Readers like you help support How-To Geek. When you make a purchase using links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Read More.

Barnes & Noble has been selling Nook eReaders since 2009, but internet-connected tech products can't last forever. Several of the company's older eReaders are losing the ability to log into accounts and download books.

The book retailer Barnes & Noble has announced that it is ending support for the Nook Simple Touch (released in 2011), Nook Simple Touch with GlowLight (released in 2012), and the Nook GlowLight (released in 2013). The official end of support will come in April 2024, and in June 2024, the devices will lose the ability to register or sign in with a B&N account, and no new content can be purchased. However, downloaded books will continue to work, and PDF and ePub books can still be copied to the storage.

Importantly, no actual purchased content will be lost after the devices lose support, as the books and other purchases are stored in Barnes & Noble's account system. The company said, "Your full library, including archived content, as well as new digital content purchases are accessible on bn.com, our free Barnes & Noble NOOK Apps for iOS and Android, and on any new NOOK device you purchase."

It's always annoying when devices lose important features after a server shutdown, but the end of support for the old Nook eReaders is somewhat understandable. The oldest device, the Nook Simple Touch, is 12 years old at this point and runs a heavily-modified version of Android 2.1. The newest affected eReader is the 2013 Nook GlowLight, which was sold until around the introduction of the Nook GlowLight Plus in 2015. Barnes & Noble updated all those devices in 2018 to use TLS 1.2, allowing the eReaders to continue working with modern security standards, but now they've reached the end of support.

Barnes & Noble is also running an upgrade offer for anyone with a soon-to-be-unsupported Nook. If you own a Nook Simple Touch, Nook Simple Touch with GlowLight, or Nook GlowLight, you can receive a coupon for $50 off the Nook GlowLight 4e (which usually costs $120). That's a pretty good consolation prize.

Source: Barnes & Noble via Good e-Reader