and great battery life. It’s also compact and comfortable to travel with, so you can read on the go.

If you want to stay in the Amazon ecosystem, we currently recommend the entry-level Kindle for most people. It’s compact and portable, has a bright, 6-inch screen, and supports USB-C charging.

The Kobo Clara is a great alternative to Amazon’s Kindle. It’s just as portable, has a 6-inch display, and comes equipped with adjustable light and color temperature. You’ll also have OverDrive integration for checking out library books.

If you want to venture outside the Kindle ecosystem, we recommend the Kobo Clara BW. Its battery life isn’t as impressive as a Kindle’s, but it comes with a solid 6-inch screen, adjustable light and color temperature, and OverDrive integration for checking out library books.

This article was edited by Caitlin McGarry and Jason Chen.

Meet your guide

Brenda Stolyar

Senior Staff Writer

I write about smartphones, tablets, and wearables. I’m always on a mission to help readers feel less overwhelmed by technology and to make it easy for them to find devices that will enhance their lifestyles for the better.“

Tuesday, April 21, 2026

So This is Peak Smartphone

A Wish List for the Man Replacing Tim Cook as Apple’s C.E.O.

“John Ternus, Apple’s new CEO, is urged to embrace innovation and risk-taking, drawing inspiration from Apple’s past successes with unique products like the iPod and Apple Watch. The company should focus on developing practical and user-friendly AI tools, simplifying its product lineup, and improving its relationship with app developers to regain its edge in the tech industry.

John Ternus, an Apple veteran who runs hardware engineering, will take over an extraordinarily profitable company in need of new ideas.

April 21, 2026, 5:03 a.m. ET

John Ternus, shown in 2018, will inherit a wildly successful company in search of new ideas.Bebeto Matthews/Associated Press

By Brian X. Chen

Brian X. Chen, The Times’s lead consumer technology writer, has covered Apple for more than 20 years.

Apple said on Monday that Tim Cook, its chief executive for the last 15 years, will hand the reins to John Ternus, its head of hardware engineering, in September. The transition, which will happen around the launch of the next iPhone, will end an era of financial highs and a few product lows.

Mr. Cook played the difficult role of carrying the company after the death of Steve Jobs, a founder known for his mercurial leadership, sharp vision and delivery of products that people aspire to own. Although Apple became a multitrillion-dollar company under his leadership, Mr. Cook never shook the perception that he was not a “product guy” like Mr. Jobs.

Many of the best-selling products unveiled during Mr. Cook’s tenure — namely iPhones, Macs and iPads — were iterations of past Apple hardware. At the same time, most of Apple’s new products, such as the HomePod smart speaker and Vision Pro headset, were reactions to similar gadgets from rivals and either too flawed or too late to make a dent in the tech universe.

I found Mr. Cook to be eloquent, charismatic and in command of the details of his company when I interviewed him, but it has been a long time since Apple has had a new, mainstream product hit.

In the end, the next big thing that eventually arrived — artificial intelligence — came not from Apple but from research labs like OpenAI and Anthropic. And because Apple dropped the ball many years ago on its voice assistant, Siri, which could have been a contender in the A.I. race, its chief rival, Google, will be providing the A.I. technology for a future version of Siri.

There’s a lot to reflect on and hope for. As a tech writer who has reported on the company for two decades, I offer my wish list for what Mr. Ternus will do with Apple.

Apple should dare to be weird again.

When Apple was a much smaller company, it experimented with edgier ideas. For one, it introduced all sorts of iPod music players with novel designs, including a tiny iPod with a touch screen, released in 2010. That iPod, which was the size of a belt buckle, initially looked strange to me, but lots of customers quickly realized it could be attached to a strap and worn around a wrist. This inspired Apple’s designers to make the Apple Watch, which was one of the bright spots during Mr. Cook’s term.

Apple should take risks and embrace weirdness again. Give us a robot helper. A chic electric vehicle of some sort. (If not a car, then perhaps a great bike?) Something cool that solves a real problem for consumers rather than for the Wall Street investors hungering for more growth. Some new ideas may fall flat but eventually lead to great products.

Apple could make A.I. less cringe.

One of Apple’s strengths has been making quirky ideas more tasteful and appealing to normal people, not just the techie suburbanites of Silicon Valley. (Exhibit A: Look at the white stubs dangling out of everyone’s ears now.) On that note, A.I. technology could use Apple’s special touch. Chatbots and various A.I. tools are known as much for their abuses as for their benefits — generating so-called deepfakes, cheating in school and infringing copyrights, to name a few.

On the upside, Apple’s A.I. technology, Apple Intelligence, is so limited that it can’t easily be used for nefarious purposes. Now the company has an opportunity to focus on delivering A.I. tools and apps that families can enjoy in positive and constructive ways.

An obvious example is Apple’s A.I. image editor, a “Clean Up” button for automatically erasing photo bombers and distracting objects. It’s a feature that lots of people would find useful, but it currently does a sloppy job at removing objects.

Apple’s latest AirPods, which can automatically translate foreign languages inside your ears, are another practical example of how A.I. can be used in empowering ways. Apple should focus on doing more like this. (An idea off the top of my head: A nicely designed iPad app that uses A.I. to automatically create a study guide or flashcards from lecture notes would be a boon for students.)

Apple should make fewer products better.

Apple now sells so many different models of iPhones, iPads and Macs with slight variations that it’s difficult to keep track of which product does what without a spreadsheet. It’s hard to imagine why some of these products need to exist. (For $1,000, you could get an iPad Pro, which has a faster chip than a normal $350 iPad — or for $600, you could get an iPad Air, which also has a faster chip than a normal iPad.)

While having so many models for lots of different customers sounds nice in theory, consumers trying to buy an Apple product may find the lineup confusing.

There’s another downside to maintaining all those products: Over the last few years, the company has shed lots of talented engineers, and a common complaint is burnout from trying to do too much with too little time.

Apple should repair its relationship with app developers.

In the past, there was a gulf between Apple’s iOS and Google’s Android, which was mostly created by the quantity of apps available for each platform. Apple, which was first to introduce an App Store in 2008, started out with thousands more apps than Google’s app store. Nowadays, Google’s app store, Play, has millions more than Apple’s. And if you were to choose an iPhone or an Android phone, the experience would be mostly uniform because many developers create the same apps for both operating systems.

The differences used to be more distinct. Apps made exclusively for iPhones were more polished and functional than similar apps on Android devices. More polished iOS apps still exist but are outliers, in part because many app developers grew frustrated with Apple’s strict policies. Playing nicer with independent developers would help restore what once made it feel special to be an iPhone user.

Brian X. Chen is the lead consumer technology writer for The Times. He reviews products and writes Tech Fix, a column about the social implications of the tech we use.“