If you still enjoy your first-gen Kindle ereader, there’s bad news. Amazon is preparing to pull support for several older Kindle models and Kindle Fire tablets that were originally released before 2013.
On Tuesday, the company confirmed the news after a user in Australia reported receiving an email about the upcoming change, which will occur next month.
Amazon told PCMag: “Starting May 20, 2026, customers using Kindle and Kindle Fire devices released in 2012 and earlier will no longer be able to purchase, borrow, or download new content via the Kindle Store.”
In some good news, the devices will still function. So users can continue to read any existing ebooks on them, or even manually load new content over them. Apps and Amazon services on the Fire tablets won’t be affected either. Still, the company notes: “These 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, and these devices will no longer be supported moving forward.”
“If you deregister or factory reset these devices, you will not be able to re-register or use these devices in any way,” the company added in the email. The affected models include:
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Kindle: Kindle 1st Generation (2007)
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Kindle DX and DX Graphite(2009 and 2010)
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Kindle Keyboard (2010)
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Kindle 4 (2011)
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Kindle Touch (2011)
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Kindle 5 (2012)
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Kindle Paperwhite 1st Generation(2012)
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Kindle Fire Tablets: Kindle Fire 1st Gen (2011)
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Kindle Fire 2nd Gen (2012)
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Kindle Fire HD 7 (2012)
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Kindle Fire HD 8.9 (2012)
The company plans on emailing all affected users in the US about the change. To soften the blow, Amazon plans on offering both ereader and Fire tablet customers “20% off select new Kindle devices as well as a $20 eBook credit that will be automatically added to your account after purchasing a new device (valid through June 20th, 2026, 11:59pm).”
User accounts and their Kindle Libraries will also remain fully accessible through the free Kindle app and Kindle for Web, the company added.
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About Our Expert
Michael Kan
Senior Reporter
Experience
I’ve been a journalist for over 15 years. I got my start as a schools and cities reporter in Kansas City and joined PCMag in 2017, where I cover satellite internet services, cybersecurity, PC hardware, and more. I’m currently based in San Francisco, but previously spent over five years in China, covering the country’s technology sector.
Since 2020, I’ve covered the launch and explosive growth of SpaceX’s Starlink satellite internet service, writing 600+ stories on availability and feature launches, but also the regulatory battles over the expansion of satellite constellations, fights with rival providers like AST SpaceMobile and Amazon, and the effort to expand into satellite-based mobile service. I’ve combed through FCC filings for the latest news and driven to remote corners of California to test Starlink’s cellular service.
I also cover cyber threats, from ransomware gangs to the emergence of AI-based malware. Earlier this year, the FTC forced Avast to pay consumers $16.5 million for secretly harvesting and selling their personal information to third-party clients, as revealed in my joint investigation with Motherboard.
I also cover the PC graphics card market. Pandemic-era shortages led me to camp out in front of a Best Buy to get an RTX 3000. I’m now following how President Trump’s tariffs will affect the industry. I’m always eager to learn more, so please jump in the comments with feedback and send me tips.
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