If you own one of Amazon’s pre-2012 Kindles, listen up: there’s a critical update that you need to install if you want to keep using it, and you must do so before March 22nd. If you don’t update you may won’t be able to connect to Amazon’s Cloud, access the Kindle Store, or use any other services through the device.
If you received one of the e-readers for Christmas in 2013, or any time before, you need to make sure your device is updated.
On their website, the Amazon Help Team said:
“Customers using an outdated software version on Kindle e-readers, or that have not connected wirelessly since October 5, 2015, require an important software update by March 22, 2016, in order to continue to download Kindle books and use Kindle services.”
Important: If you do not update your device by March 22, 2016, you will receive the following message on your device: 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. If you see this message on your device on or after March 22, you will need to manually install the latest software update for your device. Go to Fire & Kindle Software Updates for more details.
Steps To update your Kindle:
- From the Home screen of your Kindle, select Menu or tap the Menu icon, and then choose Sync and Check for Items.
- Plug your Kindle in, and leave your Kindle plugged in and connected to a Wi-Fi network overnight.
While asleep, the software update will download and install automatically. Your device may restart multiple times during the update process.
You will get a final confirmation letter titled 03-2016 Successful Update on your device when the update is complete. You can find the letter on your device by viewing all items in your Kindle Library, and then sorting the items by Recent.
To get a full list of devices that need a software update head-up here