I own several Kindles, but I almost never pay for books and that is entirely due to my nearly-exclusive use of the Libby app. In case you haven’t heard of it before, Libby connects users to their local library and allows them to download ebooks to a Kindle free of charge. The catch is, like with any library loan, there is a time limit, and if you don’t finish the book within your allotted amount of days, you have to wait until the book is available again to check out.

And while this can be a pain to deal with, especially with longer titles, some enterprising individuals have been using Kindle’s airplane mode to prevent the Kindle from accessing the Internet and keep books past their due date. I myself have made use of this exploit on more than one occasion, as life sometimes gets in the way of finishing those last few pages.

However, unfortunately for me (and other serial procrastinators), Amazon is cracking down on this practice with a new software update that specifically blocks users from accessing books in airplane mode.

Library book readers will now need to connect to Wi-fi to verify their book’s checkout status

Say goodbye to indefinite loans

Good e-Reader reports that those the latest Amazon Kindle update for both the 11th and 12th gen Paperwhite as well as the Colorsoft Signature Edition (software versions 5.19.2 to 5.19.5) are being prompted to connect to Wi-Fi when reading library books offline past their due date. Some Reddit users running older Kindle software (5.19.2 and below) have reported the issue as well, though others say that the exploit still works for users who don’t update their Kindle.

Neither Amazon nor Libby have officially commented about this change, and it seems unlikely that either will address the end of this exploit as it was never acknowledged in the first place. And while the ethics of overstaying a borrowed library book on an e-reader can certainly be debated, I, for one, am going to miss this exploit as it has helped me numerous times get those last few pages in before grabbing my next read.

Kindle Unlimited might be a good option for unlimited lending

It’s not free, but it is useful

I was recently gifted a Kindle Unlimited subscription for my birthday, and while the service isn’t exactly cheap ($12 per month) it does offer an expansive lending library with no due dates, which might be a good option for those of us who struggle with due dates. Naturally, this service is only “worth it” if you average reading more than two books a day ( much like other unlimited services) but if you are looking for a way to rent books for longer periods and don’t mind the cost, this could be a good option.