Some Kindles will be blocked from millions of books next month, is yours on the list?

Amazon has confirmed that some of its Kindle devices will no longer be able to download new books.

Anyone using an older Kindle may want to consider an upgrade and switch to something new. Amazon has announced that support for several of its ageing e-readers is ending soon. That update means these devices will lose the ability to download any new titles from the Kindle Store. The major change takes effect on May 20, 2026, and impacts models including the Kindle 5 and Kindle Paperwhite (1st Generation).

According to Amazon, these devices will continue to function as normal, and users will retain access to any books already downloaded. However, after the May deadline, no new content can be purchased, borrowed, or added to the Kindle’s internal storage.

“Starting May 20, 2026, customers using Kindle and Kindle Fire devices released in 2012 and earlier will no longer be able to purchase, borrow, or download new content via the Kindle Store,” Amazon told Express.co.uk. “These models have been supported for at least 14 years—some for up to 18—but technology has advanced significantly, and these devices will no longer be supported.”

“We are notifying those still actively using them and offering promotions to help with the transition to newer devices,” Amazon added. “Accounts and Kindle Libraries will remain fully accessible through the free Kindle app and Kindle for Web.”

Affected models include:

Kindle 1st Generation (2007)

Kindle DX and DX Graphite (2009, 2010)

Kindle Keyboard (2010)

Kindle 4 (2011)

Kindle Touch (2011)

Kindle 5 (2012)

Kindle Paperwhite 1st Generation (2012)

Here’s what this means for you if you have one of the affected Kindles.

• You can continue to read books already downloaded on these devices, but you will not be able to purchase, borrow, or download additional books on them after that date.

• If you deregister or factory reset these devices, you will not be able to re-register or use these devices in any way.

If your device is on this list, upgrading may be worthwhile—especially since Amazon has just launched its newest Kindle Scribe devices in the UK.

Originally announced last year, the latest Scribe models only became available on Amazon’s UK site on April 8. These new devices are thinner, faster, and for the first time, include an option with a colour display.

Prices begin at £449.99 for the new Kindle Scribe, while the colour-display Kindle Scribe Colorsoft starts at £569.99.