Amazon has removed Download & Transfer option

[haertig]

So is there are there any positives left for buying a new Kindle or for buying eBooks from Amazon?

For me, no. For others, well, they get to decide.

Amazon used to be quite good. I realize they are trying to completely take over the eBook and audiobook market. Thus their move here to further lock eBook purchases to Amazon devices. But over the last few years they have gone downhill in most everything else they sell too. You really have to watch what you buy there now - they sell so much CCC these days.

[hobnail]

If we want to remove the DRM from an Amazon book can we still do that by sending it to our Wi-Fi enabled Kindle and then use USB and transfer it to Calibre?

I download a lot of free books from Amazon by way of ereaderiq.com and then remove the DRM from it and convert it to EPUB and then load it on my Kobo Elipsa. If worse comes to worse I could buy the big Kindle, but compared to the Kobo the Kindle UI sucks big time.

[Sirtel]

Originally Posted by hobnail

If we want to remove the DRM from an Amazon book can we still do that by sending it to our Wi-Fi enabled Kindle and then use USB and transfer it to Calibre?

At the moment, yes. Of course Amazon could harden their DRM any time with a software update.

[Quoth]

Originally Posted by hobnail

If we want to remove the DRM from an Amazon book can we still do that by sending it to our Wi-Fi enabled Kindle and then use USB and transfer it to Calibre?

Maybe only reliably for Kindles that are no longer getting FW upgrades, so no models on 5.17.x or later. So a Paperwhite 3 or Oasis 2 or earlier (KFX). The K3 WiFi still works and it is lowest FW that gives azw3. FW 5.16.2.1.1 works for KFX if you have the right plugins & configured.

Likely not newer Kindles, or new Kindles, for long, if it works today.

[Sirtel]

Originally Posted by haertig

So is there are there any positives left for buying a new Kindle or for buying eBooks from Amazon?

For me, no. For others, well, they get to decide.

There are still a couple of other ways to remove DRM from Kindle books. How long those will last no one knows, of course.

[Byrdie]

Somebody said they saw it on Amazon.ca too? Funny, I just downloaded a couple of today's purchases but didn't see it, just the usual pick which device option. I chose my Kindle, which is an 11th generation Paperwhite from 2023, and had no problem getting my books. Maybe people who have the newest Kindles as well as the older in their accounts are getting the message. My only other Amazon slate is an 11th generation Fire Tablet I bought back in 2021.

[haertig]

Originally Posted by Sirtel

There are still a couple of other ways to remove DRM from Kindle books. How long those will last no one knows, of course.

I would be willing to allow Amazon to access my Kindle for the express purpose of downloading purchases. But nothing else. Since you can't do this, and Amazon will install newer firmware, delete sideloaded eBooks, and track you when given access - I simply leave my Kindle offline 100% of the time.

Download and Transfer via USB allowed me to buy eBooks from Amazon and get them onto my Kindle without allowing Amazon any other access. If/when Amazon shuts down this last pathway to buy books from them without allowing them global access, I simply won't buy any more eBooks from Amazon (I am ignoring the jump through hoops methods like using old hardware, ancient software with hacks, etc.) And I won't buy a Kindle as my next eReader replacement either. What would be the point of that?

I have pretty much weened myself off of Amazon eBook purchases already. A total shut-off is only a minuscule step for me and will be next-to-unnoticeable (for both me and for Amazon).

[jhowell]

Originally Posted by Byrdie

Maybe people who have the newest Kindles as well as the older in their accounts are getting the message.

I have a mix of latest generation and older Kindles and I am not yet seeing the message. I believe it is likely that this was done in a limited fashion to start and that within a few days it will be seen more widely.

It seems that they are trying to make this change quietly by only informing those who are actively using the feature in order to avoid negative publicity. Most Kindle users will probably never learn that this feature is being discontinued until after it is already gone.

[Cactus Chef]

I have an old Kindle (I think it's like a Generation 4) that I can still have books sent to and pull them down that way, but unfortunately the Kindle is too old to be able to download my various comics. What is the *oldest* Kindle I can buy that will be able to download the comic/graphic novel formats for purposes of ripping them?

[cgsmom]

Originally Posted by haertig

I would be willing to allow Amazon to access my Kindle for the express purpose of downloading purchases. But nothing else. Since you can't do this, and Amazon will install newer firmware, delete sideloaded eBooks, and track you when given access - I simply leave my Kindle offline 100% of the time.

I have heard several people mention Amazon deleteing sideloaded books. I have never had that happen. I leave my Kindles connected to wifi all the time and let them update whenever they want. However, I do use Send to Kindle to send my non-Amazon books to my Kindles so all my devices and apps will sync. Is that not the same as sideloading?

[issybird]

Originally Posted by cgsmom

I have heard several people mention Amazon deleteing sideloaded books. I have never had that happen. I leave my Kindles connected to wifi all the time and let them update whenever they want. However, I do use Send to Kindle to send my non-Amazon books to my Kindles so all my devices and apps will sync. Is that not the same as sideloading?

No, it's not. Sideloading is device specific and as you point out, Send to Kindle adds the book to your account. There have been no reports of Amazon deleting Send to Kindle books no matter the WiFi status.

[DNSB]

Originally Posted by Byrdie

Somebody said they saw it on Amazon.ca too? Funny, I just downloaded a couple of today's purchases but didn't see it, just the usual pick which device option. I chose my Kindle, which is an 11th generation Paperwhite from 2023, and had no problem getting my books. Maybe people who have the newest Kindles as well as the older in their accounts are getting the message. My only other Amazon slate is an 11th generation Fire Tablet I bought back in 2021.

That may have been me. I have two PW4s (one which was bought for my sideline in formatting ebooks for some local authors to allow viewing the results on a Kindle eInk device while the other was a recent gift from someone who updated to a newer device). I posted a screenshot of the D&T via USB popup that I am now seeing.

[DNSB]

Originally Posted by cgsmom

I have heard several people mention Amazon deleteing sideloaded books. I have never had that happen. I leave my Kindles connected to wifi all the time and let them update whenever they want. However, I do use Send to Kindle to send my non-Amazon books to my Kindles so all my devices and apps will sync. Is that not the same as sideloading?

The procedure that seems to work to trigger the deletion is you need to sideload books via USB that have an ASIN that matches an Amazon ebook. If you update metadata on calibre, that can happen very easily. Then you leave your Kindle disconnected from WiFi for an extended period (no one is exactly certain but 6 weeks worked for me). When you reconnect to WiFi, Amazon seems to scan your content library for any books with an EBOK cdetype and an ASIN. If their backend says that ebook is not in your content library, it will be removed. The logic behind doing this and the requirement for an extended offline period is not something that Amazon seems to want to talk about.

Sent to Kindle delivers the books to your device with a PDOC cdetype so this will not happen to those ebooks.

[Sirtel]

Originally Posted by DNSB

The procedure that seems to work to trigger the deletion is you need to sideload books via USB that have an ASIN that matches an Amazon ebook. If you update metadata on calibre, that can happen very easily. Then you leave your Kindle disconnected from WiFi for an extended period (no one is exactly certain but 6 weeks worked for me). When you reconnect to WiFi, Amazon seems to scan your content library for any books with an EBOK cdetype and an ASIN. If their backend says that ebook is not in your content library, it will be removed. The logic behind doing this and the requirement for an extended offline period is not something that Amazon seems to want to talk about.

The book might be in your content library, but if it's been de-DRMed and sideloaded, it will still get deleted.

[DNSB]

Originally Posted by Sirtel

The book might be in your content library, but if it's been de-DRMed and sideloaded, it will still get deleted.

Interesting. I did not have that happen though I had several books that met your specifications. The only person I was aware of having that issue did state that he had removed DRM from KU loans and then sideloaded them.