Amazon has removed Download & Transfer option

[ratinox]

Originally Posted by tomsem

My Kindle Touch still has Kindle Store access. Why would they cut it off? If that's the case with the K3 and KNT as well, then I don't see this happening soon.

If it's about control over the ecosystem (vendor lock in) and user tracking (privacy invasion) then cutting off devices they don't control is a good reason for Amazon to do exactly this.

What's concerning is Amazon's lack of transparency and vaguely worded announcements. I have a Kindle DX and a DXG which I know are being cut off because no WiFi. But I don't know about the Paperwhite 3. It has WiFi, but it is unsupported by Amazon (not actively developed). Amazon's notices do not specify what constitutes a "supported Kindle device".

[hobnail]

Originally Posted by maddz

A question that's been asked elsewhere: will older wi-fi enabled Kindles still sync over wi-fi, and can you then import the books out of the device memory into Calibre? I don't know the answer as I don't own any Kindle device but it's a question that's been asked by someone I know with a couple of Kindle Keyboards.

I suppose at some point the ability to see the device file tree will be locked down too - probably with a firmware upgrade.

Kindle Oasis 9th generation here. You need to install the KFX plugin on calibre. See https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sh...d.php?t=361503 for its download. What I do is buy the book on Amazon, then wait for it to show up in the Library on the Kindle (bottom right on the screen; took me a while to notice it since I never use my Kindle), then tap the 3 dots thing for the book and select Download. Using their Content web page and the Deliver or Remove from Device button doesn't work for me. You'll also need the DeDRM plugin if you want to convert the book to EPUB, or maybe it's needed regardless. After it shows up on your Kindle, connect it to your PC, then find the books down in the Kindle's Documents folder and drag them into the Calibre window. I then convert the books to EPUB and transfer them to my Kobo. (After all these years of not using my Kindle I'm still amazed at how horrid the Kindle UI is compared to the Kobo.)

[jhowell]

Originally Posted by tomsem

Cutting off Kindle apps has precedence: Amazon doesn't control the OS platforms and isn't going to support versions which the OS vendors themselves have sunsetted.

At some point Windows for PC 4.2.0 will stop working, but I think it will only be done as result of some refactoring or major change to the app that they want to push out (like to make it look like the Android and iOS apps, and let you view Scribe Notebooks).

Cutting of the ability of older apps to download books has been done multiple times even when those apps were still runnable. Kindle for PC version 2.4.0 is being used because the older versions that only download older formats with long-broken DRM have been blocked from downloading newly published books with a totally arbitrary cutoff date. And the reason that the version 2.4.1 and newer are being avoided is the new unbroken DRM that Amazon implemented in that release. It is all about controlling access to books, not technical limitations.

Originally Posted by tomsem

As for hardening on-device DRM they certainly had ample opportunity to do it with the 2024 Kindles, and they did not take that opportunity. So it's not clear they have intention to do that any time soon either.

They did not take that opportunity yet. The next round of hardened DRM is just now being rolled out. Kindle for PC was first with version 2.4.1 in July of 2024. Kindle for Mac version 7.25.1 released this month has new DRM, blocking a potential work-around for Mac users. I find it hard to believe that e-ink Kindles are going to be left out.

The impending removal of Download & Transfer is just one indication of Amazon's ongoing seriousness about keeping their customers from having control over their books.

[maddz]

Originally Posted by hobnail

Kindle Oasis 9th generation here.

Thanks, that's useful to know.

[jmurphy]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

And it's still true today as it was then. BPL is Boston, not Brooklyn.

Wikipedia disagrees.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BPL#Public_libraries

[tomsem]

Originally Posted by ratinox

If it's about control over the ecosystem (vendor lock in) and user tracking (privacy invasion) then cutting off devices they don't control is a good reason for Amazon to do exactly this.

What's concerning is Amazon's lack of transparency and vaguely worded announcements. I have a Kindle DX and a DXG which I know are being cut off because no WiFi. But I don't know about the Paperwhite 3. It has WiFi, but it is unsupported by Amazon (not actively developed). Amazon's notices do not specify what constitutes a "supported Kindle device".

Yes, but it is only D&T going away.

People here are understandably ultra sensitive to the implications for DRM removal and linking it to this move, and assuming the worst case. Vague messaging is nothing new when marketing a brand, and isn't informing us of anything one way or the other.

Support for any Amazon device (to me) includes continuing access to Amazon services, as well as customer support. In the case of Kindles, they are clear about which devices are guaranteed software updates and for how long.

Amazon announced D&T was going away, a few weeks in advance, to customers that were actually using this feature. This is of concern to a very small percentage of people purchasing Kindle books, many or most of whom do not even have Kindles or Fires. It is not the big deal we make of it here.

Access to Amazon's services are what Amazon devices are designed for (Kindle, Fire, Echo/Alexa), and why they continue to make devices. They have not pulled the plug on a single one of these. Fire Phone can still be registered and connect, even though they don't make phones any more, and it has zero trade-in value. Changing this long standing practice would be a much bigger deal.

It will take more than 'vague messaging' to change my 'prior' on this.

[nabsltd]

Originally Posted by maddz

A question that's been asked elsewhere: will older wi-fi enabled Kindles still sync over wi-fi, and can you then import the books out of the device memory into Calibre? I don't know the answer as I don't own any Kindle device but it's a question that's been asked by someone I know with a couple of Kindle Keyboards.

It definitely will depend on the age of the device and the firmware level. A fully patched Kindle 4 Touch will download and sync via WiFi, and you can grab the KF8-format book using Calibre with DeDRM installed and configured correctly.

Registering older devices is a bit of an issue, as you must enable and configure two-factor authentication (2FA) on your Amazon account, then disable it. The registration attempt from your older Kindle with your Amazon username and password will then generate a 2FA token that will be sent to you in whatever way your 2FA had been configured (e-mail, SMS, etc.), and you must then register again with your Amazon username but use the 2FA token (6-digit number) as the password. An alternate that sometimes works is to keep 2FA enabled on the account, and append the token to your normal password.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by ratinox

Please cite your sources, because everyone else here has only ambiguously worded scarey messages from Amazon.

Thank you.

It's how they are interpreting that. I'm interpreting that as the WiFi Kindles are going to be supported. I don't feel Amazon is dropping older WiFi Kindles any time soon given that K4PC downloads mostly KFX and there would be no way to download eBooks to those Kindles. That would be removing perfectly good Kindles for no good reason.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by jmurphy

Wikipedia disagrees.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BPL#Public_libraries

That's not a disagreement. That's just a list of libraries that begin with B. Boston Public Library has BPL in the URL. It's always been BPL.

[jmurphy]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

That's not a disagreement. That's just a list of libraries that begin with B. Boston Public Library has BPL in the URL. It's always been BPL.

All the other libraries listed have always been BPL as well.

[Elaine T]

Originally Posted by maddz

A question that's been asked elsewhere: will older wi-fi enabled Kindles still sync over wi-fi, and can you then import the books out of the device memory into Calibre? I don't know the answer as I don't own any Kindle device but it's a question that's been asked by someone I know with a couple of Kindle Keyboards.

I suppose at some point the ability to see the device file tree will be locked down too - probably with a firmware upgrade.

I have a 2024 paperwhite and just tried because I'm worried about that, too Sometimes the wifi connection doesn't download well and I've been doing the download and transfer.

I chose a random book, downloaded through wifi, plugged the kindle into my pc and brought up Calibre. Told Calibre to show only what was on the device. Saw the newly downloaded volume, and told Calibre to copy to library. It did and I could read the book in Calibre's viewer.

I do have Callibre set to convert anything new to epub, if it isn't already. Epubs tend to behave better, and if anything needs editing I can edit it, where I can't edit a kfx file.

[DNSB]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

And it's still true today as it was then. BPL is Boston, not Brooklyn.

You are totally incorrect, Jon since BPL stands for Burnaby Public Library. Google gives me 3 pages of hits on that library before any others. And it's URL is https://bpl.bc.ca/

Or was that Broadband over Power Line?
Below Poverty Level/Line?
Birthplace?
Barclay's Premier League?
Burlington Public Library?
Bloomingdale Public Library?
Billerica Public Library?
Brimfield Public Library ?
Bethpage Public Library?
Bloomsburg Public Library?
Boston Public Library?
Brooklyn Public Library?
Binary Product Lattice?

And a few pages more of BPL acronyms.

And sadly(?), I could find no evidence that any of the BPL library acronyms is copyrighted or trademarked.

[issybird]

The BPL exchange is ended. Thanks.

[DNSB]

I was asked this question elsewhere but has anyone had any success importing a KFX ebook directly from the /documents/Downloads/Items01 directory on a Kindle? One acquaintance wants to do this without needing to use calibre though I attempted to explain why it's unlikely to work.

[issybird]

Originally Posted by issybird

The BPL exchange is ended. Thanks.

Adding a request that members stop both baiting and rising to the bait. It's predictable and tedious.