Going back to May of this year, it was announced that it was older Amazon Kindle e-readers will lose a key function in the future; we are sorry to say that this “future” date has finally arrived.
This key feature is the ability to buy books on the device – yes, it’s a pretty important feature – although you can still send files to the e-reader, so it doesn’t make your Kindle completely redundant.
Affected Kindles are the fourth- and fifth-generation models released in 2011 and 2012, as well as the Keyboard and International models. You can check your Kindle model number in your device’s Settings menu under Device Information, although it may be easier to just check if you can purchase an e-book.
However, you don’t have to throw your Kindle in the trash immediately – as we said, there are still ways to download digital files to your Kindle and keep reading them. In fact, we can imagine that some people don’t even use the built-in Kindle Store, since it’s so much slower and clumsier to use than the website and app.
When you purchase books from the Kindle Store in your computer’s browser, you can immediately send them to your Kindle so that the book is available the next time you connect your reader to the Internet. Also, you can send PDFs and other files to your Kindle and it still works fine.
It should be noted, however, that If you have an Android phone, sending books to your Kindle is pretty easy.
Analysis: Do you need a new Kindle?
Kindle Store workarounds mean your eReader is still good for reading books on the go. However, if you have an older Kindle, there may be other reasons to upgrade.
Devices can lose battery life over time, meaning you don’t get the weeks of reading you’re used to. And your gadget can be broken or damaged due to normal wear and tear during use, especially in the port department, where accidentally inserting a cable can cause damage – mind you, devices that lose the Kindle Store are at least 10 years old.
So, if you have a damaged e-reader, you may want to consider buying a new one and upgrade it to a newer model for the latest features they have brought.
If that’s you, we should probably highlight Amazon Exchange Program (opens in a new tab) for old devices, which allows you to exchange an outdated gadget to get money for a new one. Unless, of course, you want to give your Kindle to a friend who could use it.
Whether you opt for a trade-in or not, there are often some good deals on reading devices, and we’ll share the best ones in your area below:
https://www.techradar.com/news/amazon-kindle-update-is-removing-a-key-feature-for-loads-of-users/
