What Is Lockscreen Ad-Supported? The Real Meaning Behind Amazon’s Cheaper Devices

You’re looking at two different versions of the same Kindle or Fire tablet on Amazon, one is a couple of dollars less for no particular reason listed. The more expensive is only the device name. The less expensive one is the Ad-Supported, or perhaps Special Offers, if you’ve stumbled onto an older or refurbished item. Same screen, same storage, same chip and same battery life. Just that one word and a varying number by it.

What it means is that an ad-supported device will display a sponsored image on the screen that the device is sleeping on before you unlock it. That’s all the feature! It has nothing to do with performance, storage or anything that will affect the performance of the device when you are using it. It is a time-of-sale trade. Accepting a little ad at the time when you don’t need to look at something else for a little less.

That part’s simple. The problem is everything surrounding it: why it’s constantly changing, where it exists beyond Kindles, what it’s up to with your account information, and whether the money is worth the slight annoyance. That’s the part most listings skip entirely.

Where the phrase comes from

If you have purchased a Kindle over the past 15 years, you may recall that this was previously known as Special Offers, rather than Ad-Supported. That’s not a memory problem. The program was run by Amazon for years since that time, beginning with the original Kindle Touch and the first color Kindle Fire tablets, in 2011 and 2012. It was renamed quietly sometime around 2020 by Amazon. Special Offers was changed to Ad-Supported and there was now no Special Offers version of the one you paid extra for the one you paid extra for became Without Ads. There were no changes to the actual feature. Amazon was just honest and admitted that it’s not a benefit.

That history matters for one practical reason. Looking at older reviews, forum posts and even some of Amazon’s own support pages, the word is Special Offers. It means the same program as current listings to Ad-Supported, so don’t worry about any different or older feature if you see it anywhere.

The three places you’ll run into it

Kindle e-readers

Kindles have full-screen sponsored images when idle, which is when they’re switched with ad-supported ones. Amazon also tried to run a small sponsored banner below the book recommendations on the home screen, but on current devices they reduced this down to a minimum. Most of the current Kindles display the advertisements only on the screen that appears when the device is sleeping and the home screen is reserved for book recommendations, not advertisements. The sponsored images rarely feature random consumer goods, but rather book covers or author promotions, or Amazon seasonal deals.

Fire tablets

In this case, it is the lock screen, the first screen that you see when you press the power button, before swiping or entering a PIN. There is a full-screen promo image that will leave as soon as you unlock the tablet. Some tablet owners have also reported that a notification sound is played briefly as some of the ads are loading on the lock screen, which is surprising the first time. While not every device or software version supports it, it has appeared on several occasions in Amazon’s own customer forums, so it’s not some crazy person’s imagination.

Phones, briefly

This is something that not many people remember, but Amazon attempted the same model with real smartphones. The Prime Exclusive Phones program is a real deal until early 2018, Motorola, LG, BLU, Nokia, and Alcatel were selling unlocked Android phones for a discount, with the trade-off being ads on the lock screen and some preloaded Amazon apps. Amazon killed the ads on that program in February 2018. The official explanation was that fingerprint and face unlock were becoming the norm and ads while on the lock screen were an obstruction. Also, the timing was in sync with a change in the Google Play Store policy, where apps were no longer allowed to display ads on the lock screen unless it was the entire purpose of the app. However, when Amazon eliminated those ads, it bumped the price of those phones by about $20, indicating just how much that screen space was worth.

Why retailers bother subsidizing hardware like this

The concept isn’t that much unlike ad-supported tiers for Hulu, Prime Video or Spotify. The advertiser pays a portion of the cost, so you don’t have to. A $90 Fire tablet was never going to be a serious profit centre based on the selling of hardware alone. It’s that tablet you signed up to Amazon: that tablet that’s ordering books, streaming Prime Video, and running the Amazon shopping app. Having the ad revenue on the lock screen is good. The discount is in place to get the device in your hands for the first time, hence the reason Fire tablets often come in at a lower price compared to almost everything else at Black Friday and Prime Day.

But there’s a downside to this deal, too. The ads aren’t random. They are based on your shopping and reading history on your Amazon account, so it can be a special offer on your lock screen and at the same time a gentle reminder to shop more at Amazon. That is not some sneaky surveillance tactic, Amazon already has that purchase history in either of the versions purchased. But that’s just as much in Amazon’s interests as in yours, and there’s nothing free in any of this.

What actually shows up on the screen

Look for a Kindle version of book covers, author spotlights, plus a broader range of movies, apps and seasonal deals on a Fire tablet. What you don’t get is pop-ups while reading, ads in apps that you didn’t already have, or anything that gets in the way of a task you were doing. The label it’s ad-supported just runs over the lock and sleep screens. Software remains the same other than that.

That’s more moderate than other manufacturers’ approach to on-device advertising. For example, Xiaomi’s MIUI and HyperOS software won’t provide a clear pay $20 more and it’s gone toggle as Amazon does. Ads and recommendations are distributed across multiple system applications: security app, file manager, music app, app store and occasionally the lock screen via a widget called Glance. One part of it is a system component which Xiaomi dubs MSA, or MIUI System Ads. It takes not just one checkout choice, but a whole series of separate setting menus to turn everything off. Any way you view it, Amazon’s policy, if it is what you consider to be a policy, is at least straightforward: one label at the register, one location to pay it off later.

Then there’s the other type that’s not to be mistaken for either of these: lock screen applications such as Slidejoy, Fronto, and ScreenLift that completely reverse the way the arrangement works. In this case, rather than the manufacturer discounting a device for advertising it, you install one of these applications and get paid a few cents per ad, paid out via PayPal or gift cards, for unlocking a device you already own. Since then, most of the popular ones from the mid 2010s wave have either closed or become dormant, like Slidejoy and Fronto. Some of them, such as ScreenLift, are still active but no one is getting rich on a few pennies for swiping past an ad. While the screen may be the same for a split second, it’s a different business than what Amazon does.

The cost and the subsequent removal cost

Typically, the difference between ad-supported and ad-free is between $10 and $20 on the current Kindles and Fire tablets, but this varies based on the model and sale. Both versions are typically offered on sale simultaneously during Prime Day or Black Friday, and that may make that difference seem negligible. Before purchasing, verify both listings, as the discount isn’t necessarily static. At times, it barely even exists.

You don’t have to keep the less expensive one if you end up deciding against it at a later time. Amazon allows you to pay the difference anytime if you want to get rid of the ads, and the payment is usually in the same price range as what you saved at the cashier, which is not a buyback price. No charge of any kind for overturning a ruling. You’re paying the same gap, and it’s in reverse.

The parts that don’t make it into the product listing

However, the actual ads themselves irritate some people and not others, it is a personality thing, and there is more to it than most guides will tell. There are also many long-time Kindle users who don’t even notice the screen saver pop-up. It resembles cover art, and it’s gone in a second, and there are people who have actually found a book worth reading via one. Just as many people find it distasteful, whatever its technical inconspicuity, and there are no dearth of opinionated folks on the web who think it’s a money-saving feature, wrapped in a pretty bow. Both reactions are correct. But is a sponsored image for half a second at wake-up something you’ll notice after the first week or not?

But privacy is not to be mentioned lightly here. The ads you see are based on your current activity on Amazon, so if you’ve purchased an item or browsed or read something, it’s the same information that Amazon has regardless of whether you see the ads or not. The paid, ad-free version does not mean that you will not be known to Amazon. It simply prevents that particular data from bouncing back on a Lock Screen. If you are actually concerned about the fact that Amazon is tracking your shopping or reading habits, then this is not the actual setting to change that.

Resale comes second, but it is indeed a factor. In general, people who buy used ad-supported devices are expecting to have to pay something to take ads off the device, so it will sell a little sooner and a little higher if there’s no ad, even if the price difference is minimal.

The only scenario in which this decision makes a difference is when you purchase for a child, or pass down an old Kindle to one. Kindles with Ads does just that: It shows ads on the Kindle screen based on what an adult account reads or browses, sometimes for something a little too grown up for a 10-year-old. Romance novel covers, in particular, have been cited by parents. If you are sending it to a kid, avoid this decision altogether and purchase a Kindle Kids or Fire Kids edition. They’re free of ads right off the bat, have a year of Amazon Kids+ and aren’t retrofitted with parental controls.

Which version actually makes sense for you

If you are buying for yourself, and you already use Amazon as most people do, and an ad-supported version of it doesn’t really bother you, buy it and keep the money. There’s not much of a negative other than looking at it, which you will probably not notice after a week. If you’re buying it as a gift for a child, parent or anyone who’s going to ask why there’s an ad on this the first time they turn it on, get the ad-free version, it is a few dollars more. It is a minor inconvenience in not having to elaborate on how Amazon is making money at a birthday party. Especially if you are going to sell the phone in a year or two, or you don’t particularly care for your lock screen serving as advertising space, it’s cheaper to buy ad-free than it is to buy ad-supported and remove the ads later.

Getting rid of the ads if you already own the device

It doesn’t matter if the device is still showing Special Offers or the new Ad-Supported, the process is the same and will take a few minutes:

• Log in to your Amazon account and navigate to Manage Your Content and Devices, found either in the account menu or via a search.
• Click the Devices tab and choose the Kindle/Fire tablet that you wish to update.
• Select the Special Offers or Ads depending on the device and select Remove or End.
• Amazon will display the current amount where the payment method on file is charged. Check it and the change should take place in minutes, perhaps after a restart or a new sync with Wi-Fi.

If you feel that this fee is high, contact Amazon customer service to request that the fee be lowered. There is no policy saying this will be done, but many have said they have asked and have had their fee lowered or eliminated completely, especially on older or lower-priced phones. Try before you pay with no cost involved.

A known hiccup to note here, too. Some users have reported that they purchased the ad-free version but still received ads after the product was installed. Amazon doesn’t always give the reasoning behind why this occurs, but if it occurs for you, it is not your fault. Recheck the purchase information in Manage Your Content and Devices to ensure that the purchase is made on the correct device and account, and if this does not show as an ad-free purchase, please contact Amazon support directly. You’ve already paid for a version you’re not getting.

A different problem that just looks similar

All of the above are valid pricing choices you make or are forced to make when purchasing the Kindle, Fire tablet, or one of the previous Amazon phones. If, however, you are facing a lock screen that suddenly appeared on a device you already owned and you can’t get past it, or it requires payment to unlock, or appeared right after installing an app from outside the Play Store, it’s an entirely different situation, and not what ad-supported means. That trend is indicative of either adware or, in the worst of scenarios, lock screen ransomware. The solution there is to have security software and/or a factory reset, not to have to go to your Amazon account settings. Differentiation is important, otherwise, you’ll be solving the wrong problem.

Is the discount worth it?

Remove the branding and lockscreen ad-supported is a discount with a single string attached: an ad image for a second or two before you unlock the phone, and you pay less for it upfront. It won’t slow down anything, it will not follow you into the applications you’re actually using, and it won’t bind you into anything forever, as you can always pay the balance later if you feel like it. The question of whether or not it’s worth taking is a matter of whether or not a wake-screen ad is going to bother you. That’s a lot less irritation than that price tag, for most people not buying the device for a kid or to resell it any time soon.

Lockscreen ad-supported devices are a smart way to save money, but only if you’re okay with seeing ads. At Tech Trick Solutions (TTS), we always break down the real facts for you. We believe smart decisions come from clear, simple info. So whether you pick ad supported or ad free, now you know exactly what you’re getting. Stay with TTS for more honest reviews, simple tech tips, SEO & marketing tips and smart buyer guides. Let’s grow smarter together!