Amazon has removed Download & Transfer option

[DNSB]

Originally Posted by vermontcathy

Someone suggested that might happen with older kindles - i.e. that you have to update the software to the latest version to download books. NOT that those kindles will simply stop being able to download books. This is already somewhat the case - I bought an old K4 and couldn't connect to wi-fi (and thus couldn't download books) until I updated the software.

I think you're freaking people out saying that Amazon will "cut off" older models.

Going by @jhowell wrote and his familiarity with Kindles, I tend to take his opinion that there are suggestions that Amazon is planning on cutting off older Kindles from being able to download books fairly seriously. There have also been mention of this possibility elsewhere though there I have no experience with the posters and their reliability. "Once is happenstance. Twice is coincidence. Three times is a pattern".

At this point, those are still possibilities and not graven in stone. OTOH, I would not be all that surprised when owners of older Kindle models start to receive emails stating that as of <fill in date>, your Kindle will no longer be able to download ebooks from Amazon with a sweetener offering something like a $20 credit towards purchasing a new Kindle.

[vermontcathy]

Originally Posted by DNSB

Going by @jhowell wrote and his familiarity with Kindles, I tend to take his opinion that there are suggestions that Amazon is planning on cutting off older Kindles from being able to download books fairly seriously. There have also been mention of this possibility elsewhere though there I have no experience with the posters and their reliability. "Once is happenstance. Twice is coincidence. Three times is a pattern".

At this point, those are still possibilities and not graven in stone. OTOH, I would not be all that surprised when owners of older Kindle models start to receive emails stating that as of <fill in date>, your Kindle will no longer be able to download ebooks from Amazon with a sweetener offering something like a $20 credit towards purchasing a new Kindle.

Where did @jhowell write that older kindles will no longer be able to download books? They wrote (https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sh...&postcount=989) that old versions of K4A (kindle for Android) wouldn't be able to. I'm not seeing any mention of e-ink kindles.

[jhowell]

Originally Posted by vermontcathy

Where did @jhowell write that older kindles will no longer be able to download books? They wrote (https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sh...&postcount=989) that old versions of K4A (kindle for Android) wouldn't be able to. I'm not seeing any mention of e-ink kindles.

See this post.

[vermontcathy]

Originally Posted by jhowell

See this post.

OK, thanks for that. I know there's some precedent because by ending download & transfer, they essentially made K1 and K2 no longer work. And for quite a few years previously, K1 & K2 could not be registered to a new account, because they have no wi-fi and 3G cell service stopped working. But that was at least somewhat out of Amazon's control.

To make all K3, 4, and 5 (and more?) stop working, just in their quest to force DRM, or walled garden, or whatever... that would shock me. I could imagine class action law suits if Amazon didn't give a very hefty discount on a new kindle - significantly more than the -20% +$5 you can currently get on trade-ins.

[j.p.s]

Originally Posted by vermontcathy

Where did @jhowell write that older kindles will no longer be able to download books? They wrote (https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sh...&postcount=989) that old versions of K4A (kindle for Android) wouldn't be able to. I'm not seeing any mention of e-ink kindles.

https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sh...postcount=2669
which is informed speculation.

https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sh...postcount=2678
Which is extrapolating a trend, but still speculation, followed by revealing that he has spotted indications somewhere unspecified that old kindles will not be able to download books from amazon. He doesn't make claims lightly and he should always be taken seriously. In a later post he states that he is reluctant to be more specific, which could inspire suspicion in someone not famialiar with his record.

https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sh...postcount=2703
where he flat out states that this might happen. Again, you might need years of experience with his track record to know just how trustworthy this is. He is usually much more forthcoming, but I believe he probably has good reasons for being coy in this case.

https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sh...postcount=2745
where he provides more details. Please note that no one, possilby even amazon, knows whether or when this will happen. They could decide not to, but it looks like there is evidence that they are preparing to.

[issybird]

Originally Posted by vermontcathy

I could imagine class action law suits if Amazon didn't give a very hefty discount on a new kindle - significantly more than the -20% +$5 you can currently get on trade-ins.

I can’t imagine law suits at all. Seriously. No device lasts forever and no company supports all its devices forever and the ones in question are over ten years old. Moreover, when you buy a Kindle book in the US, you agree that you’re just buying a license. Trying to claim that Amazon’s cheating you because you can’t remove the encryption? Shocked, shocked, etc.

That said, when they removed store access from some of the legacy devices in 2021, some owners were offered a 30% discount on a new Kindle plus a $40 Kindle book credit. There could be something similar; on the other hand, Amazon’s being a lot less generous these days now that the bean-counters are running the show and then there’s the still unknown effect of tariffs to be parsed.

[vermontcathy]

Originally Posted by issybird

Trying to claim that Amazon’s cheating you because you can’t remove the encryption? Shocked, shocked, etc.

This has nothing to do with removing encryption. What is being proposed is that you will not be able to buy a newer book and download it to your older kindle. Period. The kindles will no longer function for downloading new books, and possibly for re-downloading older books to your kindle.

[issybird]

Originally Posted by vermontcathy

This has nothing to do with removing encryption. What is being proposed is that you will not be able to buy a newer book and download it to your older kindle. Period. The kindles will no longer function for downloading new books, and possibly for re-downloading older books to your kindle.

That's fair; however, I assume Amazon's putative stance would be to download your purchased books to your device before XX/YY/ZZ. As for purchasing books going forward? I don't see where Amazon's obligation would extend to legacy devices. Buy a new Kindle or read it on your phone. The rest of my post applies; no company is under obligation to support devices forever. That's just silly, frankly. And there was a strong implication that Amazon was at fault for not making D&T still available for legacy. Also silly.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by issybird

That's fair; however, I assume Amazon's putative stance would be to download your purchased books to your device before XX/YY/ZZ. As for purchasing books going forward? I don't see where Amazon's obligation would extend to legacy devices. Buy a new Kindle or read it on your phone. The rest of my post applies; no company is under obligation to support devices forever. That's just silly, frankly. And there was a strong implication that Amazon was at fault for not making D&T still available for legacy. Also silly.

All of Kobo's Readers except the first two and the mini (officially) have new enough firmware to be able to sync.

[issybird]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

All of Kobo's Readers except the first two and the mini (officially) have new enough firmware to be able to sync.

Well, sure, but that's not necessarily typical. And you did have to qualify the Mini, speaking of which I synced my own Mini earlier this evening. But don't get me started on Fitbit! (My heart is broken about my Fitbit devices.) Or all the moribund Android phones I have around here, which are perfectly capable of working and can hold a charge, but won't update anymore. I could go on.

[bounce]

I've just read through about 15 pages of the thread. Wondering, is this still the working bulk downloader of choice these days? https://github.com/bellisk/BulkKindleUSBDownloader

[Sirtel]

Originally Posted by bounce

I've just read through about 15 pages of the thread. Wondering, is this still the working bulk downloader of choice these days? https://github.com/bellisk/BulkKindleUSBDownloader

It no longer works, because Amazon has disabled Download & Transfer.

[bounce]

Originally Posted by Sirtel

It no longer works, because Amazon has disabled Download & Transfer.

Ah! I assumed the github repo was something unofficial that worked around that. Thanks

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by bounce

Ah! I assumed the github repo was something unofficial that worked around that. Thanks

It was created so you could bulk download your eBooks before D&T was shut down.

[MRM66]

I have always been able to download kindle books and convert them for calibre
This enables me to check in my 4000 books if I should already have a new book I discover.
However since now that is impossible, I have bought a Kobo Clara Colour which I find is great
However a lot of books I want are not available with them.
I read in the garden, so my android tablet has a glare
Will I have to buy a new kindle also now then?
Any suggestions welcome.