Ars Technica
Starting in May, pre-2013 Kindles won't be able to buy or download new books
Post-2013 Kindles will continue to work, even if they no longer receive updates.
https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2026/04/starting-in-may-pre-2013-kindles-wont-be-able-to-buy-or-download-new-books/?utm_brand=arstechnica&utm_social-type=owned&utm_source=mastodon&utm_medium=social
Apr 8 at 3:28pmArsBot 🤖
Show threadGraeme K1d ago
@arstechnica My Kindle Voyage is safe for a brief bit longer.
Show threadSea1d ago

@arstechnica

What's that?

Never trust Kindle, because they're just selling us garbage they don't want to fix?

Oh, surprise, they're owned by Amazon, a very ethical company that is definitely not at the heart of the fascist takeover of the USA. Who would have guessed?

Show threadCasey Peel1d ago
@arstechnica I presume this breaks library downloads as well? Can you follow up Amazon about this?
Show threadKellic Tiger 1d ago
@arstechnica this is why I ripped my kindle ebooks and audible books and removed the DRM. I can now use them on any device. BTW Audiobookshelf is freaking awesome for audio books. Still looking for the equivalent self hosted service for ebooks
Show threadpieceofthepie 1d ago

@KellicTiger @arstechnica With this move they close that loophole.

There is currently no way to strip the new DRM schemes that every other device now uses.

1) Remove web downloads
2) Deliver and use new schemes as a part of newer firmware for newer devices
3) Force different unbroken schemes on older devices
4) Disable all devices too older for even that (we're here)

Show threadOwenT1d ago

@pieceofthepie @KellicTiger @arstechnica last I saw there were still ways to strip DRM, but finding them has become deliberately a bit harder as Amazon started reading the mobileread forums and reacting to new releases.

Personally it got inconvenient to the point where I just stopped buying from Amazon, though: it was overdue.

Show threadKellic Tiger 23h ago
@owent @pieceofthepie @arstechnica https://getlibation.com/ For audiobooks. It worked as of last week. Calibre was what I used last year for ripping my ebooks.
Libation

Libation: Liberate your Library - A free application for downloading your Audible audiobooks

Show threadnackmack1d ago
@KellicTiger @arstechnica I use calibre server
Show threadmaunzCache1d ago
@arstechnica Break free https://kindlemodding.org/
Home

Documentation on the Kindle hacking and internals

Kindle Modding Wiki
Show threadKarol Bieńkowski6h ago
@maunzCache @arstechnica wow its so approachable nowadays..
Show threadGezza1d ago

@arstechnica
Is there a reliable way to know if your kindle is impacted?
The only thing I can see with a date is a welcome letter, April 2012.

TBH, these days (years) I tend to buy dead-tree books in a local bookshop, so this is not going to impact me at all, but I'd like to know.

Show threadDamon L. Wakes1d ago
@arstechnica You can still work around this by getting DRM-free books anywhere but Amazon (and converting them to MOBI if necessary). It's the horrendous storefront that's becoming unsupported - the early Kindles themselves are actually quite good.