Amazon is Shutting Down its Android App Store; Here’s Why

Technology 4 admin February 21, 2025

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Amazon is Shutting Down its Android App Store

E-commerce giant Amazon waved a white flag on its third-party app by announcing its discontinuation to the developers on 20 February.

The Amazon Appstore, launched in 2011, was once a scrappy contender to Google’s Play Store. It offered Android users an alternative way to snag apps. The store gained some traction early on, especially with exclusives and free app giveaways, and became the default app hub for Amazon’s Fire tablets and TVs. Yet, despite its initial buzz, the store never stuck with the broader Android crowd.

Amazon’s keeping it simple said through their 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.”

For most Android users, sideloading Amazon’s store was a hassle when Google Play was already there, packed with over 3.5 million apps compared to Amazon’s 530,000. The numbers tell the story. While Amazon’s store thrived in its walled garden of Fire TVs and tablets, it struggled to lure users away from Google’s ecosystem. The extra steps to install it, combined with a smaller app catalog, made it a tough sell. Add in the fact that many apps overlapped with Google Play’s offerings, and it’s clear why Amazon’s effort didn’t catch fire beyond its own hardware.

As of today, you can no longer buy coins, though you have until August to spend what’s left. Unused balances will be refunded. Developers, meanwhile, can’t submit new apps anymore, though they can update existing ones until the cutoff. Come August 20, any apps downloaded from the store on Android devices “aren’t guaranteed to work,” Amazon warns, hinting at potential compatibility woes.

This move follows another Appstore exit Amazon’s pulling it from Windows 11 on March 5, after Microsoft ditched its Android subsystem. It’s a one-two punch that suggests Amazon’s ready to stop fighting Google head-on and double down on what works: its gadgets.

Fire users won’t feel the sting, but it’s time to pivot for the handful of Android loyalists who relied on Amazon’s store. Amazon could’ve ridden that wave, but instead, it’s stepping back. Maybe it’s a sign the retail titan’s more interested in perfecting its Fire OS playground than chasing a broader Android dream. For now, the Appstore’s Android chapter is closing proof that even giants can’t win every battle.