End of an era for Amazon’s Android app market as tech giant shifts focus entirely to its own ecosystem of devices.
The end is near for Amazon’s Appstore on Android. According to The Street, the tech giant will formally end the service for Android devices that are not Amazon on August 20, 2025, capping a 14-year run.
Launched in 2011 as an alternative to Google Play Store and Apple’s App Store, Amazon’s marketplace offered apps, games, and in-app transactions, with purchases often made through its own Amazon Coins system. Despite its niche audience, the Appstore never managed to break Google and Apple’s duopoly in mobile applications.
Amazon has warned that after support ends, any apps downloaded through the Appstore on Android may stop functioning reliably. Updates for these apps will also cease, potentially leaving users stranded without fixes or security patches.
Customers have been urged to turn to the Google Play Store for replacements or risk losing access to existing applications.
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One of the Appstore’s unique features was Amazon Coins, a digital currency that gave users discounted rates for apps, games, and add-ons. With the shutdown, the company confirmed that any unused Coins will be automatically refunded after August 20, according to Android Central.
This move follows Amazon’s earlier decision in March to remove the Appstore from Microsoft Windows 11, signaling a gradual pullback from platforms outside its own ecosystem.
While Android users will lose access, the Appstore is not disappearing entirely. It will remain active on Fire Tablets, Fire TVs, and other Amazon devices, which already account for the “overwhelming majority” of Appstore activity, as Amazon confirmed.
The shutdown reflects Amazon’s broader strategy of strengthening its device-based ecosystem. Just last month, Amazon merged its Freevee streaming service into Prime Video, closing the standalone app to consolidate its platforms.
The company’s second-quarter earnings highlighted this shift. Revenue from subscription services , including Prime Video, e-books, and audiobooks, rose nearly 11% year-over-year to $12.2 billion, while product sales climbed by almost 10%.
Amazon wants to establish a strictly regulated digital ecosystem where customer interaction takes place internally by directing customers to its own products and services.
