In case you missed the news, or if you’ve just been putting off the inevitable, Amazon is cutting off all Kindles released before 2013 from their servers as of May 20th, 2026.
That means you will no longer be able to download your Kindle ebooks to affected Kindles after that date, but you’ll still be able to read any ebooks downloaded to those Kindles for as long as they’re working, so now is the time to download all the content you want while it’s still possible.
Some people are reporting that their older Kindles have already been cut off from Amazon, but that may be a technical issue, as others are saying their older Kindles are still downloading ebooks just fine. Either way, it’s a sign the end is getting near, and you shouldn’t delay downloading everything you want now before it’s too late.
With Amazon cracking down on DRM removal, being able to download your ebook files for DRM removal in the future isn’t a given—it’s already a complicated endeavor, and it’s getting more complicated all the time, so it’s a good idea to download your ebooks now for backup while you still can.
Keep in mind, you’ll still be able to sideload ebooks onto older Kindle after May 20th; they just won’t be able to access the Kindle store or download ebooks from Amazon anymore, and other wireless services like Send-to-Kindle and library borrowing will be unavailable as well.
As expected, some Kindle users are frustrated with Amazon for cutting off perfectly functional Kindles, but there’s likely a good technical reason for it given the limitations with 15 year old hardware. All of this being some nefarious plot to get people to buy more Kindles sounds more interesting, though.
Check this earlier article if you’re unsure if your Kindle is going to be affected by this: How to Tell if Amazon is Dropping Support for Your Kindle.
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