Older Kindles will lose their cellular Internet connection by the end of the year. Is yours one of them?

(KTLA) – Amazon has started advising owners of older Kindle reading tablets that their devices will lose cellular internet connectivity by the end of the year.

The reason? Mobile operators are deactivating their old 2G and 3G networks in favor of 4G and 5G.

Older Kindles will lose Internet access entirely. This includes the Kindle (1st and 2nd generation)
and Kindle DX (2nd generation). If you have one, you are out of luck because they don’t have WiFi. You will still be able to read whatever is downloaded, but after the change you will not be able to download new items on those devices.

Other Kindles will lose their cellular connection, but you will still be able to download books using a WiFi connection. These models include:

Kindle Keyboard (3rd Generation)
Kindle Touch (4th Generation)
Kindle Paperwhite (5th generation) / (6th generation) / (7th generation)
Kindle Voyage (7th Generation)
Kindle Oasis (8th generation)

You can identify your Kindle model here.

What if your Kindle is affected? If it’s one of the models that won’t be able to connect at all, it’s time to upgrade. You can get credit for your old device using Amazon’s trade-in program, but spoiler alert, you won’t get much. A 2010 Kindle DX will only net you $ 5.

Alternatively, Amazon sent a $ 50 discount code to use for a new Paperwhite or Oasis. The code is NEWKINDLE50. However, the code expires on August 15, so you don’t have much time to decide if you want to upgrade.

My advice: I wouldn’t do anything. Mobile operators have continued to delay shutting down these old networks, so the deadline may be extended. If your old Kindle still works for you, so be it. Upgrade only if you find yourself unable to download additional books.

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