From forced software updates that keep breaking things to suddenly removing the ability to download purchased ebooks, Amazon has done a number of things to annoy and irritate Kindle users in recent years. Here’s a summary of some of their more offensive actions:
Removal of D&T via USB for Kindles
This is the latest thing Amazon has done to tick off customers, and it’s causing such a ruckus that people who have never even used the Download and Transfer option, or who didn’t even have access to it to begin with since it’s only for owners of Kindle ereaders, are threatening to stop buying Kindle ebooks and move to a different platform that still offers downloads of raw ebook files for backup and (potential) DRM removal.
The Kindle Colorsoft’s Frontlight Scandal
Amazon released their first Kindle with a color E Ink screen last fall, and things didn’t go well. In fact it was a disaster. Despite Amazon claiming only small number of Colorsoft’s were affected, it seemed like the entire first batch of devices had an issue with a yellow band of light at the bottom of the screen. While things appear to be getting better now, the Kindle Colorsoft remains the lowest rated Kindle ever, and some people are still afraid to buy it because of the frontlight issue.
To a lesser degree, the latest Kindle Paperwhite has received criticism about frontlight issues as well. A few seem to have banding issues too, but most complaints come from people comparing the frontlight to older Kindles and not liking the fact that it’s yellower in tone on the new model.
Mandatory Software Updates on Kindles
Things really started going downhill when Amazon started forcing a new user interface onto older Kindles that people had been happily using for several years with the original interface. It caused a lot of needless confusion and frustration and there was no way to go back to the old interface after a Kindle updated.
All Kindle software updates are forced; customers have no say in the matter. The only way to avoid updates that are constantly changing things (and not always for the better) is to permanently keep your Kindle disconnected from the internet (or by jailbreaking it and disabling OTA updates).
Deleting Sideloaded eBooks
There’s a bug that’s been wiping out sideloaded ebooks on Kindles for several years, and Amazon simply refuses to fix it. It only seems to happen when you sideload ebooks using a computer (Send-to-Kindle ebooks are not affected), and then turn WiFi on after keeping your Kindle in airplane mode for an extended length of time (how long, exactly, nobody knows).
Killing Off the Kindle Voyage and Kindle Oasis
A lot of people liked the Kindle Oasis and Kindle Voyage, and they were the last Kindles to have page buttons, but now Amazon has phased out their premium line of Kindles, along with dedicated page-turn buttons.
Adding DRM to eBooks That are Supposed to be DRM-free
Have you ever noticed how certain ebooks on Amazon have a disclaimer that says, “At the Publisher’s request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.”
That is simply not true. Amazon does apply DRM to those ebooks even when it says that, locking them into the Kindle platform against the request of publishers and authors.
Making it More Difficult to Remove DRM
For years Amazon has actively been making it more difficult to remove the DRM from purchased Kindle ebooks in order to lock users into the Kindle platform. Discontinuing D&T is just the latest action.
Removing Store Access on Older Kindles
A few years back Amazon disabled the Kindle store on the first few generations of Kindles that didn’t have touchscreens.
Releasing the Kindle Scribe with Unfinished Software
When the Kindle Scribe was first released in 2022, the notetaking software was woefully inadequate, so it got rightfully crushed by early reviewers, which gave it a bad reputation that still lingers to this day, even though Amazon has added a number of new features since it first launched.
