It may be time to retire your Kindle if you have one of these models, Amazon says

Amazon is phasing out older Kindle devices, with models from 2012 and earlier set to lose support starting May 20. The company has begun notifying affected users via email about the change.

In Short

• Amazon is retiring older Kindles
• The company has already started notifying users about the change
• First- to fifth-generation Kindle and Kindle Fire devices will be affected

Amazon has announced that it will discontinue key Kindle Store features for its older Kindle devices. This will mark the end of support for some of its earliest e-readers, including the Kindle 1st Generation, which was launched in 2007. The change will come into effect on May 20, 2026, and will impact Kindle e-readers and Kindle Fire tablets released in 2012 or earlier.

According to The Verge, after the deadline, users of these devices will no longer be able to purchase, borrow, or download new books directly from the Kindle Store. However, previously downloaded content will remain accessible. This means users can continue reading their existing library without disruption, even after the May deadline.

While reading functionality will continue, older devices that are deregistered or reset after the cutoff date will not be able to reconnect to the Kindle Store. Users will instead need to access new content through newer Kindle models, the Kindle mobile app, or the web version of the platform.

List of devices impacted by the new change

The list of retired devices starts with the Kindle 1st Generation (2007), which was launched with a physical keyboard and scroll wheel. And the list goes on with 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 Gen (2011), Kindle Fire 2nd Gen (2012), Kindle Fire HD 7 (2012), and Kindle Fire HD 8.9 (2012).

Amazon has already begun notifying affected users via email ahead of the transition (May 20, 2026). The report suggests the company is also offering a 20 per cent discount on newer Kindle devices and a $20 (around Rs 1,846) ebook credit for eligible users — to ease the shift. This will be valid till June 2026.

Previously, Amazon has also introduced a notable change to how Kindle eBooks work. The company allows publishers and authors to offer DRM (digital rights management) free eBooks, which can be downloaded in formats like EPUB and PDF, enabling users to read them on a wider range of devices beyond Kindle hardware or apps. However, the feature comes with limitations — adoption is optional, and most major publishers have yet to support DRM-free books due to piracy concerns.

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