Kindle with old (non-updated) firmware

[DanielSt]

Hello everyone, I'm new to the forums here, thank you welcoming me!

I have been happily using my Kindle 7th generation (basic) for years, which has been a lifesaver for me, since I normally get problems (eye problems, brain fog) from looking at screens. However, last month I connected it to wi-fi since the first time I got it, and Amazon automatically updated the firmware. Not only am I not fond of the new home screen, but the change in firmware has resulted in a new display that now causes me the very problems that I have been using the Kindle to avoid. (what, from the new firmware, is causing these problems, even with exactly the same e-ink display, would be another interesting topic of discussion).

Amazon customer support has been unable thus far to roll back the firmware to the previous version.

I am wondering how I could find a used Kindle that has an older firmware (say, older than 2 years ago), i.e., that has not received an update from Amazon in the last two years or so.

Are there any Kindle builds, for example, that Amazon has stopped supporting a long time ago, so that even if their previous owners have connected them to wi-fi recently, this would not have resulted in an automatic update?

Or perhaps there are Kindles that do not have wi-fi functionality, and I could ask their owners if they have recently done a wired connection to their computer that might have enabled an update?

I would be very grateful for your help and suggestions as the Kindle has been (up until now) a lifesaver for me.

Thank you!

[Barbara1955]

Go to Settings and Adjust it to your liking. Even the home screen can be adjusted. Font & Bold.

[Deskisamess]

Can you explain what you mean by a "new display?" Firmware can't change the screen in such a way.

[jhowell]

The newest firmware for the basic 7th generation Kindle is version 5.12.2.2. As far as I know you should be able to turn off the Home screen from the settings menu with that firmware.

I don't understand your other issue regarding a "new display". Could you provide more details?

[DanielSt]

Hi everyone,

And thank you for your answers. The updated firmware results in the text looking different on the screen, and causing me eye problems/brain fog, whereas I did not have them before. I do not know the nature of the changes that result in this effect. I would like to find a used Kindle that has an older version of firmware, because I expect these older versions will be OK for me (as my Kindle used to be before the update).

This is independent of the appearance of the Home Screen. I do not like the new Home Screen, and I did make the change in the preferences which modifies the Home Screen slightly (I still don't like it). But my not liking the Home Screen, or the general appearance of the Home Screen, is a different issue. Along with the new Home Screen, the new firmware results in a different appearance of the text of books and documents on the screen. It is this second matter that causes me the problem.

As to why it causes me the problem, how could a new firmware cause this problem, etc., this is a different and interesting topic (and probably difficult to answer).

I am hoping for advice on how to find a used Kindle with an older firmware that has not been updated for around 2 years or more.

Is there an old Kindle build that is no longer supported by Amazon, for example, that would not have received updates in many years despite being connected to wifi?

Or an old Kindle build that has no wi-fi capability?

If any of you know or might be able to help further, I'd be very grateful. Thanks!

[Canis_lupus]

Sorry you are having problems.

Unfortunately Kindles can’t go back to previous versions. Your Kindle’s latest software is 5.12.2.2, if you are not on that version updating to that might fix the problem.

Experiment inside a book with font choice, size, boldness, line spacing and margins.

Custom fonts were introduced with version 5.9.6. If they are an option on your Kindle maybe a different font would help.

The original Paperwhite stopped at 5.6.1.1 so possibly you might prefer that if you can find a used one where the seller allows returns. Or you can try a new Kindle and see if the problem has been fixed. Kindles can be returned up to thirty days so you have time to see if it works for you.

[DanielSt]

Thank you for your answer. I know that Amazon does not restore Kindles to previous versions (I tried unsuccessfully to get them to do this). And thanks for this suggestion about Paperwhite.

I would be looking for Kindle Basic or DX. Does anyone know if there is a build of Kindle Basic or DX for which support stopped a long time ago and which would accordingly still have older firmware versions installed? Or a build of Kindle Basic or DX that does not have wifi capability?

Thanks again for your help!

[Sirtel]

Originally Posted by DanielSt

Thank you for your answer. I know that Amazon does not restore Kindles to previous versions (I tried unsuccessfully to get them to do this). And thanks for this suggestion about Paperwhite.

I would be looking for Kindle Basic or DX. Does anyone know if there is a build of Kindle Basic or DX for which support stopped a long time ago and which would accordingly still have older firmware versions installed? Or a build of Kindle Basic or DX that does not have wifi capability?

Thanks again for your help!

Non-touch Kindle Basics with buttons certainly haven't gotten updates for a very long time. But they're very old, 10 years by now, so the batteries may be at the end of their life.

[Quoth]

The Kindle Keyboard 3 (graphite) can do KF7 mobi or KF8 kindle. FW 3.x.x something.
The KK2, DX (and the DXG which came out after the KK3) are 2.x something and are abysmal for built in fonts and don't do KF8. The Kindle Keyboard 3 / KK3 / FW 3.x.x is a similar user interface to the earlier FW.

All that era need the batteries replaced, but they are available and easily changed.

[rcentros]

Originally Posted by DanielSt

I would be very grateful for your help and suggestions as the Kindle has been (up until now) a lifesaver for me.

Here's one at eBay that's supposed to be at version 5.6.5. I would write to the seller to confirm that, however.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/30433382284...UAAOSw0oBh8JyV

[DanielSt]

Thank you everyone for these very helpful answers.

Rcentros: Do you know what year version 5.6.5 is from? If it is old enough, I will write to the seller to confirm that this is indeed the version of the Kindle he/she is listing.

Sirtel: I actually did order a used Kindle 4th generation with buttons and no touch screen a few weeks ago, and it turned out that is was equipped with wi-fi after all, and had received a recent update that rendered it unusable to me. I was very surprised about this, since it is quite an old Kindle.

Thanks again!

[rcentros]

Originally Posted by DanielSt

Thank you everyone for these very helpful answers.

Rcentros: Do you know what year version 5.6.5 is from? If it is old enough, I will write to the seller to confirm that this is indeed the version of the Kindle he/she is listing.

The 5.6.5 firmware was released on August 12, 2015 so (I'm guessing) it's probably more like the firmware you're looking for (I think the original release for the Kindle 7th generation was 5.6.0 in 2014 so this is not far off). But I don't know exactly what the issue is with the newer firmware, so it's hard to know for sure.

Originally Posted by DanielSt

Sirtel: I actually did order a used Kindle 4th generation with buttons and no touch screen a few weeks ago, and it turned out that is was equipped with wi-fi after all, and had received a recent update that rendered it unusable to me. I was very surprised about this, since it is quite an old Kindle.

The Kindle 4's basic text layout never really changed, so I don't think the upgrade would have mattered. Series 4 firmware is quite a bit different than series 5 firmware. You would come closer to the Kindle 7th generation "look" with the original Kindle Touch or the original Kindle Paperwhite (5th generation). (The newest firmware for the original Touch is 5.3.7.3. The newest firmware for the original Paperwhite is 5.6.1.1 -- so these would never update above that.) I have a Kindle Touch, if you want I can do some screen grabs to see if the Touch would work for you. (There are a lot of these available on various sites.) You might not like its grey bezel however.

If you did get the Kindle 7th version (and wanted to stay at 5.6.5) I think you can lock it there even if do go online. But you have to set that up before it updates.

I'm sorry Amazon doesn't allow Kindles to be "downgraded."

[Sirtel]

Originally Posted by rcentros

The Kindle 4's basic text layout never really changed, so I don't think the upgrade would have mattered.

Yeah. It's very hard to recommend anything without knowing what the issue really is. There are people who cannot use the frontlight, who cannot use the warm light, who don't like flush screens and so on, but that's the first time I've ever heard about an update on the same device rendering the text unusable.

Have you experimented with different fonts, sizes and boldness levels, with different line spacing and margins? It might be something simple like an unsuitable font. I know I cannot read with many default fonts comfortably.

Perhaps try another brand of ereaders? You can customize a Kobo a lot more than a Kindle, and it's also entirely possible to downgrade it.

And last but not least, are you certain the issue is not psychological? I.e. no matter what the text actually looks like, an update triggers it in any case. (I say that as a person with several psychological issues, so in no way do I mean it to sound condescendingly).

[NullNix]

Originally Posted by Sirtel

Have you experimented with different fonts, sizes and boldness levels, with different line spacing and margins? It might be something simple like an unsuitable font.

Do you use Bookerly? Amazon removed hinting from Bookerly without warning (of course it was without warning, they never tell us mere customers anything), instantly turning the font from something rather pretty into something with a visibly wobbly baseline that to me looks as if it was produced by a 5-year-old. Maybe that did it. There are properly hinted versions of Bookerly around if you look for them: any firmware new enough to have removed the hinting can use that as a custom font -- in AZW3/KFX, at least. MOBI doesn't do custom fonts, so you're still in trouble there.

[Sirtel]

Originally Posted by NullNix

Do you use Bookerly? Amazon removed hinting from Bookerly without warning (of course it was without warning, they never tell us mere customers anything), instantly turning the font from something rather pretty into something with a visibly wobbly baseline that to me looks as if it was produced by a 5-year-old. Maybe that did it. There are properly hinted versions of Bookerly around if you look for them: any firmware new enough to have removed the hinting can use that as a custom font -- in AZW3/KFX, at least. MOBI doesn't do custom fonts, so you're still in trouble there.

If the issue is indeed Bookerly, then it's strange the OP couldn't use the Kindle 4, which has no Bookerly at all.

Anyway, the words "brain fog" remind me of something a poster with a form of dyslexia described - words and letters swimming/dancing before their eyes or becoming incomprehensible when they're tired. AFAIK the use of the right font, margins and line-spacing has helped in the case of dyslexia, but what exactly is right varies from person to person.