Amazon has announced it will stop supporting Kindle devices released in 2012 or earlier from 20 May 2026, leaving millions of users unable to purchase, borrow or download new books from the Kindle store. The move affects up to 2 million e-readers, including popular models such as the Kindle Touch, Kindle Keyboard and the first-generation Kindle Paperwhite, as well as early Kindle Fire tablets.
Owners will still be able to read books they have already downloaded, and their Kindle library will remain accessible through mobile and desktop apps. However, performing a factory reset on affected devices will render them unusable. Amazon is offering discounts to help users “transition to newer devices”, but many long-time customers have expressed anger online, accusing the company of deliberately creating electronic waste.
Ugo Vallauri of the Restart Project, which promotes electronics repair, told the BBC that making still-functioning devices obsolete was “hardly a good reason for soft-bricking millions of still-functioning devices”. He estimated the change could generate over 624 metric tonnes of e-waste. In contrast, tech analyst Paolo Pescatore described the decision as understandable from a security perspective, noting that older hardware cannot support modern features.
An Amazon spokesperson said the affected devices had been supported for at least 14 years, with some as long as 18 years, and that “technology has come a long way in that time”. The company’s list of discontinued models includes the Kindle 1st generation (2007), Kindle DX (2009), Kindle Keyboard (2010), Kindle Touch (2011) and several early Fire tablets.
