Complete Guide to Jailbreaking Your Kindle: Bypass Firmware Lock with Easy Downgrade Solutions

Estimated reading time: 7:31 min.

The modification of eBook readers has now become very popular and has a long-standing tradition. From Sony to PocketBook, Kobo, and Tolino (Root) to Amazon, many models can be customized to user needs beyond basic functionalities in one way or another.

The issue with this, however, is that these modification possibilities often exploit security loopholes in the system (except for Tolino-Root), which is not desirable from the manufacturer’s perspective (or for most users). As a result, these loopholes are often closed with a firmware update, and the opportunity for modification falls by the wayside.

After Amazon closed all known security loopholes with software version 5.7.2 and eliminated the jailbreak option, resourceful hackers at Mobileread found a workaround for the problem. Instead of unlocking the eReader directly, you can now simply downgrade the devices, jailbreak, and then update to the latest firmware version again.

Sounds easy? It basically is. Below, we’ll look at the necessary steps one by one.

As always, note that the steps described below could lead to warranty loss, and we accept no responsibility for any issues that may arise. Therefore: Act at your own risk!

Firmware Downgrade

As mentioned earlier, the first step requires downgrading your Kindle. It doesn’t matter which current model you own. The instructions work for these devices:

The firmware version does not (initially) matter. The downgrade and subsequent Kindle jailbreak work with the following versions:

  • Firmware 5.6 or 5.6.1 to 5.6.5
  • Firmware 5.7 or 5.7.1 to 5.7.4.1
  • Firmware 5.8 or 5.8.1 to 5.8.2.1

Download factory firmware

The real trick of this jailbreak lies in the recently discovered method to reset eReaders to a special factory firmware. First, you need to download this firmware. Choose the appropriate device from the list below.

Note: The files linked above are managed by resourceful Mobileread users. If a file is no longer available, you might find a replacement in the associated topic on the Mobileread forum.

MD5 check, optional but advisable

The firmware itself has the filename factory_XXX_XXX_initial.bin. The MD5 file listed below it can be used to verify if the firmware download was complete and error-free. This is advisable to prevent faulty files from being flashed. There are various MD5 checkers for different operating systems, like this one for Windows.

Conducting an MD5 check after downloading is particularly recommended because the firmware files are several hundred megabytes in size. Premature download interruptions are possible (although I have never experienced this with the linked cloud storage).

This is what a possible MD5 check looks like:

The calculated MD5 checksum must match the one in the MD5 file.

Prepare the Kindle

Before flashing the Kindle Paperwhite/Voyage/Oasis with the factory firmware, you should fully charge the battery, back up the device’s internal storage on your PC, and reset the Kindle to factory settings. Here’s how it’s done. Note: Personal settings cannot be saved this way, only the eBooks on the device.

Connect the eReader using a USB cable and copy all the contents of the “documents” folder to any location on your computer. After the jailbreak process, you can copy the folder back onto the device.

Next, you need to reset the reader to factory settings. To do this, go to the home screen, press the menu button, and select “Settings”.

Press the menu button again and select “Reset Device” (Home screen -> Menu -> Settings -> Menu -> Reset Device).

Confirm the pop-up window with “Yes” and wait until the eReader has restarted.

Proceed with the usual setup process (choose language, set up Wi-Fi, etc.).

Perform the downgrade

Now you can copy the previously downloaded bin file to the eReader:

Reconnect the Kindle with the USB cable to your PC.

Copy the file factory_XXX_XXX_initial.bin into the main directory of the internal storage. This process might take several minutes due to the file size.

Once complete, disconnect the eReader from the PC and go to the device settings.

Now choose “Update Kindle” from the menu and confirm the pop-up with “OK” (Home screen -> Menu -> Settings -> Menu -> Update Kindle).

You’ll need to be patient – the update process takes several minutes. In the end, the device will reboot and you’ll land back on the home screen.

Install jailbreak and hotfix

The groundwork has now been laid to install the jailbreak. For the next steps, either download the jailbreak starter package with the collected files or you can download the listed packages individually directly from Mobileread or GITHub.

Note: Kindle Paperwhite 2 owners need to use this jailbreak and can skip steps 11 to 17.

With the next steps, you’ll now unlock the Kindle: reconnect the eReader to the PC with the USB cable.

Copy the file “main-htmlviewer.tar.gz” (without unpacking it) into the device’s main directory (as you did with the firmware).

Copy the file “Update_jailbreak_hotfix_1.14.N_install.bin” to the main directory of the Kindle as well.

Once done, disconnect the Kindle Paperwhite/Voyage/Oasis from the PC and go to the home screen.

In the search bar, enter the following (including the leading semicolon):

;installHtml

The screen will flicker briefly, go black, and the Kindle will restart. At the end of the reboot, you’ll land on the home screen with the “You are Jailbroken” file (see screenshot).

Now go back to the device settings, choose “Update Kindle” and confirm the pop-up window with OK (Home screen -> Menu -> Settings -> Menu -> Update Kindle).

Update Kindle

The Kindle jailbreak has been successfully installed, allowing you to bring the eReader back to the latest version. You can download the appropriate firmware directly from Amazon.de or use the over-the-air feature via Wi-Fi.

For manual installation, copy the downloaded file to the main directory of the Kindle and follow the known path for updating through device settings (see above). The jailbreak remains intact.

Use jailbreak with KUAL and KOReader

To make the most of your newfound freedom, it is advisable to (optionally) install KUAL.

Kindle Launcher on the home screen

KUAL on Kindle Paperwhite, Voyage and Kindle (2015)

For Kindle Paperwhite 2, Kindle Paperwhite 3, Kindle Voyage, and Kindle Touch 2, the KUAL installation proceeds as follows (steps 18 and 19):

Reconnect the eBook reader to the PC via USB and copy the file “KUAL-KDK-2.0.azw2” from the “4. KUAL” folder (from the jailbreak starter package) into the documents folder (!) of the Kindle.

Disconnect the USB cable and wait a moment until the Kindle launcher shortcut (KUAL) appears on the eReader. Once it appears, start KUAL by tapping on it.

Tip: If you prefer to use the same KUAL cover image as in the screenshot (right) instead of the standard one, you can copy this file to the “developerKUALmetadata” folder on the Kindle and replace the existing “thumbnail.jpg” image.

KUAL on Kindle Oasis 1 and Kindle (2016)

Kindle Oasis 1 and Kindle Touch 3 owners must also install MRPI to use KUAL (steps 20 to 23):

Copy the two folders from the “3. MRPI” directory in the starter package into the main directory of the eReader.

Now copy the file “Update_KUALBooklet_v2.7_install.bin” from the “4. KUAL” folder into the “mrpackages” directory on the Kindle.

Go to the home screen and enter the following into the search:

;log mrpi

The eBook reader will restart shortly after and you’ll be back on the home screen, now with a KUAL book link. Tap on it.

Install and use KOReader

KOReader in action on Kindle Paperwhite 3

Thus, the launcher opened, but it’s still empty. Go back to the normal Kindle home screen and reconnect the USB cable. Now copy the “extensions” and “koreader” directories from the “5. Koreader” folder in the jailbreak package into the main directory of the Kindle Paperwhite/Voyage/Oasis. Confirm any prompts to merge directories and overwrite files with “Yes”.

Finally, remove the USB cable and start the “Kindle Launcher” on the eReader. Here you’ll find the menu items KUAL and KOReader. You’ve now successfully jailbroken the eReader and extended it with an alternative reading program. You can now also make other applications and changes, such as setting sleep pictures or changing fonts.

Useful links:

More about

by
Even before Kindle launched in Germany, Chalid imported his first eReader from the US in 2007, driven by his passion for the technology. As founder and editor-in-chief of ePaper.tech and YouTube Channel "Chalid Raqami" he has tested over 150 eReaders, eInk tablets and other ePaper tech from various manufacturers since 2010. Learn more Learn more
Ad

Kindle

Show all articles