How to Jailbreak Your Kindle

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Last week we learned that you can jailbreak any current Kindle model . Moreover, although this process takes a little time, it is also quite easy to do. The end result is a Kindle that is a little nicer to use. Here’s how to do it.

Why you should jailbreak your Kindle

Unlike an e-book like the Nook , you can’t jailbreak your Kindle, but you can add some features like custom screensavers, an improved PDF reader, and more.

In my case, I started the jailbreak for one simple reason: I needed the cover of the book I’m currently reading as a splash screen, not some stupid pen image. So, this is one of the reasons you want to jailbreak, and aside from the cover art, you can actually change the screensaver to whatever image you want , provided that you’ve paid a $ 20 ransom to remove the specials from your Kindle.

Of course, it’s not just about custom splash screens. You can also add your own fonts , a terminal app , interactive novel readers , an improved PDF reader , a VNC client that lets you use your Kindle as a low-power display , a video player, and even a much-improved book jailbreak. collection managers . MobileRead highlights all the different apps and hacks you can install after a jailbreak, in case you’re wondering what exactly you can do with it.

Step 1. Back up your device and restore factory default settings.

This guide is about hacking Paperwhite 2 & 3, Kindle Touch 2 & 3, Kindle Voyage and Kindle Oasis. If you have an older model, head over to MobileRead for a variety of different tutorials .

First of all, you want to back up your device before restoring it to its default settings. This will delete everything on your Kindle. Since this is an Amazon device, you can download whatever you purchased from Amazon after you start it up again, but it is recommended that you back up everything in case something goes wrong.

  1. Connect your Kindle to your computer using a USB cable.
  2. Copy the contents of the Kindle’s Documents folder to your computer. These are all your books and all the files you’ve sent to your Kindle.

Once that is complete, it’s time to factory reset your Kindle. This will erase its contents, get rid of your settings and any saved passwords. On your Kindle, tap the menu icon (three dots or three lines in the upper right corner)> Settings, then tap the menu icon (again)> Reset Device. Your Kindle will now clean itself and restart itself. This may take a few minutes, so sit back and relax.

Step two: downgrade your Kindle

To jailbreak your Kindle, you need to downgrade it, which means restoring to an older version of the Kindle firmware that is compatible with the jailbreak. Don’t worry if you are a fan of the new features in the new firmware, you can restore this firmware after the jailbreak is complete and still install all the software you need.

Before you do anything else, you need to find out which Kindle model you have. Go to this page on MobileRead to find your model number by serial number. To find your serial number, simply grab your Kindle, go to the settings page (Menu> Settings), then tap Menu> Device Information. Once you have your model number, it’s time to downgrade your Kindle.

  1. Find your Kindle model in this list on Pastebin in the “Factory update files for transfer to an earlier version” and load the BIN-file for your model.
  2. Connect your Kindle to your computer using a USB cable.
  3. Place the BIN file you downloaded in the root folder on your Kindle (the only other folder you should see is Documents).
  4. Remove your Kindle and disconnect the USB cable. You are going to do this several times during the hacking process. It is important that you disconnect your Kindle from your computer every time it speaks in these directions, otherwise the jailbreak may not work.
  5. On your Kindle, return to the Settings page (Menu> Settings) and then tap Menu> Update Your Kindle.

Now you need to wait for the firmware to install, for me it took about 10 minutes, but your time may vary depending on your Kindle model.

Step three: install the jailbreak

It’s time to set the jailbreak. If you are a Paperwhite Model 2 user, skip to the note below, otherwise:

  1. Download the latest Branch Delay jailbreak file.
  2. Connect your Kindle to your computer using a USB cable.
  3. Copy the entire Branch Delay file to the root directory of your Kindle.
  4. Remove and disconnect your Kindle.
  5. Tap the search bar on your Kindle and type ;installHtml then press Enter.
  6. Your device will reboot and you will see a new book called You Are Jailbroken.

Your device is now jailbroken, but you’re not done yet.

Note: Paperwhite Model 2 users

The hacking process for Paperwhite model 2 is slightly different and easier than for other models.

  1. Connect your Kindle to your computer using a USB cable.
  2. Go to MobileRead and download the jailbreak zip file.
  3. Unzip the Kindle-5.4-jailbreak.zip file inside this ZIP file.
  4. Copy the entire contents of the unzipped Kindle-5.4 folder to the root folder on the Kindle.
  5. Remove and disconnect your Kindle. Go to the settings page, then tap Menu> Update Kindle, then tap OK.

After a few seconds, you should see the word “Prison Break”. That’s it, your Kindle is jailbroken. Skip the next step in this tutorial and go directly to step five.

Step four: install the hotfix

Although the jailbreak is set, you are not done yet. There is another file to install that protects your Kindle from future updates, ensuring that you can upgrade to the latest version of the Kindle operating system without losing your jailbreak.

  1. Download and unzip the Hot Fix file .
  2. Connect your Kindle to your computer using a USB cable.
  3. Copy the BIN file you unpacked to the root directory of your Kindle.
  4. Remove and disconnect your Kindle.
  5. On your Kindle, tap Menu> Settings> Menu> Update Kindle. Click OK.

The update will start, then restart your device. When everything is ready, you are done with the hacking process.

Step five: update your Kindle to up-to-date firmware

You can now update your Kindle to the latest firmware, although you will need to do this manually.

  1. Go to the official Amazon firmware page and search for your model.
  2. Download the latest firmware (for modern models now 5.8.1)
  3. Connect your Kindle to your computer using a USB cable.
  4. Copy the file you just downloaded to the root directory of your Kindle.
  5. Remove and disconnect your Kindle.
  6. Go to your Kindle’s settings page (Menu> Settings), then tap Menu> Update Kindle, then tap OK.

Your Kindle will now update its firmware to the latest jailbreak.

Step 6. Install Extension Manager

To install software on your Kindle, you need the MobileReader Package Installer (MRPI) and an application launcher called Kindle Unified Application Launcher (KUAL). This makes it easy to install the software on your Kindle.

  1. Go to this MobileRead page to find the most recent installer.
  2. Download and unzip the MRPI file.
  3. Connect your Kindle to your computer using a USB cable. Copy the entire contents of the zip file to the root directory of your Kindle. You should now have the Extensions and mrpages folders on your Kindle. Kindle Oasis and Kindle Touch 2 owners will have to run an additional command here (everyone else can ignore this). On your Kindle, tap the search bar, then enter ;log mrpi to complete the installation.
  4. Go to the KUAL page and download the zip file.
  5. Unzip the file. If you’re using a Kindle Paperwhite 1, 2, or 3, or a Kindle Touch 2, copy the KUAL-KDK-2.0.azw2 file to your Kindle’s Documents folder. If you are using a Kindle Oasis or Kindle Touch 3, copy the Update_KUALBooklet file to the newly created mrpages folder and install it from there. You will find detailed instructions in the readme file in the ZIP archive.

That’s it, now MRPI and your launcher are installed. From here, you can copy any extensions or applications you want to install on your Kindle into the Extensions folder, then open the launcher (it appears as a book called Kindle Launcher on your Kindle) on your Kindle and click Install MR Packages to install. all the software that you copied to this folder at once. Check out this thread on MobileRead for details on usage and this page for a list of software to install .

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