I can’t remember the last time I saw quite so much vexation over Kindle changes in my general social media. From Facebook friends to what feels like my whole YouTube feed, everyone is talking about Amazon’s change to the functionality of Kindle books. People are very unhappy.
ALLi News Editor, Dan Holloway
Some are doing what some people always do—generating exaggerated fears and conspiratorial suggestions essentially for clickbait. I was slightly nervous about reporting on it at all because I absolutely don’t want to feed any disinformation or misinformation.
Huge thanks to John Doppler, who has been digging behind the scenes. And the article in The Verge, which seems to have started the panic, has an official comment from Amazon spokesperson Jackie Burke, who says:
“Customers can continue reading books previously downloaded on their Kindle device, and access new content through the Kindle app, Kindle for web, as well as directly through Kindle devices with Wi-Fi capability.”
Amazon Ends USB Transfer for Kindle Books
While confirming the basic premise, the change is explained in a pop-up people are getting:
“Starting February 26, 2025, the ‘Download & Transfer via USB’ option will no longer be available.”
The feature lets people download books to their computer, from which they can send them to their Kindle via a USB transfer. This means that users can do a lot without needing Wi-Fi, which helps people get books onto their Kindle to read in places and circumstances where they otherwise might not be able to.
Why Is Amazon Making This Change?
No confirmation has been given that I can find from Amazon, but speculation seems to center on the older file type that these transfers use on some much older Kindles. Those files are easier to strip of DRM, making unauthorized sharing possible—something Amazon would clearly take seriously.
For those whom this might affect, there are step-by-step instructions on how to use the feature to download the books you have bought so far on lots of YouTube posts such as this one. As hasn’t been made clear as often as it should, you can still transfer over Wi-Fi—just not in this way.
Thoughts or further questions on this post or any self-publishing issue?
If you’re an ALLi member, head over to the SelfPubConnect forum for support from our experienced community of indie authors, advisors, and our own ALLi team. Simply create an account (if you haven’t already) to request to join the forum and get going.
Non-members looking for more information can search our extensive archive of blog posts and podcast episodes packed with tips and advice at ALLi's Self-Publishing Advice Center.
