Amazon to retire its Android app store
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By
Bryan M. Wolfe Published February 20, 2025 |
Changes are on the horizon for Android devices later this year. Amazon has announced that starting August 20, it will discontinue its app store for Android devices. Additionally, Amazon will end its Coins digital currency, which users have been using to purchase games and apps from the store. The changes were noted in a support document for developers.
In the note, the company says:
“Starting August 20, 2025, you will no longer have access to the Amazon Appstore on your Android device. We will also be discontinuing the Amazon Coins program on August 20, 2025.”
In making the announcement, Amazon said any coins not redeemed by August would be refunded.
The changes only affect users on non-Amazon devices. The store will remain functional on Amazon’s Fire TV and Fire Tablet products.
After the August deadline, users can no longer download or use apps from the store on Android.
According to a company spokesperson: “We’ve decided to discontinue the Amazon Appstore on Android to focus our efforts on the Appstore experience on our own devices, as that’s where the overwhelming majority of our customers currently engage with it.”
Every Android device user is familiar with the Google Play Store, the most popular Android app store. However, third-party app stores are also available due to the platform’s open nature. The decision to shut down the Amazon AppStore on Android is likely due to low use.
This isn’t the first time Amazon has discontinued its app store on non-Amazon devices. Last year, it pulled the store on Windows, which launched in 2021.
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