Amazon announced today it will discontinue its Android app store on August 20, marking the end of a 14-year effort to compete with Google’s Play Store while refocusing resources on its Fire device ecosystem.
Why it matters: The shutdown fundamentally changes Android’s app distribution landscape by eliminating one of the largest alternative app stores, forcing developers and users to migrate primarily to Google Play.
Technical Impact: The closure affects multiple aspects of Amazon’s Android presence:
- New app submissions already halted
- Updates allowed until August shutdown
- In-app purchases disabled for Japanese users
Consumer Effects: The shutdown creates several immediate changes for users:
- Existing apps may stop working after August 20
- Amazon Coins purchases suspended
- Automatic refunds promised for unused coins
“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,” an Amazon spokesperson explained.
The decision follows Amazon’s earlier announcement to end Windows 11 Android app support on March 5, suggesting a broader strategic shift away from third-party platforms. The company launched its Android app store in 2011, attempting to create an alternative ecosystem that included powering its short-lived Fire Phone project.
While the store will cease operations on Android devices, it will continue functioning on Amazon’s own hardware like Fire TV and Fire tablets. This suggests Amazon is consolidating its app distribution efforts around its proprietary ecosystem rather than competing directly with Google Play.
Developers can no longer submit new apps but may continue pushing updates to existing applications until the August deadline. Japanese users face an immediate impact, as in-app purchases are now disabled in that market, though they remain available in other regions until the shutdown.
Looking ahead, the closure leaves Android users with fewer alternatives to Google Play, though Amazon’s spokesperson noted that only a small percentage of customers used the app store outside of Amazon devices.
