Amazon is facing backlash from Kindle owners after notifying users this week that support for Kindle devices released in 2012 or earlier will end on May 20.
The email sparked immediate panic online, with many readers initially fearing their beloved e-readers were about to stop working entirely — and others expressing frustration that devices they have used for more than a decade are effectively being pushed toward obsolescence.
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Much of the frustration seems less about the devices themselves and more about what they represent. Kindle owners repeatedly pointed out that their 2010 or 2011 devices still do the one thing they need them to do: read books.
On Reddit, many users framed Amazon’s move as another example of planned obsolescence and unnecessary e-waste, especially because these devices are otherwise fully functional. Some commenters on X and Threads said they were considering switching to Kobo rather than buying another Kindle, while others called the change “a nightmare” and “a hostile act of predatory capitalism.”
Across social media, readers described the move as a money grab. Some users said being nudged toward buying a new device, even with Amazon offering trade-in discounts, feels especially out of touch for people who cannot easily justify replacing something that still works.
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There is also a very specific kind of outrage coming from longtime Kindle loyalists who love the quirks of older models, especially devices with physical page-turn buttons. For some readers, older Kindles are more comfortable, more durable, and easier to use than newer touchscreen models. Losing access to the Kindle Store on those devices feels less like an inevitable software update and more like losing a favorite object that has been part of their daily routine for years.
For others, though, the news was less about outrage and more about amazement that some 15-year-old Kindles are still working well enough to make replacing them feel unnecessary. That’s an unusually long lifespan in consumer tech.
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At the same time, some users online have been quick to point out that this is not exactly the end of the road. Many are already sharing workarounds involving jailbreaking, USB transfers, sideloading, and programs like Calibre, which allow readers to manually move books onto their devices.
As Mashable’s resident e-reader expert, Samantha Mangino, noted, “The affected Kindles aren’t necessarily being deactivated; service will just be limited. You can still read the books you have already downloaded to your Kindle per usual… Who’s really losing out are Libby users, who have benefited from the Send to Kindle feature.”
For some longtime Kindle devotees, this change might be enough to sour them on Amazon altogether — and to consider whether it might finally be time to try a different e-reader.
