GoKawiilDavid Gewirtz / Elyse Betters Picaro / ZDNET
This article was first published in early 2025 in response to news that Amazon was restricting the ability to download Kindle files to your computer. Now, we're learning about an even more challenging restriction:
As of May 20, 2026, users of all Kindle devices released before 2013 will be completely cut off from the Kindle ecosystem. You will not be able to purchase, borrow, or download new content via the Kindle Store.
In response to this unprecedented and draconian restriction, we're updating this article. Because while you may not be able to access the Kindle ecosystem, you can use your pre-2013 Kindle devices with e-books going into the future. This article will show you how.
Also: Amazon is ending support for 8 Kindle models next month: Is yours on the list?
When my wife's beloved Kindle DX was bricked by obsolescence through no fault of her own, it gave me a frisson of excitement and anticipation to take on Darth Bezos and break open the Kindle so she could once again read her favorite books on one of the largest-format Kindle devices ever made.
The practice is called jailbreaking, and in most cases, it's fairly dangerous.
Jailbreak with caution
For example, it's a very bad idea to jailbreak your phone. According to one study, rooted (jailbroken) Android devices are subject to 3.5 times more malware attacks. Far, far worse are system compromises caused by rooted devices being carried past a company's firewall. Those have surged to 250 times the number on non-rooted devices.
Old Kindles like my wife's DX are obsolete precisely because they can't maintain a network connection. The DX used to connect to Amazon through 3G networks, most of which have been dismantled. So all jailbreaking does on that device is allow some books to actually be read.
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