While Google Play is without a doubt the number one destination for new mobile apps and games for the vast majority of Android users around the world, many of you are probably at least aware of the fact that other app stores compatible with Big G’s software platform exist.
One of these is called simply the Amazon Appstore, and although it’s nowhere near as big or as popular as the Play Store, it does contain more than half a million (!!!) apps of its own you can currently install on your Android device of choice.
But for some reason, that will no longer be possible in just a few short months, and even worse, whatever apps you may have already pulled from Amazon’s mobile app store are likely to stop working. Before you panic, this will obviously not apply to Fire tablets and Fire TV products, but only third-party devices.
August 20, 2025 is when your Android phone is scheduled to lose Amazon Appstore support, and that’s also when the Amazon Coins program will be discontinued “in all marketplaces.” Until then, it’s worth pointing out that developers have already lost the option to submit new Amazon Appstore titles targeting Android devices, although updates are still allowed for the next six months (at least in theory).
So what does this all mean for Amazon’s mobile software and hardware ambitions? To be perfectly honest, I have no idea. It could mean nothing at all, as the app store is not actually going the way of the dodo… yet. Or it could simply mean that not a lot of Android users accessed this particular marketplace due to its somewhat inconvenient installation process and the fact most of its apps are readily available through Google Play anyway.
For its part, Amazon claims these “changes” are being made in an “ongoing effort to streamline and improve our services and programs”, which seems to support the theory that the Appstore was not very popular among the global masses of Android users.
At the same time, of course, I can’t help but think that this could be the first step towards Amazon’s eventual adoption of Google’s Play Store for its in-house Fire gadgets. For now, that’s a simple assumption based on nothing of substance, so we’ll just have to wait and see if any additional signs of an imminent Amazon Appstore retirement crop up in the coming months.
Adrian, a mobile technology enthusiast since the Nokia 3310 era, has been a dynamic presence in the tech journalism field, contributing to Android Authority, Digital Trends, and Pocketnow before joining PhoneArena in 2018. His expertise spans across various platforms, with a particular fondness for the diversity of the Android ecosystem. Despite the challenges of balancing full-time parenthood with his work, Adrian’s passion for tech trends, running, and movies keeps him energized. His commitment to mid-range smartphones has led to an eclectic collection of devices, saved from personal bankruptcy by his preference for ‘adequate’ over ‘overpriced’.
