I ordered a Kindle Fire a few months ago and I love it. I paid a little extra to not get the "Special Offers (i.e. Ads) however I do see in my list of New Items periodically ads for things I don’t actually own. I also sometimes get what seem to be ads in my notifications (Amazon specials and such). Are these the “Special Offers”? What do the the Special offers actually look like if your Kindle has them because I’m wondering if mine was configured wrong? Thanks.
As far as I can tell the special offers just means you get an ad on your kindle until you unlock it. It is completely unobtrusive.
“Special Offers” are on your screen every time you turn the Kindle on. They go away once you unlock it. It adds 2 seconds and burns 1 calorie.
No you didn’t. 
Nowadays, Amazon doesn’t use the name “Kindle” for its Fire tablets, only for its e-ink e-readers.
On an e-ink Kindle with “Special Offers,” you’re going to see an ad (usually for a book) on the screen when the device is “asleep,” which will go away when you turn it on/wake it up. It’s been quite a while, but back when I had a Kindle without “special offers,” instead of an ad it showed one of a set of stock images, many of which were pictures of famous authors.
On a Fire tablet, it’s kind of what silenus describes, except that the details may vary depending on which version/model you have.
I appreciate the responses. I guess the ads embedded with my list of New Items is just a “feature”.
Yeah, and I think this is a change to the way Amazon’s devices and apps work. It used to be they’d just show you the books or music or whatever that you already own; now they hawk their other context and services. :mad:
I bought two a few years ago, one for my wife and myself, without the special offers. Mine broke and I just replaced it this week during the Prime Day sale. This time I got it with the special offers and now I am furious (well, peeved) that I spent the extra money on the first two. I was afraid I’d have ads all over it but it really is just a book ad on the lock screen instead of a random stock image. Save your money and put up with the special offers.
FWIW, from what I’ve seen, the ads are mostly geared toward those folks who read a lot of romance novels. Not 100%, but way more than 50%. They don’t really seem to be geared towards the stuff I’ve been reading.
I’d look around for ways to turn those off. I know you can at least mute notifications by pressing and holding a notification, which will give you a button you can press that will let you must notifications for that app. I suspect that there’s an option not to show items you don’t own in the new tab–at least, I never saw that stuff.
(I actually no longer have my tablet activated. I installed Google Play Store and get all my apps from there. I also never use the Kindle feature.)
Am I the only person who LOVES the suggestions amazon makes based on my purchases? I like to know about new books (especially cookbooks), cosmetics. pet supplies, etc., similar to the ones I’ve bought. Yeah, amazon “hawks” their wares. They’re a STORE. I don’t understand why people are offended by this. To me, it’s a service. I buy plenty from amazon-- certain lightbulbs I like, garden products I can’t find locally, socks that my mom (of blessed memory) liked, coffee-making supplies–stuff I wouldn’t otherwise know about or be able to find locally. WHY is this a problem? No one is forcing you to buy the items. Magazines have ads. There are billboards on the side of the road. Bus stop benches “hawk” products and services. I love my kindle (and I will always call it that) and I love the special offers.
The OP’s original question was about what were “Special Offers” (and thus shouldn’t show up if you’d paid extra not to have Special Offers on your device) as opposed to other sorts of ads. I think (I could be wrong, but Mr. Bill’s observation seems to back me up) that the actual special offers (as opposed to the kinds of suggestions you’re talking about, ThelmaLou) are not personalized: they’re the same for everybody.
Now for the IMHO: I too sometimes appreciate Amazon’s suggestions. What makes me slightly grumpy is when there’s an extra layer I have to go through, like saying “No, I don’t want to try Unlimited” for the umpteenth time, before I can read my own book or listen to my own music that I already own. And I prefer to do the vast majority of my actual shopping on the website from my computer, as opposed to through their apps on a handheld device.
There have been a lot of times I’ve found out about a new book in a series I’d been following because of an Amazon suggestion. And there are also new series I hadn’t heard of before that I got turned on to in the same way. But I’m an old-fashioned reader, and still do most of my reading in physical paper books.
I don’t mind suggestions from Amazon. They can indeed be useful. My issues were:
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I had paid a little extra to not get ads so wanted to make sure I got what I paid for (sounds since I am because I see nothing on the screen when the Kindle sleeps).
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It isn’t really an ad. It is some generic blurb sitting where a new book I just bought could be until I clear it. If I click (tap) it it will then maybe link to some recommendations but I would rather it not take the real estate on my home screen.
PS. As much as I like the device I wish I waited a few weeks to buy it as it was $30 cheaper on Prime Day.