Amazon’s Kindle line of e-readers remains one of the most popular ways to read ebooks, but in terms of the software, the company has moved further and further toward locking things down. Community developers have devised several methods to jailbreak the devices, but Amazon has always been quick to release patches to block them.

However, there is now a new method to jailbreak Kindle devices that works on the latest firmware. Ironically, it does this by taking advantage of the built-in ads that Amazon charges $20 to remove.

Called Adbreak, it injects code into the ad files on your Kindle to jailbreak the device. We won’t go into the complete steps here, but check out Dammit Jeff’s YouTube video below or the Kindle Modding website for more details. Note that some models, like the Colorsoft and Scribe, may not be possible to jailbreak because it’s not possible to enable ads.

After that, it’s just a matter of disabling updates with a simple hotfix, then adding a few more files that enable you to download and install new apps and extensions. One of those extensions blocks updates permanently, so you don’t have to worry about future updates un-jailbreaking your device. You can also install a new app store, called KindleForge.

Importantly, jailbreaking a Kindle has many, many advantages beyond removing ads and evading copyright protections. For starters, it gives you full control of the books that you own, allowing you to drag and drop files onto and off of the device. Without the jailbreak, Amazon encrypts books you add to your Kindle, even if they weren’t previously encrypted.

Beyond that, you can also add KOReader, a more fully featured reading app than the one included with the device. It allows you to tweak nearly everything about the reading experience and unlocks custom screensavers. These can range from simple images to statistics about your reading progress, but they go a long way toward customizing your Kindle to your liking.

The KindleForge app store offers a few other interesting options, including an app that allows you to connect to Bluetooth devices and play audio, flashcard apps, games like Wordle or Minesweeper, and even a Game Boy/Game Boy Color emulator based on the open-source Gambatte core. There’s also a hack to full-screen any webpage, which you can use to turn your Kindle into a dedicated Home Assistant e-ink tablet to control your smart home devices. There’s even a complete fork of Linux with a proper desktop environment.

While it’s possible that Amazon once again patches out the vulnerabilities that allow users to jailbreak Kindles, the Kindle modding scene has grown significantly in the past year. It’s now a great way to revive old, unsupported Kindle models or breathe new life into these affordable e-readers.

Amazon’s Kindle line of e-readers remains one of the most popular ways to read ebooks, but in terms of the software, the company has moved further and further toward locking things down. Community developers have devised several methods to jailbreak the devices, but Amazon has always been quick to release patches to block them.

However, there is now a new method to jailbreak Kindle devices that works on the latest firmware. Ironically, it does this by taking advantage of the built-in ads that Amazon charges $20 to remove.

Called Adbreak, it injects code into the ad files on your Kindle to jailbreak the device. We won’t go into the complete steps here, but check out Dammit Jeff’s YouTube video below or the Kindle Modding website for more details. Note that some models, like the Colorsoft and Scribe, may not be possible to jailbreak because it’s not possible to enable ads.

After that, it’s just a matter of disabling updates with a simple hotfix, then adding a few more files that enable you to download and install new apps and extensions. One of those extensions blocks updates permanently, so you don’t have to worry about future updates un-jailbreaking your device. You can also install a new app store, called KindleForge.

Importantly, jailbreaking a Kindle has many, many advantages beyond removing ads and evading copyright protections. For starters, it gives you full control of the books that you own, allowing you to drag and drop files onto and off of the device. Without the jailbreak, Amazon encrypts books you add to your Kindle, even if they weren’t previously encrypted.

Beyond that, you can also add KOReader, a more fully featured reading app than the one included with the device. It allows you to tweak nearly everything about the reading experience and unlocks custom screensavers. These can range from simple images to statistics about your reading progress, but they go a long way toward customizing your Kindle to your liking.

The KindleForge app store offers a few other interesting options, including an app that allows you to connect to Bluetooth devices and play audio, flashcard apps, games like Wordle or Minesweeper, and even a Game Boy/Game Boy Color emulator based on the open-source Gambatte core. There’s also a hack to full-screen any webpage, which you can use to turn your Kindle into a dedicated Home Assistant e-ink tablet to control your smart home devices. There’s even a complete fork of Linux with a proper desktop environment.

While it’s possible that Amazon once again patches out the vulnerabilities that allow users to jailbreak Kindles, the Kindle modding scene has grown significantly in the past year. It’s now a great way to revive old, unsupported Kindle models or breathe new life into these affordable e-readers.