Delivery for Amazon Prime members in select states has been temporarily suspended.
The e-commerce giant confirmed the complete discontinuation of the technologically advanced service earlier this month.
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Prime members residing in Arizona and Texas will not be able to receive orders by drone, also known as Prime Air, at this time, according to GeekWire.
Prime Air service officially discontinued on January 17, 2025, Amazon spokesperson Sam Stephenson told the publication.
Stevenson said Amazon decided on its own to address a software issue and was not directed to stop service as a result of the two drone crashes at the end of December in Oregon.
He noted: “We are currently in the process of making software changes to the drone and will voluntarily cease our commercial operations on Friday, January 17.”
“Our services will resume once these upgrades are completed and approved by the FAA.”
“Prime Air continued to serve customers safely within federal compliance until we voluntarily paused service on January 17,” the Amazon spokesperson added.
Stevenson also confirmed that the incident occurred at an Amazon facility in Pendleton, Oregon, about three hours east of Portland.
He stressed that the incident “was not the main reason for the voluntary cessation of our operations.”
It is still being tested
“We expect accidents like this to occur in these tests, and they help us continue to improve the safety of our operations,” Stevenson insisted.
“Our commercial operations with the MK30 drone have been conducted safely and in compliance with all FAA regulations and requirements.”
The MK30 drones are brand new for Amazon, debuting in November in certain areas of Arizona and Texas that are already making drone deliveries through Prime Air.
Amazon also still plans to expand its drone deliveries nationwide, according to a May 2024 press release.
The Federal Aviation Administration granted the e-commerce giant permission for the drones to fly beyond the visual range of operators at the time.
Another popular Amazon feature will also be retired at the end of this month, but it looks like it won't be returning.
Rush time! Don't miss the perks
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Don't miss out on these excellent benefits, says Sean Keech, head of technology and science at The Sun…
If you're an Amazon Prime member, you're probably paying $14.99 or £8.99 each month.
And if you're only using it for faster deliveries, you're ignoring a lot of money-saving perks.
You're already paying for Prime, so you might as well get your money's worth.
First, you can try Amazon Photoswhich is very useful if you are a fan of serial snappers.
It gives you access to unlimited storage space for full-resolution photos, plus 5GB for videos.
The second is Initial readingwhich offers “a periodical collection of over 3,000 digital books, audiobooks, magazines, comics, and more.”
It's perfect for book lovers, and it's completely free with your regular Prime membership.
It's great to be combined with another feature called Amazon reads first.
This gives you early access to a brand new book for free every month.
The third is one for two players, and is aptly named Prime Gaming.
You will get free games and in-game content every month on a rolling basis.
And if you're a Twitch fan, you'll get a free channel subscription to use every month.
What's more, you'll be able to play some free games using Amazon's Luna cloud gaming service.
Audiophiles will want to check it out Amazon Musicwhich lets you listen ad-free to over 100 million songs, along with thousands of popular playlists and podcasts.
And here's the added bonus if you're in the US: free Grubhub+.
It's one of the best perks because it gives you a one-year subscription that usually costs $9.99 per month.
You'll get an unlimited $0 delivery fee on any order over $12 with your membership, but it will end if you cancel Prime.
Written by Sean Keech
Gone forever
After January 31, 2025, the Prime Try Before You Buy feature will no longer be available, a spokesperson confirmed to The US Sun.
The Prime Try Before You Buy program allowed members to test out up to six pieces of eligible merchandise and return what they didn't want.
A variety of clothing, shoes and accessories are eligible for the benefit.
An Amazon spokesperson said its “new AI-powered features like virtual try-on, personalized size recommendations, review highlights, and enhanced size charts” eliminate the need for the Prime Before You Try feature.
It also helps with costs and time for shipping.
Some customers also said they were not aware the feature existed before in a thread on X.
Amazon's extended returns policy on holiday gifts will also end later this month.
Another change of key members was recently described by some as “unbearable”.
