If you have a Kindle made before 2012, now is the time to dig it out of wherever it’s stashed: if the software isn’t updated before Tuesday 22 March, you’ll be unable to take it online.
That means no syncing read states, no accessing the Kindle store and no buying new books – unless you remember to install the latest update. Kindles download and install updates automatically if they’re connected to Wi-Fi, but if yours is lying unplugged somewhere, it has likely disconnected.
But don’t worry, it’s easy to fix: just plug it in, turn it on and click on “sync and check for items” in the menu. But do it quickly, because come 22 March, you won’t be able to install a new update. Because your Kindle won’t be able to connect to the internet. Because you didn’t install the new update.
There will be a way out of that catch–22 as well, though: download the software update for your specific Kindle from Amazon’s help page, connect your Kindle to the computer, and update over a USB cable. But it’s probably best to avoid the problem before it arrives.
The affected models are every Kindle made before 2012:
Kindle 1st Generation (2007)
Kindle 2nd Generation (2009)
Kindle DX 2nd Generation (2009)
Kindle Keyboard 3rd Generation (2010)
Kindle 4th Generation (2011)
Kindle 5th Generation (2012)
Kindle Touch 4th Generation (2011)
Kindle Paperwhite 5th Generation (2012)
If you’re too late to fix it online, you’ll get the following message on your Kindle screen: “Your Kindle is unable to connect at this time. Please make sure you are within wireless range and try again. If the problem persists, please restart your Kindle from the Menu in Settings and try again.”
