If you have a older, pre-2012 Kindle that you haven’t updated recently, Amazon is letting customers know that it’s time to do something about that.
This morning, I received an email from Amazon reminding me that I have devices that need to be updated. Now I am being told that unless I update them, I will no longer be able to “continue downloading e-books and using Kindle services.”
According to the email,
If you do not update the devices’ software by March 22, 2016, you will no longer be able to access Kindle services or get the update via Wi-Fi or a wireless connection. To resume access, you will need to manually update the software on each of your Kindle devices.
Note that you WILL still be able to update your Kindle after that date. You will just need to manually download and install the update.
The frustrating thing about the email is that it doesn’t indicate which Kindles need the update. I have two first-generation Kindles that I am not using right now. The devices are currently being stored with batteries removed until to decide what to do with them, so I assume that they are included. However, I also have a DX and Kindle Keyboard which I will now have to double-check to make sure they are up to date.
A lot of people have given or loaned older Kindles to family and friends. Since this is a critical update, you may need to check too make sure the devices are running the most recent version of the software. People who have modified or “jail-broken” their devices may have a problem going forward.
You can find instructions on how to update your particular Kindle model here. If you are not sure if you need to update, there are also links on the page for checking the software version for each model Kindle.
Did you get a notice to update?
The eBook Evangelist 
Reblogged this on Chris The Story Reading Ape's Blog and commented:
In case you missed this important message from Amazon, or Glinda’s blog…
Thanks,Chris!
Welcome Glinda – Important info…
Reblogged this on Kim's Author Support Blog.
Thanks, Kim!
Amazon stopped updating anything older than the PW2, so there’s little chance that they would be yelling at you about your original Kindles. There’s no software for you to install.
No, wait, I am wrong.
And here’s the link I should have included:
http://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?p=3254035#post3254035
And I didn’t get a notice.
Thanks for the link, Nate. I had looked on Mobileread this morning to see if anybody was talking about this, but missed this. There is a thread on KBoards where people are saying that they haven’t gotten a notice yet either: http://www.kboards.com/index.php/topic,230516.25.html They may be rolling them out in batches. 🙂
I didn’t get a notice, but then my Kindle is so old that I can’t even recall the last time (if ever) I updated it. Still… this year might be the year I get a new one. Maybe.
If you leave your wi-fi always on, you may have already be up to date. If so, that makes it easy! Although, you can still buy yourself a new one…. 🙂
Got my notice today, so it seems that I’m not immune!
I got a new one for my second account the day before yesterday. Amazon may be rolling them out in batches so as not to overwhelm the system. There are a lot of old Kindles still in use it seems!
Reblogged this on Shirley McLain and commented:
I’m reblogging this very informative post so you can check to see if your Kindle needs to be updated.
Thanks, Shirley!
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Reblogged this on Brainfluff and commented:
This may be of interest to others like me who have an older device… I haven’t yet had any notice from Amazon that I need to update my ereader, but I shall definitely be checking up to see if I need to!
Thanks, Sarah!
Reblogged this on graemecummingdotnet and commented:
I’ve been having some difficulty downloading a couple of books to my Kindle. I ordered them over a week ago and, because I’ve been on holiday, I haven’t really done anything about it. Having read the following post, I’m beginning to wonder if this is the problem. I need to make some time over the next couple of days to sort this out. Has anyone else experienced problems recently?
Thanks for the reblog, Graeme!
Others have been having the same difficulty you’ve had downloading books. Some people are speculating that one of the reasons for this update is so older the Kindles can continue communicating with Amazon’s servers.
To be fair, you’re the one who deserves thanking for bringing it to our attention. I only picked this up through a re-blog and I could see how important it was to me, so it seemed only fair to let others know in the same way. So, thanks for letting us know.
You are more than welcome! 🙂
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