Kindle Store Not Working – Causes and Troubleshooting Tips

About Kindle Store Not Working, E-book readers, also known as e-book devices, have transformed how we read by providing unmatched convenience and an enormous library of books. 

Among the most sort e-book readers is the Amazon Kindle, which seamlessly blends technology with the timeless joy of reading.

However, like any other technology, you may encounter hiccups, such as Kindle Store not working, which can be frustrating.

Fortunately, I have researched this Kindle malfunctioning and compiled various troubleshooting solutions to help you embark on your literary adventure.

Table of Contents

What is Kindle Store

Kindle store is an online book (e-books) store developed and operated by e-commerce giants Amazon.

The service started in November 2007 with over 88000 titles in the US, which exceeded 6 million digital titles by 2018.

The store is available in over 170 countries and has millions of titles. While you can get free Kindle ebooks in the store, most are premium, although cheaper than hardcopy books.

To get Kindle Store, you will need Kindle apps or Amazon Kindle devices, which are tablets designed to access the store ebooks.

Additionally, note that the store uses your browsing history to recommend an ebook that may suit you.

Reading a book from the Kindle store

Reading a book from the Kindle store

How to Solve Kindle Store Not Working Issue

Check the Network Status of Your Kindle

Since Kindle uses a stable internet to access the store, when you notice it’s not working, first check your connection.

You can easily do this by looking at the network indicator bars at the top right corner of your Kindle device.

Ensure you have at least three full bars; if they are less than that, you have a weak connection.

Fortunately, you can solve this by ensuring you are within the range of your WiFi.

You can also ensure no obstacles, such as walls between your WiFi router. However, if this does not solve the issues, consider restarting your router or modem to clear bugs and network errors.

Additionally, if you notice no WiFi bars noticeable, it could be may your WiFi is in sleeping mode or off. It may also be because your device is disconnected or you have enabled airplane mode.

To solve this, ensure your WiFi is on, your airplane mode is off, and your device’s WiFi setting is on. Also, ensure your device is connected to your WiFi by visiting Settings, Network, then WiFi.

While here, identify and click your WiFi network, enter your credential, and connect.

If you’re using a cellular network, tap on its indicator at the top right corner to turn it on.

Update Your Kindle

If the above solution doesn’t work, it’s time to take your troubleshooting a notch higher and update your Kindle firmware. While Kindle updates automatically, you should ensure it is up to date using the following steps:

  • First, ensure the device is fully charged and connected to WiFI to ensure update downloading and installation completion.
  • From the Home screen, go to Menu and then All Settings.
  • Then select the Advanced option and tap the Update Your Kindle option in the resulting menu.
  • You will get a pop-up saying you are about to update your Kindle device. 
  • Select OK to initiate the update download and installation
  • After it has been updated successfully, your device will reboot automatically to start using the new update.
Reset tablet photo

Reset tablet photo

Amazon account

After registering your Amazon account, the payment you include also applies to your Kindle Store. Therefore if your Kindle Store is not working or you are having issues purchasing books, you can solve the issue using the following methods:

Unlocking Amazon Account

Amazon might limit your account due to suspicious purchasing activities or violating their term of use. However, you can use these steps to unlock a blocked account:

  • Contact customer care via email, phone, or live chat on their page
  • While contacting them, identify yourself properly by providing details as they appear in your account.
  • Then describe your issue and the error notification you are getting
  • Write down the instructions that the customer agent provides and follow them carefully to restore your account
  • Once they unblock your account, you can try to access the Kindle store and see if it works

Monitoring Amazon Account

You can also monitor your account effectively to avoid inconveniences when purchasing books. For example, ensure your payment method is current by logging into your Amazon account and then Manage Membership.

While here, select Edit Payments Settings and add a different payment option or add/remove a credit card. You can also monitor by checking notifications to ensure your account is not blocked.

Additionally, ensure your subscriptions are up to date by visiting Membership and Subscription options on your account. Lastly, ensure you use a strong password to keep off unauthorized access.

Set Correct Date and Time settings

Incorrect date and time settings can also cause the Kindle Store not to work. You can set your date by using the following steps.

  • Visit the device settings and navigate to Device options
  • Now click to open the Date and time
  • Click on the Time Zone settings to select your time zone and set the correct date and time.

Factory Reset and Restart the Kindle

Always use the factory reset method as the last resort when all other methods fail. This technique restores your Kindle to its default settings, thus deleting all the downloads, settings, and other data. However, the method clears many bugs and errors and can be performed using the steps below:

  • While on the Home Screen, visit Settings and proceed to Device Options
  • Now select reset to get a notification to confirm your reset decision
  • Proceed to click yes and wait for a reset to take effect
  • After it’s done, the device will restart automatically, and then you can reconfigure your Kindle

You can also restart your device if it’s not responsive. To do this, just press and hold the power button.

Reset tablet photo

Reset tablet photo

Contact Support

The above methods may not work; the only remaining option is to contact Amazon customer support. You can log into your account and head to their contact us page.

Choose your preferred Amazon contact method, describe your issue, and be sure they will resolve it.

Conclusion

The above methods can help you solve your Kindle not working issue and get into your reading journey. You can use any of them or combine a few to get the best results.