Amazon Clearly Explains How Cutting 3G Will Affect Older Kindles

Last month, we asked Amazon what will happen when AT & T’s planned 3G shutdown in 2022 lands – an important question, as the company’s Whispernet-branded 3G connectivity for many Kindle devices would be affected. because it overlaps the AT&T network. In some cases, such as with particularly old Kindles without Wi-Fi, this shutdown would mean they would stop working altogether. Although the company did not answer our questions at the time, it is now sending an email to affected device owners explaining that they will get a $ 50- $ 70 discount on a new Kindle. and $ 15-25 in e-book credit, and Amazon tells us that 1st-gen Kindle owners get a free Kindle Oasis outright.

The company has released a new help page that offers affected customers more details about the change. The shutdown will affect the 3G / cellular models of Kindle 2 International, Kindle DX, Kindle Keyboard, Kindle Touch, Kindle Paperwhite, 2nd Generation Kindle Paperwhite, Kindle Voyage, 3rd Generation Kindle Paperwhite and Kindle Original oasis. All of these Kindle models (some as recent as 2017) will lose cellular connectivity entirely – in most cases, this was a feature that customers would have paid extra for. However, the Wi-Fi will continue to work.

Some models, like the Kindle DX, Kindle, and Kindle 2, don’t even have to have Wi-Fi to fall back on – they were only 3G and they’ll be totally unable to connect to the internet or the Kindle store. However, you can still upload your own eBook files via USB.

Good night, my sweet Kindle Voyage.

Device owners (or maybe just device buyers, it’s unclear) are getting emails about the shutdown. Those with an affected device are presented with one of three offers. 1st Generation OG Kindle owners apparently get a free Kindle Oasis and cover, Amazon tells us. Owners of 2nd Generation, DX and Kindle keyboards get $ 70 off a new Paperwhite or Oasis, plus $ 25 in eBook credit. Finally, all newer affected devices get a $ 50 rebate on a new model and $ 15 in credit. If you don’t see the email with the offer, sorry: You’re only eligible for the discount if you had a device actively reading between January 1 and July 30 of this year. On top of that, you only get eBook credit after your new device has shipped:

The offer also expires in about two weeks on August 15th, which is a bit lame. Presumably, Amazon doesn’t want customers to stack its “generous” offer with discounts during the upcoming fall offer season.

The Kindle promotion is now live, thanks to a coupon code embedded in the email, which only affected Amazon accounts should be able to use. I’m assuming the eBook credit will land directly on the affected accounts.