Amazon rolled out its newest software update for the Kindle Fire — version 6.2 — this evening. Initial reports indicate that it both de-roots your jailbroken device and removes access to the Android Market. But don’t worry — the borking is reversible.
Amazon has actually been rather sneaky about this update, providing very few details about the upgrade to the public before quietly rolling it out. What’s more, the update apparently activates automatically upon detection of a Wi-Fi connection without user intervention (read: any means to prevent it) while wiping any roots it discovers and occasionally removing Android Marketplace installs. The kicker — the update is 181MB, a hefty chunk of data if you’ve got your Fire tethered to a smartphone.
Our own Chris Beidelman updated his rooted Kindle Fire this evening to test and confirms the auto-update function engages as soon as the battery hits 40 per cent capacity and the system is suspended. The update did only wipe his root, sparing his installed Android Marketplace — coincidentally, other outlets have reported that any downloaded apps will remain functional regardless of whether or not the marketplace works. On the plus side, the new update does seem to increase the tablet’s input responsiveness.
So, what do you do if your Kindle Fire borks itself? Both Superoneclick and RootKindleFire can still immediately re-root your tablet and Amazon Marketplace is easily reinstallable once rooted. [Amazon via AndroidPolice]