# Kindle question: Why doesn't my Kindle show me targeted book ads? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 24, 2024, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kindle-question-why-doesnt-my-kindle-show-me-targeted-book-ads/1002001 "2024-05-24T01:12:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2024, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kindle-question-why-doesnt-my-kindle-show-me-targeted-book-ads/1002001/1 "2024-05-24T01:12:36Z")
I’m no fan of ads. But I accept that they’ll be there. I’m not a fan of targeted ads as a rule either, but since I love books, and since the Amazon website (thru which I manage my Kindle) does show me targeted ads for my kindle based on my interests and are often things I didn’t know I wanted until I saw the ad, I’m willing to put up with them and even find they can be helpful to me in that specific area. . So why does my Kindle show me ads for books I have absolutely no interest in? Whenever I open up my Kindle, it will usually show me an ad for a book, and it’s almost NEVER a genre I am interested in. Instead I get ads for romance novels, “bedtime stories for children and adults”, mystery novels, historical fiction, and more stuff that’s not really in my wheelhouse. It never shows me books by authors I’ve already got on my device. Any elucidation on this phenomenon would be happily received by me. Also, if the mods think this works better in Cafe Society or elsewhere, feel free to move. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Bravo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_bravo/32/493_2.png) [@Johnny\_Bravo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Bravo)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2024, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kindle-question-why-doesnt-my-kindle-show-me-targeted-book-ads/1002001/2 "2024-05-24T01:41:35Z")
I did a bit of googling and this seems to be a common complaint, and the solution is “give Amazon money to turn off the ads.” It looks like Kindle ad delivery might be separate from their other advertising. I wonder if they just don’t have enough people paying for advertisements to do targeted ads. ---
**Author:** ![DWMarch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dwmarch/32/1010_2.png) [@DWMarch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DWMarch)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2024, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kindle-question-why-doesnt-my-kindle-show-me-targeted-book-ads/1002001/3 "2024-05-24T02:16:26Z")
Kindle likes to give me ads for books I have already bought which I think is annoying. When I visit the Kindle store on Amazon, search results are tagged with “Purchased” but I still get ads for these titles that I do not need. I also wish Kindle knew how to show me the actual price for a title instead of the Kindle Unlimited $0.00 price. I don’t want to borrow Kindle books like I would from a library. I want to buy the titles when they go on sale. The $0.00 prices disrupt that by hiding the true price and making me click into the details to see what it is which also triggers a notification in the Kindle software to ask me if I’m still thinking about that book. There is no option to tell Kindle I will think about it if they will put it on sale. There is no option to shut these particular notifications off either. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2024, 6:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kindle-question-why-doesnt-my-kindle-show-me-targeted-book-ads/1002001/4 "2024-05-24T06:51:59Z")
My guess would be that the ad system for Kindle ads predate their use of more targeted advertising, and that they’ve not found it worth the money to update it. It’s also possible that the purpose of the ads is more to incentivize you to upgrade to remove the ads than to get you to buy more books. They may find that this is better for revenue. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2024, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kindle-question-why-doesnt-my-kindle-show-me-targeted-book-ads/1002001/5 "2024-05-24T17:13:39Z")
I’ve been able to avoid ads on the Kindles I have used. OTOH, my current “play” Fire Tablet, while free from wake up screen ads, etc., still once every few weeks wants me to download some idiotic game app. Despite that I have never installed a game on the tablet from their app store. (I have a simple, free game I sideloaded.) So I have to press and hold, select “not interested” and it goes away for a while. But it comes back, often the same game. Like I’ve suddenly decided that I’m interested in it now??? All over the Amazon ecosystem I find they have no idea how to show me relevant content. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2024, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kindle-question-why-doesnt-my-kindle-show-me-targeted-book-ads/1002001/6 "2024-05-24T18:59:49Z")
Thanks all for your input on this topic. It’s certainly a minor matter to complain about, but I was curious. Interestingly, when I finish a book on my Kindle, it does offer me more books by the author I just finished, along with other selections based on: “readers who enjoyed this book also liked these other books”. With that stuff already appearing on my Kindle, it still seems strange that the Kindle ‘opening’ ads are so random. But maybe I need more randomness in my life. As I age, I’m definitely finding my overall alignment shifting further from ‘lawful’ and more into ‘chaotic’. ---
**Author:** ![gnoitall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bb73d2/32.png) [@gnoitall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gnoitall)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2024, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kindle-question-why-doesnt-my-kindle-show-me-targeted-book-ads/1002001/7 "2024-05-24T19:16:44Z")
> [@ftg](#): > > But it comes back, often the same game. Like I’ve suddenly decided that I’m interested in it now??? “How 'bout now?” “Ok, how 'bout now?” “What about now? Are you interested now?” ---
**Author:** ![Mollie\_Magill](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mollie_magill/32/20882_2.png) [@Mollie\_Magill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mollie_Magill)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2024, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kindle-question-why-doesnt-my-kindle-show-me-targeted-book-ads/1002001/8 "2024-05-25T03:32:10Z")
I’m seeing these things, too. I’m reasonably sure it’s all AI generated. I _know_ it art certainly is. The one I’m looking at right now not only has the same girl pasted three times, but she also has seven fingers. I suspect that whatever AI scammer generated these then tagged the ads with every tag they could find from “English drawing room mysteries” to "late bronze age archeology. " ---
**Author:** ![Mollie\_Magill](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mollie_magill/32/20882_2.png) [@Mollie\_Magill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mollie_Magill)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2024, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kindle-question-why-doesnt-my-kindle-show-me-targeted-book-ads/1002001/9 "2024-05-31T15:06:29Z")
I’m seeing these types of ads almost continuously now. An AI generated image of a book cover with an AI generated blurb in bad chinglish. I’m almost curious enough to buy one, but I don’t want to send these folks money and make Amazon think I want to see more of these. [![Imgur](https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53759788906_f5b5514b0e_b.jpg "20240525\_142924") ](https://www.flickr.com/photos/190534151@N04/53759788906/) That’s a lot of fingers. [![Imgur](https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53758887787_ac82ffb146_b.jpg "20240531\_100307") ](https://www.flickr.com/photos/190534151@N04/53758887787/) ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2024, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kindle-question-why-doesnt-my-kindle-show-me-targeted-book-ads/1002001/10 "2024-05-31T15:08:44Z")
Yeah, I’ve been getting that dreck too. So weird. ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2024, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kindle-question-why-doesnt-my-kindle-show-me-targeted-book-ads/1002001/11 "2024-05-31T17:45:41Z")
I paid extra to not have ads. Sometimes I’ve wondered if I would prefer them. I’m thinking that was the right choice. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2024, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kindle-question-why-doesnt-my-kindle-show-me-targeted-book-ads/1002001/12 "2024-05-31T19:02:56Z")
> [@Spice\_Weasel](#): > > I paid extra to not have ads. I did too, not so much because I dislike the ads as because I like having my Kindle display the cover of the book I’m currently reading when it’s “closed.” ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2024, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kindle-question-why-doesnt-my-kindle-show-me-targeted-book-ads/1002001/13 "2024-05-31T19:13:14Z")
I got curious and looked for both of those on Amazon. Pills from Tree’s description is… amazingly incoherent. 5 ratings, no reviews. The other one didn’t even show up when I searched from it. Does the Kindle have any way to report an ad? I’ve never noticed it, but I usually zone out and ignore whatever the ad is for. As far as the ads I see: they’re actually usually in line with the stuff I read. Lately they seem to think I need to read every obscure Harry Turtledove book I’ve managed to miss. ---
**Author:** ![JackieLikesVariety](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackielikesvariety/32/296_2.png) [@JackieLikesVariety](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JackieLikesVariety)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2024, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kindle-question-why-doesnt-my-kindle-show-me-targeted-book-ads/1002001/14 "2024-05-31T19:24:10Z")
the ads have gotten weirder lately but were never anything I would be interested in buying. ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2024, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kindle-question-why-doesnt-my-kindle-show-me-targeted-book-ads/1002001/15 "2024-05-31T19:35:36Z")
That’s… Not what my Kindle does. I wish it did. It just shows a generic image with letters. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2024, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kindle-question-why-doesnt-my-kindle-show-me-targeted-book-ads/1002001/16 "2024-05-31T19:40:05Z")
Hopefully, this will tell you how and whether it can: > **[Amazon.com: Kindle Book Cover Feature: Amazon Devices & Accessories](https://www.amazon.com/b?ie=UTF8&node=23435466011)** > > Online shopping for Kindle Book Cover Feature from a great selection at Amazon Devices & Accessories Store. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2024, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kindle-question-why-doesnt-my-kindle-show-me-targeted-book-ads/1002001/17 "2024-05-31T19:48:06Z")
It can be done on mine, but they want $20. Not worth it to me. But thanks for pointing me in the right direction. ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2024, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kindle-question-why-doesnt-my-kindle-show-me-targeted-book-ads/1002001/18 "2024-05-31T20:00:19Z")
Yay! Cool feature! I have an open Kindle case with no cover so I can see it whenever it’s lying around. ---
**Author:** ![Mollie\_Magill](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mollie_magill/32/20882_2.png) [@Mollie\_Magill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mollie_Magill)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2024, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kindle-question-why-doesnt-my-kindle-show-me-targeted-book-ads/1002001/19 "2024-05-31T20:40:36Z")
> [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](#): > > It can be done on mine, but they want $20. Not worth it to me. But thanks for pointing me in the right direction. I feel the opposite. I didn’t mind the ads until recently. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2024, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kindle-question-why-doesnt-my-kindle-show-me-targeted-book-ads/1002001/20 "2024-05-31T21:06:24Z")
I sort of suspect they made these ads horrible just to get people to pay to turn them off. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kindle-question-why-doesnt-my-kindle-show-me-targeted-book-ads/1002001.md?page=2)