Amazon has stopped supporting older Kindle models.

Many older Kindle e-readers are no longer supported by Amazon. Photo: E-reader.

Accordingly, content that users have purchased or downloaded will not disappear from older Kindle devices, but the device will not be able to connect to the internet to buy, borrow, or download new books.

If you still want to read books on these Kindles, you cannot deregister the device or perform a factory reset. Amazon states that if you perform these actions, you will no longer be able to re-register the device or use it.

“These models have been supported for at least 14 years – some even up to 18 years – but technology has advanced so much in that time, and these devices will no longer be supported in the future,” an Amazon representative told CNET . Amazon said it will notify those who still use them and offer incentives to help them switch to newer devices.

The affected devices include:

- E-readers : Kindle 1st generation (2007), Kindle DX and DX Graphite (2009 and 2010), Kindle Keyboard (2010), Kindle 4 (2011), Kindle Touch (2011), Kindle 5 (2012), Kindle Paperwhite 1st generation (2012);

Tablets: Kindle Fire 1st generation (2011), Kindle Fire 2nd generation (2012), Kindle Fire HD 7 (2012), Kindle Fire HD 8.9 (2012)

The first-generation Kindle launched in 2007, and e-readers have seen many improvements since then. Amazon told Engadget that less than 3% of its users still use these older devices. (Amazon also offers a recycling service for used devices.)

In an email sent to customers, the company stated that users can still access the Kindle library and Kindle store, read and download books through the app on Android, iOS, or computers.

Nathan Proctor, senior director of the Right to Repair campaign at consumer advocacy organization PIRG, argues that consumers should have the right to maintain and use their products for longer. “We’re throwing away too many electronic devices, many of which could be repaired or upgraded,” he said.

Stacey Higginbotham, a technology policy expert at Consumer Reports, argues that ending such support is not beneficial to consumers. “We’re treating connected devices as ‘bound’ by the manufacturer’s software,” she told CNET . “There’s still a lack of transparency regarding consumer protections when they buy software-dependent devices. But the implications are becoming increasingly clear.”

If readers want to move away from the Kindle ecosystem, they have many other e-reader options such as Calibre, Kobo, or Onyx Boox.