I pad A 1475

You have a first generation iPad Air, which cannot be updated past iOS 12.5.5. The Kindle app requires an iPad which can run iPadOS 14 or higher. If you want to use the Kindle app on an iPad, as well as other modern apps, you need to retire your 9 year old iPad and buy a newer, more modern iPad.

You may get longer answers, but this is the simple short answer you need.

stephenfromstockton wrote:

Should have known that it had a build in system to tell me to buy a new one...

Insofar as your iPad is capable, its system software is up to date. The first generation iPad Air, iPad mini2 and mini3 can only be updated to iOS 12.5.5.

Apple ended major update support for these models of iPad in September 2019 - although they since continued to receive occasional “point” security updates until late last year. These devices cannot be updated to iPadOS 13 (or any later major versions of iPadOS) as the internal hardware does not meet the minimum technical requirements (CPU and RAM) for newer versions of iOS/iPadOS.

Some App developers have dropped support for iOS versions preceding iOS 13.x for technical reasons (often because APIs or software libraries upon which they rely have been updated in the new version of iPadOS, making their App incompatible with earlier versions). 

Whilst many App titles remain compatible with your iPad, if you want or need to access to Apps requiring the most recent versions of iOS, you’ll need to consider replacement of your iPad with a newer or current model that supports iPadOS15.

Sorry, I appreciate that this may not be what you were hoping to learn.

I hope this information provides clarity as to your available options - and the fundamental limitations of your iPad.

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Technology moves forward. A 9 year old iPad is simply too old, too underpowered and lacks the hardware required to run the newer 64 bit software. All good things eventually need to be replaced.

The iPad Air1 is a 64-bit platform capable of running 64-bit Apps - as are the iPad mini2 and mini3 - but are (as you have observed) restricted in their ability to be updated beyond iOS 12.5.5.

What I should have said was it only has 1GB or Ram and to run the newer iPadOS versions a minimum of 2GB of Ram is required.

You're welcome. I know we haven't given you the news you hoped for. If you get a new iPad, you'll be blown away by how much better the newer models are.