Amazon has announced that it will be discontinuing Android support for its Appstore, effective August 20th, 2025. The retail giant made the announcement on an FAQ support page, without providing a reason for the shutdown. Despite this, the Appstore will still be available on Fire TV and Tablet devices, where it serves as the default app marketplace.

Apps downloaded from Amazon's Appstore onto Android devices will not necessarily disappear on August 20th, but the company has stated that they "will not be guaranteed to operate" once they stop receiving updates. This move comes as Microsoft is preparing to cease support for Amazon's Appstore on Windows starting March 5th, as part of its Android subsystem being deprecated.

In addition to discontinuing Android support, Amazon is also killing its Amazon Coins program – a virtual currency that can be purchased and used to buy apps and in-app items via the Amazon Appstore marketplace. New coins cannot be purchased after February 20th, 2025, but existing coin balances can still be used to make Appstore purchases. Amazon has stated that any coins remaining in user accounts after August 20th will be refunded, although more refund information will be shared "at a later date."

The decision to shut down Android support is a curious one, given that Amazon's own Fire OS is Android-based. However, Amazon's Android Appstore has been little more than a footnote in history, allowing users to "test drive" Android apps in web browsers and running a program that provided free versions of apps. It was also pre-loaded on Amazon's failed Fire phone.

Amazon's Appstore can be sideloaded onto third-party Android devices, and it initially grew an audience, but it has been unable to compete with Google's Android market dominance in recent years. This point was notably raised in the Epic v. Google case to help argue that Google's Play app store constituted an illegal monopoly. Amazon even tried to make it easier to sideload by hiding it within the Amazon app, until Google closed the loophole that allowed it to do so.

The implications of this move are still unclear, but it marks a significant shift in Amazon's approach to the app market. With the rise of Google's Play Store and Apple's App Store, Amazon's Appstore has struggled to gain traction. This decision may be a sign of Amazon's recognition of its limited market share and a desire to focus on its core business.

As the tech industry continues to evolve, it will be interesting to see how this move affects the app ecosystem and Amazon's overall strategy. One thing is certain – the end of Android support for Amazon's Appstore marks a significant turning point in the company's approach to mobile technology.