Amazon and DRM changes

[xyzzy_foo]

Originally Posted by xyzzy_foo

K4PC 1.17.1 (44183) can now download Kindle eBooks published before April 22, 2025 without any problems. This is the same limitation as the more recent version 2.3.0 (70673). I confirmed this with Windows 11, version 23H2.
Surprisingly, they applied the new limitation to all previous K4PC versions, so it appears that previous K4PC versions are "back."

Of course, that version doesn't support KFX, so you'll receive KF8 (AZW3) always.

Just to be sure, I also tested version 1.34.1 (63103), which seems to be another popular K4PC version, and as expected, it can downloads Kindle eBooks from before April 22, 2025 without any issues.
You can also to use a batch file to block KFX downloads.

However, since this also prevents receiving AZW6 files, the best way to get the original quality files remains the BlueStacks K4A method.

[xyzzy_foo]

Originally Posted by Sirtel

And for many countries Kobo has never price-matched at all.

Kobo, officially Rakuten Kobo, is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the major Japanese IT conglomerate, Rakuten Group.

Therefore, while they are a Canadian company, they can be considered Japanese-funded, which might make using a domestic company's platform seem like a more rational choice than Amazon.
Unfortunately, Rakuten Group appears focused on their Rakuten Mobile division and seems to be neglecting Rakuten Kobo. Here in Japan, Amazon.co.jp puts the most effort into price matching, and that's the biggest reason I've continued to choose Kindle.

However, their pre-compiled KFX and KFX-ZIP are truly ugly formats, and I honestly cannot understand how Westerners are satisfied with them.
KF8 (AZW3) is based on EPUB3, and when that format is no longer obtainable, that's when I'll completely say goodbye to Kindle.