Starting May 20, 2026, Amazon is set to discontinue support for older Kindle devices released in 2012 or earlier, and this has sparked frustration among loyal users.
With this change, devices affected—including early versions like the Kindle Touch and the first-gen Kindle Fire tablets—won't be able to buy, download, or borrow new e-books from the Kindle Store anymore. But on the bright side, users can still read the e-books they've already downloaded.
Amazon explained that these devices have received support for up to 18 years, but they can't keep up with the latest features and security needs. To make the transition easier, the company is offering discounts to entice users to upgrade to newer models.
However, some users are not happy about this. They argue that their older Kindles still work fine and don't really need constant updates. There are also worries about the environmental impact, with estimates suggesting that as many as 2 million devices might become obsolete.
Industry experts note that while the decision makes sense considering the limitations of aging hardware, it does risk turning fully functional devices into little more than offline readers.
This raises more questions about sustainability and the future support for gadgets.
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