Amazon has discontinued several Kindle services in the past twelve months. A few weeks ago, it discontinued the USB-File Transfer system. A couple of months ago, it discontinued its serialized platform, Kindle Vella. Late last year, it killed Kindle Flashcards. What will Amazon do next? Will customers again be up in arms?
Kindle Firmware Updates
Amazon releases software updates for the latest and previous generations of Kindle e-readers every few months. These updates generally include patch notes and are automatically downloaded and installed when the e-reader is in sleep mode.
Amazon has a firmware download page hosting the latest firmware, which can be downloaded and installed manually. Some people use this method because they don’t want to wait a few days or weeks for it to be done automatically.
This will likely be one of the first things to be discontinued. By eliminating the USB-File Transfer system, Amazon has clarified that it wants all Kindle users to be connected to Wi-Fi and do everything automatically. They will likely use this page to post public patch notes but will no longer allow users to sideload updates.
Kindle Bookclub
Forgive me if you do not know what this is, since Amazon does zero advertising for it. Amazon has its own Book Club.
Amazon Book Clubs went into early access in late 2020. Readers can join public groups focusing on specific genres, such as mysteries, romance, or science-fiction. Book Clubs can be private and invite-only or public. Each club has a little blurb on the focus and their number one recommendation. Clicking on the recommendation takes you to the Amazon listing. I think this is an interesting new system that should have plenty of new features before it officially launches. Many of the top Amazon editors and famous authors have their book clubs recommending a monthly title.
Amazon Book Clubs landing page allows you to search for a book club, start a book club, or configure settings. I like the ability to start a page and have my friends upload books they read or recommend. Amazon also emails you when you join the first club, informing you about key features. It is a simpler and elegant system. Many top clubs with over 100,000 readers have joined it.
Amazon has never advertised their Book Club service, not even a press release, when it first launched. The company does not promote it, nor are they courting well-known or best-selling authors to start their club to reach critical mass. It remains unclear if any top book clubs are making money with people buying print or digital books on Amazon, or earning affiliate fees?
This makes me think this will be another Amazon service that will also be discontinued. It has quietly launched and been running, and most readers don’t even know it exists.
Overdrive support for Kindles
Overdrive is the public library’s most prominent digital distributor in audiobooks, e-books, and other digital content. Many people use their app Libby, to download material from the library and consume it, within the app. Overdrive and Amazon have a signed contract only in the US, for e-books to be automatically sent to the Kindle app or an e-reader.
Library borrowing cannot be done on the Kindle itself. Instead, you need a tablet, laptop, or PC/MAC to access your library’s website. You must then visit your borrowed page and send the book to the Kindle. Not all e-books borrowed from the library support the Kindle, so it can be hit or miss.
Considering Amazon pays Overdrive for this service, which cannot be done on the Kindle itself, it will likely be another service they kill off. Amazon has metrics on this, and I highly doubt anyone uses Overdrive to send e-books to the Kindle.
Other Services
These are less likely to be killed soon, but I believe they are being considered for the chopping block.
VoiceView – Voiceview was created for readers who use assistive technology, namely screen readers. This feature, exclusive to the Kindle Paperwhite, pairs with Bluetooth speakers to read everything on the page out loud. Currently, the Amazon store has more than 12 million screen-reader-supported books, which you need to use these features. There is an exhaustive list of screen interactions involved. Some will likely be killed off.
Word Wise for Definitions – Word Wise is a great tool that lets people read material that may be slightly beyond their reading level without interruption. Children and people learning English are two examples of those who might benefit from it. This feature is currently only available in English. When Word Wise is enabled, simple definitions appear above difficult words. Tapping on the word pulls up a menu with more definitions and synonyms. The level and number of hints displayed can be adjusted within the Word Wise settings. Since Flashcards were killed off, this will be next.
Whispersync for Voice – Whispersync for Voice is a feature that lets you switch between reading and listening to an audiobook on the Kindle. It works across devices, so you can switch between listening on Audible and reading on your Kindle without losing your place. This is most likely to be killed off, since Amazon incorporated Audible support on the current and previous generation e-readers to buy audiobooks directly, and they are pushing Kindle Unlimited to get other content, there simply isn’t enough bandwidth to keep Whispersync for Voice alive anymore.
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.