Downloading an e-book to Amazon Kindle via USB will soon be impossible

Amazon is taking further steps to combat e-book piracy and is set to fix a loophole in its Kindle that allowed it to bypass its digital rights management (DRM) system.

According to Android Police, the company has informed users that the “Download and Transfer via USB” feature will stop working on February 26, 2025. This method was used to obtain files in the AZW3 format, which allowed for easy removal of DRM protection.

Amazon has used various e-book formats throughout its history, from AZW to KFX. With each new format, digital rights protection became more complex, but users found workarounds by using older versions of Kindles and transferring files via USB.

Although removing DRM from content is illegal, this has not stopped the piracy community from finding ways to bypass the protection. However, Amazon’s new measures could make it much harder to distribute pirated copies of e-books.

Users will still be able to download books to their devices over Wi-Fi, so most Kindle owners won’t be affected by the changes. However, those who rely on USB file transfers to get around DRM will have to find alternative methods.