It’s 2026 and Kindle ereaders are more advanced than they’ve ever been before, and yet Amazon is still treating Kindles like they’re less deserving than Kindle apps when it comes to certain features.
It’s still not possible to view reading stats, set reading goals, or view achievements from Kindle Challenges on Kindle ereaders.
I received two emails from Amazon over the weakened advertising Kindle-related features, and none of the features are actually available on Kindle ereaders.
One of the emails was about setting a reading goal for 2026, and the other was about the New Year Kindle Challenge. Neither of these things are new; Amazon has basically been doing the same Kindle reading challenges nonstop since 2022. Every time one ends, another begins, and nothing really changes except slight variations to the challenges (in the very beginning you could unlock a $5 ebook credit—now you earn nothing).
We’re going on 5 years of Kindle Challenges now and you still can’t view anything about the challenges directly on Kindles; you have to use the Kindle app to see all the individual challenges and achievements.
If it was going to be a one time thing I could understand it. But after a half decade you’d think that Amazon would find a way to include Kindle ereaders in Kindle Challenges. You can use a Kindle to earn achievements and complete challenges, but you’d never know they even existed on Kindles because you can still only view Kindle Challenges and earned achievements on the Kindle app for iOS and Android.
It’s not like there are animations or videos that would be hard for an E Ink Kindle to pull off; it’s just a list of basic images (bookmarks) and text. So why aren’t these included on Kindles too?
And why can’t we view reading stats on Kindles? A lot of people like keeping track of their reading streaks, and reviewing what books they’ve read over the years. Yet Kindles can’t do that either. You can see all this on Kindle apps and on the Reading Insights page at Amazon, but once again Kindles are left out like unwanted houseguests.
Ikr? It’s like Amazon supports a line I often hear from other people, “why are you buying a separate device when your phone is perfectly capable?”
I also hate how there’s no permanent home to check your Challenges and reading stats on the app. I make sure I don’t clear out my Notifications tab so I’ll always have easy access. Godforbid Amazon uses up space that could be used to sell me more books. I have discovered some wonderful titles and authors through the homepage that I may or may not have found otherwise, but they can’t have a small, dedicated link to check your Challenges on the app or Kindles? Come on.
I, for one, will be perfectly happy if Kindles NEVER get reading stats.
I WISH Kobo had not gone that route. The only real reason for their separate KEPUB format is to provide stats. Everything else can be provided by straight up EPUB.
People should read because they love to, and at the pace that suits them. No one should complicate it by chasing stats. Or comparing their own stats to others stats on social media. Which seems to be the main use folks make of it. Comparison is the thief of joy!
At any rate, I have never, in 60+ years of reading, set reading goals, or kept lists of what I’ve read, or cared one whit about stats or hours spent. Reading is like breathing. I just do it. Stats are not requisite for this activity.
I can agree that if Amazon is doing “Kindle” challenges, they should make those challenges accessible on their Kindle devices. Not doing so is annoying customers for no good reason.
But stats, PHOOEY!
Do we care about our “music listening stats” or our “movie watching stats” or our “snack food attack stats” or our “sitting on our butts being lazy stats”? I’d venture to say that most folks don’t. So why do we need stats for reading?
100%!
Plenty of people do track those things that you’ve mentioned. Smartwatches and food journaling, Spotify Wrapped and Trakt.tv. Kindle users seem proud of their reading streaks.
Amazon likely tracks those detailed reading stats already if you sync with their servers, the difference is that Kobo lets their users view them.
Yes! What does Amazon think it is, my 4th grade librarian? Why do they have these challenges and stats… ? Duh, TO SELL MORE BOOKS.
Now, if they were gonna give me a free book for every 20 I read, like a Starbucks, or Subway card, I might change my tune. Nah, I wouldn’t. I never remember to fill up the rewards cards anyway. And since I can find so many free books in my preferred genres, I’d never qualify.
Like KU. In order to get one of their bargain deals, you have to stand on your head and swing a chicken clockwise around your waist while reciting the alphabet backwards. Plus have the secret decoder ring from the correct box of cereal.
Totally agree! Reading isn’t a competition or about how many books you read but enjoying the experience and paying attention to what you read
The single statistic which explains everything about Amazon hardware is that they lose $5 billion per year from Kindle, Fire & Alexa:
It explains the dramatic drop off in hardware quality, hardware innovation and the marked rise in firmware bugs … all from layoffs in their development teams.
AND it explains their prior move to a walled garden; attempting to force the market into their proprietary system..
AND it explains their recent apparent capitulation on that walled garden as they’ve allowed the WinterBreak jailbreaking hack to flourish for more than a year while retreating on DRM: Evidently, the whole walled garden thing didn’t stem the red ink.
It also explains why their emphasis now is on the Kindle app SOFTWARE vs hardware/firmware features that you’ve observed here.
Things are not looking good in Kindle hardware-land, folks. and the writing is on the wall: Whether the hardware actually goes the way of Fire Phone or not, the losses Amazon is taking on Kindle are not sustainable and something’s gotta give.
Don’t forget that they started their e-reader biz to support their bookstore’s proprietary format but that formula CLEARLY has not been working. Watch for them to add epubs to their store; hyping their app on Android, and getting all kumbaya and whatnot with other e-reader brand users in their store.
Interestingly, the Kindle app and Kindle e-readers have never been so similar as they are now (which has annoyed many people). I believe we are in the midst of a gradual unification process that is still ongoing.