Key Points for Sharing a Kindle Device with Family
When sharing a Kindle device with family members or acquaintances, here is a summary of what you can and cannot do, important precautions to keep in mind, and tips for sharing effectively.
Modified at: 2025.9.9Posted at: 2024.5.24
What You Can and Cannot Do
First, let’s check what you can and cannot do when sharing a Kindle device with family.
| Can Do | Cannot Do |
|---|---|
| Share the library with Family Library | Integrate purchased books and libraries Switch between multiple accounts (Kids account is possible) Read the same book at the same time Manage reading progress individually |
When multiple people use one Kindle device, you may find there are more things you actually cannot do than expected.
Key Points for Sharing
Avoid reading the same book as much as possible
The biggest issue when multiple people use one Kindle device is managing reading progress.
For example, if you have read up to page 100, but someone else starts reading that same book from the beginning, your progress data showing that you read up to page 100 will be overwritten (Kids accounts can save progress individually per account).
Since it’s rare to remember exactly what page you stopped at, this becomes very inconvenient. You could avoid this by writing down notes each time you stop reading, but that is troublesome.
Therefore, it’s best to avoid reading the same book on the shared device.
Best option for kids’ use
If you want to let children use the Kindle as their reading device, you can simply tap the menu switch inside Kindle to switch to “Amazon Kids Mode” for the child’s set account.
Amazon Kids Mode is a function available even without subscribing to the paid “Amazon Kids+” service. You can set up accounts for each child and control details such as which books they are allowed to read.
Until your children ask for their own dedicated device, it’s cost-effective to share one Kindle device within the family and let the kids use it by switching accounts.
Make use of Kindle Unlimited and Prime Reading
The biggest issue when sharing a Kindle device with family is that your personal Kindle library cannot be merged with the libraries of family members. Family Library sharing is possible, but setting it up each time may feel troublesome.
In such cases, it is easier to use the Kindle device as a dedicated device for subscription services such as Kindle Unlimited or Prime Reading. This way, you don’t need to go through the hassle of library integrations or Family Library setups.
Consider creating a family account
Another approach is to create a shared family account with Amazon and use that account on the Kindle device.
By setting up a family account and linking services like Prime or Kindle Unlimited to it, the entire family can enjoy subscription services together under one account.