A discovery that could be worrying for some has just been made by the first buyers of the new Kindles launched last week. Amazon has reportedly removed an important feature.
According to some owners of the new Kindle e-readers, just released last week, Amazon seems to have removed the option to download and transfer eBooks via USB from their account content page.
This mysterious absence on the new models raises many questions. Is this a simple technical bug or a deliberate decision by Amazon? Several clues point to the second hypothesis. Indeed, if the new Kindles appear in the “send to” list, they are curiously absent from the USB transfer option.
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Kindles are missing a very practical feature
As for the basic Kindle of 2024, although it isa simple revision of the 2022 model with a new screen (both classified as 11th generation), only the 2022 model is on the list of devices compatible with USB transfer. The new Kindle Paperwhite 6 is also affected by this restriction.
Last year, Amazon had already complicated the download via the Kindle application for PC and removed the option for Kindle Unlimited books. While this feature may seem obsolete in the Wi-Fi era, it remains crucial for some users, especially those wanting to save their purchases or read their books on non-Kindle devices.
As we recall, this option was introduced in the early days of the Kindle when access to the Internet was less widespread. This disappearance could therefore well portend a major strategic change. Amazon seems to want to strengthen its closed ecosystemmaking it more difficult for users to transfer their library to other platforms.
For now, older Kindle models retain this feature. Although the majority of users favor Wi-Fi downloading, this potential removal may cause dissatisfaction readers keen to maintain control over their digital library.
