One in all Kindle’s most helpful options was simply discontinued for no actual motive

When you have a Kindle e-reader and download the books you purchase onto your PC, that course of is about to turn into extra complicated.

In keeping with Kindle customers on Reddit, Amazon is eradicating the power to obtain and switch Kindle books by way of USB. This implies the one option to ship Kindle books sooner or later will likely be over a Wi-Fi connection. It is presently unclear whether or not this impacts just a few Kindle fashions or all of them. The change will reportedly take impact on February 26.

Amazon is sending out the next warning message to some customers after they obtain a e-book: “Beginning February 26, 2025, the ‘Obtain & Switch by way of USB’ choice will not be accessible. You possibly can nonetheless ship Kindle books to your Wi-Fi enabled gadgets by deciding on the ‘Ship or Take away from Machine’ choice.” You possibly can take a look at the unique Reddit thread under.

Associated

The Kindle-like smartphone you’ve been waiting for actually exists

A brand new smartphone from the Minimal Firm is transport quickly that has an E Ink show and a bodily keyboard.

What this implies for Kindle gadgets

It is potential the change is not worldwide

It is essential to notice that this replace doesn’t have an effect on your capability to learn your Kindle books on a number of gadgets. It simply means you possibly can’t obtain a bought Kindle e-book and switch it to your PC by way of USB, making it tougher for Kindle customers to again up books they personal onto their PC for safekeeping. Nevertheless, this modification might not occur all over the place but.

Kindle customers within the UK and Canada report on Reddit not seeing this message pop up when downloading a e-book, simply US Kindle homeowners. It is potential this replace may have a gradual rollout, however that’s not sure. One Reddit user within the US who owns a number of Kindle gadgets says the message pops up earlier than they choose a tool, main them to imagine the replace is not device-specific.

It is unclear why Amazon is doing this precisely. One chance is that the corporate could also be making an attempt to lock down its Kindle ecosystem much more than it already is. Nevertheless, there’s a fix for that. Apparently, the day the ‘Obtain & Switch by way of USB’ choice is reportedly not accessible on Kindles is identical day Amazon is holding a devices and services event in New York Metropolis, which may simply be a coincidence.

Associated

How I jailbreak my Kindle to access thousands of books

With slightly work you possibly can set your personal customized screensavers and even add new studying apps.