Browsing or Buying Ebooks on Old Kindles Gets More Difficult in August
Amazon is sending out an email to owners of some older Kindle models informing them that direct access to the Kindle Store is set to disappear in August.
As Good Ereader reports(Opens in a new window), anyone who still uses a Kindle (2nd Gen) International, Kindle DX International, Kindle Keyboard, Kindle (4th Gen), or Kindle (5th Gen) will lose access to the Kindle Store on their device from August. It means you won't be able to browse, buy, or borrow ebooks directly on these Kindles anymore.
The good news is, ebooks will continue to be accessible on these Kindle models, and you can still buy and transfer ebooks to them, but the purchasing will need to be carried out through the Amazon website on another device.
No clear reason has been forthcoming as to why this restriction is being introduced, but Good Ereader suspects it's because these older models only support Transport Layer Security (TLS) 1.0 and 1.1, with no way to update them to more recent versions.
If this all sounds a bit familiar, it's probably because late last year old Kindles started losing internet access. That wasn't actually Amazon's fault, because the lack of access was due to old models relying on access via 3G, and telecomms companies have been shutting down their 3G networks recently.
If you own one of these old Kindles and receive the email explaining the change, be sure to read it all the way through. Apparently Amazon is running a similar promotion to the one offered when 3G access disappeared. The email should contain a promotional code offering 30% off a new Kindle as well as $40 of credit towards new ebooks. It means you can upgrade to the latest model of the Kindle, Kindle Paperwhite, or Kindle Oasis without having to pay full price.
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