Do you have a Kindle device? How long ago did you buy it? It doesn’t have to be especially old for there to be something you should never do with it. Because as some users confirm, it can lead to your device becoming a paperweight. Next, we explain what the existing risk is and what you should do to avoid it.
Amazon Kindles are very popular and, as you probably already know, they are one of the best options if we are looking for an eBook. But due to its precision, effectiveness and durability, it is unusual to switch from Kindle unless we have good reasons to do so. So having an old Kindle is quite natural. Due to this, when reading the risk that exists with this type of device, we have not thought too much about sharing the information with you in case you can take advantage of it.
A good idea that ends in disaster
We read about this incident in a publication by journalist David Gewirtz that we then leave you linked as a source at the end of the text. He says that his wife wanted to clean her Kindle and they thought a factory reset was best. And, after doing so, they discovered that, without a doubt, it had been a way of cleaning. But the cleaning was extreme, since when they restarted the terminal they found that there were only two elements installed: the user guide and the dictionary.
At the same time, they discovered that there was no way to download the books they had in their account or include any other items linked to it. As they explored and analyzed what was happening, they discovered that the reason was that the device did not have WiFi support. Instead, it only had a 3G connection. And, as you may know, 3G networks are disappearing around the world. In the United States they are a little more advanced than in Spain and it is already a forgotten technology, while in our country its final end is expected in 2025.
That’s not the only problem
You might think that not having access to a 3G connection would be the main drawback to “reviving” the Kindle, but as Gewirtz mentions, Amazon has already removed this support from many of the older models of the eBook reader. So, even if you had access, it is possible that you would not have the opportunity to download the books via 3G.
Unsure whether they were going to keep the Kindle turned into a paperweight, they continued investigating and discovered several interesting things. For example, it is not possible to transfer books wirelessly on older Kindle models, such as the DX, Kindle 1 or Kindle 2 versions. But what can be done, and here the solution comes into play, is to make a USB connection of the Kindle with the computer and, in this way, transfer the books that we want to have on the device. But, as we now tell you, it is not that easy.
Aside from this, and although the fundamental advice about what we should not do could be “do not factory reset”, what Gewirtz insists on is something very different. What he says we should under no circumstances do is unregister the Kindle from the account. If we deregister it, we will no longer be able to have the opportunity to register it again. As he mentions after speaking with the Kindle technical department, “registrations of old devices are no longer accepted” (old devices being understood as those that have become obsolete).
What solution would we have in that type of case? Let’s think that we have deregistered the old Kindle from our profile and that Amazon no longer has proof that we are owners. This will prevent us from downloading the books, so we will only have one possible option: register a Kindle that is active. This way we can re-download the books we have in our account and then take them to the old or new Kindle. However, at the same time it also mentions that the books that are downloaded with the latest Kindles, at least the newer ones, are in a format that is not compatible with the older Kindles, so this becomes another problem.
Given what we have seen, it is not easy to get out of trouble if we have deregistered the old Kindle, so it is recommended that you do not do it for any reason. The only exception would be if you had two older Kindles registered, and kept one for downloading. But, in any case, it does not seem like a comfortable or affordable solution.
