Amazon has released an emergency update for its Kindle e-readers. The company warns customers that if they don’t install this update on their Kindle by Tuesday, March 22nd, it will be effectively locked out of the internet. The Kindle will not be able to access the store or sync with the cloud so users won’t be able to download any new books on the e-readers.
This Kindle emergency update has been released for the original Kindle Paperwhite which came out in 2012 and every Kindle e-reader that came before it. Amazon says users will see the following warning if they don’t update their devices by March 22nd:
Your Kindle is unable to connect at this time. Please make sure you are within wireless range and try again. If the problem persists, please restart your Kindle from the Menu in Settings and try again.
Since Kindle e-readers automatically download and install the latest updates when they’re asleep and connected to Wi-Fi, if your device is sitting in a drawer somewhere and isn’t connected to the internet it’s not going to get this emergency update. You’ll have to plug it on, hook it up to the Wi-Fi and manually download the update by going to “Sync and Check for Items” in the menu.