Google Android apps are heavily fragmented. Some apps do not work unless you download the latest update, while others continue to work for years, never prompting you to download the newest version. Amazon has announced that older versions of the Kindle app for Google Android will no longer work after May 26th, 2025. Unless you install the latest version, it will no longer be possible to read e-books.
Amazon has been emailing customers with a Kindle for Android installed on their smartphone or tablet. They outline the minimum version of Android and the version number.
Dear Customer,
We ask you to update your Android device’s Kindle app to the latest available version (Android OS v9.0+). Starting May 26, 2025, the Kindle for Android app versions released before March 2022 (v8.51 or earlier) will no longer support Kindle content downloads. This update will ensure you get the most out of the Kindle experience and that the app operates as intended.
Please follow the steps below to get the latest version of the free Kindle app.How to Update:
1. Open the Settings app on your device. Scroll down and tap System or About Phone/Tablet (this might vary depending on your device).
2. Tap Software Update or System Updates. Tap Check for Updates. If an update is available, follow the on-screen instructions to download and install it.
3. Once you upgrade your device to Android OS v.9.0+, open the app store on your Android device.
Search for the Kindle app. Tap Update to install the latest version.Suppose you are unable to update your app. In that case, you can continue reading previously downloaded content, as well as continue to use Kindle for Web (https://read.amazon.com.au/), a supported Kindle E-reader, or the free Kindle app on iOS, Mac or PC to download and read Kindle content.
Why is Amazon doing this?
Various methods have long been available that allow users to back up their books locally. These methods usually work for a couple of years before they are patched and no longer work. They are patched because Amazon monitors social media, Reddit, and other e-reader communities, and people can’t help but talk about the methods they use to back their books locally. When this is done, they usually strip the DRM from the e-book, leading some to pirate the book for everyone to use.
Older versions of Kindle for PC allowed people to download books they purchased until Amazon forced them to upgrade to the latest version. The Kindle USB Transfer tool worked for years until Amazon shut the system down a few months ago.
Amazon is really just removing everything that involves backing up books. Only a small subset of users really care about this. The vast majority of people just want to buy and read e-books from the Amazon bookstore on their Kindle e-reader or Fire tablet. Sometimes, they read on their smartphone when out and about. Amazon cares about the casual and voracious reader, the people who buy many books.
Michael Kozlowski is the editor-in-chief at Good e-Reader and has written about audiobooks and e-readers for the past fifteen years. Newspapers and websites such as the CBC, CNET, Engadget, Huffington Post and the New York Times have picked up his articles. He Lives in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.