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Amazon recently announced that it would stop supporting Kindle and Kindle Fire devices released in 2012 and earlier. Owners of those models will be unable to use the Kindle Store as of May 20, 2026, though they can still read ebooks they’ve already downloaded to the device. Kindle ereaders tend to last a long time, but as a result of this change, anyone who bought a Kindle before 2013 will have a decision to make, as they’re about to lose key functionality.
Here’s the full list of Kindle ereaders impacted by the change:
- Kindle 1st Generation
- Kindle 2nd Generation
- Kindle DX
- Kindle DX Graphite
- Kindle Keyboard (3rd Generation)
- Kindle 4
- Kindle Touch
- Kindle 5
- Kindle Paperwhite 1st Generation
There are other ways to get ebooks onto a Kindle, but none are as easy as buying or borrowing from the Kindle Store. At this point, you might be wondering how to figure out if your Kindle will continue to receive support or if you need to get familiar with sideloading and other alternatives. With that in mind, here’s how to find out which Kindle model you have and when it was made.
Three ways to identify your Kindle model and generation
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There are three ways to find out which Kindle you have. The first and easiest way is to check the device settings. First, swipe down from the top of the screen. Next, tap All Settings > Device Options > Device Info. The model name, generation, serial number, and other information is listed on this page. It doesn’t specify the year it was released, but, as noted above, Amazon has shared a full list of affected models.
If you can’t find a Device Info page in Settings, log into your Amazon account, which has a list of all your connected devices at amazon.com/mydevices. Click the Devices tab and click a device name to get more information, including the serial number and registration date. If that date is from 2012 or before, your Kindle is affected.
The serial number and model number is also printed on the back of your Kindle device. If you do a web search on the model number, you can find its release date and determine whether or not you’ll soon lose access to the Kindle Store.
