Changes for Kindle Owners

Amazon is making a big change for Kindle users, and not everyone is happy about it. Starting February 26, 2025, they’re getting rid of the “Download & Transfer via USB” option. This means you won’t be able to download your purchased e-books to your computer for manual transfer anymore. Instead, you’ll have to send them straight to a Wi-Fi-connected Kindle or use Amazon’s apps.

For people who like to back up their books or read on older/non-Kindle devices, this is a pretty frustrating move. While Amazon says any books you’ve already downloaded will still work, new purchases will be locked into their system, making it harder to manage your own e-books.

It’s another step toward Amazon keeping full control over your Kindle library, which has sparked a lot of debate. If you like owning your books outright, this change might make you rethink sticking with Kindle. I suppose this is where I point out again that you can get eBooks through the library!

What do you think—bad move or no big deal?