Amazon has announced that it will be shutting down its third-party Android app store, the Amazon Appstore, on August 20, 2025. After this date, apps from the store may not work on Android devices. However, Amazon has confirmed that its Appstore will continue to support Fire TV and Fire Tablets, which are part of its own ecosystem.
The Amazon Appstore was introduced as a competitor to Google Play. It allows users to download Android apps through an alternative app marketplace. However, it never gained enough users to seriously challenge Google. Now, Amazon has decided to close it.
Amazon is also discontinuing its virtual currency program, Amazon Coins. The program allowed users to purchase apps and make in-app purchases at discounted rates. From today, users can no longer buy Amazon Coins, and the program will fully stop on August 20, 2025.
Many governments are looking at how big tech companies control app stores. There are debates about whether Google and Apple should allow more competition. The European Union has already made rules to encourage more competition. During this time Amazon’s decision to shut down its App Store shows how difficult it is to run an alternative app store in a market controlled by big companies.
If you use the Amazon Appstore, it’s a good idea to switch to Google Play or another app store.
