Amazon has a decent track record of releasing new Kindle updates regularly, with the latest 5.19.3 software update launched just a few days ago. However, in a surprise turn of events, Amazon has halted the rollout of its latest update, removing it from its site and stopping its deployment on Kindle devices entirely.
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What’s interesting about this update is that it’s not the first time Amazon has released a buggy Kindle update. However, in the past, it hasn’t gone so far as to completely pull one, which indicates that this time, something was broken badly enough to justify stopping the rollout of the update entirely. Exactly what that is, Amazon will probably never reveal.
Update 5.19.3 was initially rolled out for 11th and 12th-generation Kindles, the Kindle Colorsoft, and all versions of the Kindle Scribe, so if you have a newer device, it’s possible your Kindle automatically updated to it before it was pulled.
To check which update your Kindle is on, go to Settings > Device Options > Software updates. If you tap Software updates, and it says you have 5.19.3, that means you already have it, and there’s nothing you can do about it.
Unfortunately, Amazon has never allowed users to roll back to a previous Kindle update after installing the latest one. So, if you have 5.19.3 and are experiencing issues, you’ll need to wait for Amazon to release a new update. Hopefully, since it has stopped deploying 5.19.3 altogether, it means Amazon is working on a new update ASAP to fix any major issues. That said, if you have 5.19.3 and haven’t noticed anything wrong with your Kindle, I wouldn’t stress out about it.
For what it’s worth, I have the 5.19.3 update on my Kindle Colorsoft, and so far, the only two issues I’ve been experiencing are the interface feeling more sluggish than usual and my Wi-Fi suddenly disconnecting.
It is frustrating that Amazon releases an update only to pull it back so quickly, which raises questions about whether it’s testing these updates properly anymore. There are rumors that AI could be behind the increased bugs in Kindle updates, but nothing has been substantiated. Still, I wouldn’t be surprised if AI played a role, especially given the mass layoffs Amazon conducted earlier this year, which affected 16,000 employees. A recent story from The Guardian also highlighted how Amazon is increasingly using AI in everyday operations.
Whatever the case may be, I just hope Amazon gets this whole mess sorted out sooner rather than later and finally fixes some of the Kindle bugs users have been reporting, like excessive battery drain.
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