In a significant shift for Android users, Amazon has announced the impending closure of its app store for Android devices, effective August 20, 2025. This decision, communicated through a support document aimed at developers, also includes the discontinuation of Amazon Coins, the digital currency that has facilitated in-app purchases for games and applications.
Details of the Transition
The support document clearly states:
- “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.”
Amazon has assured users that any unredeemed coins will be refunded prior to the shutdown. It is important to note that this change will only impact users on non-Amazon devices; the app store will continue to operate on Amazon’s Fire TV and Fire Tablet products.
Post-August, users will be unable to download or utilize apps from the Amazon Appstore on their Android devices. A spokesperson for the company explained the rationale behind this decision: “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.”
While the Google Play Store remains the dominant platform for Android applications, the open nature of the Android ecosystem has allowed for the existence of various third-party app stores. The decision to close the Amazon Appstore on Android appears to stem from a lack of significant user engagement. This is not the first instance of Amazon scaling back its app store offerings; the company previously withdrew the store from Windows devices last year, following its launch in 2021.
