Amazon will suspend support for its Appstore on Android

What you need to know

• Amazon is bidding farewell to its Appstore on Android devices starting Aug. 20 this year.
• In an announcement to app developers, the company stated that this move was made to shift focus on improving the app store experience on its own devices.
• Users will have no access to the store and the digital currency —Amazon Coins will be refunded to them.

Amazon is discontinuing its app store on Android devices starting Aug. 20 this year. In an update to App developers, the company stated that they will no longer be accepting new apps for the store moving forward(via TechCrunch). Developers can continue to update existing apps on the Appstore until the above deadline.

The Amazon Appstore is currently available in 200 countries and allows users to download games and mobile apps on supported devices. It is a third-party app store that comes pre-installed on all Amazon devices.

However, it has always been an alternative Appstore for Android users that offers free apps and content that isn't found on the Google Play Store.

On its FAQ page, Amazon stated that "any apps downloaded from the Amazon Appstore will not be guaranteed to operate on Android devices," after Aug.20.

An Amazon spokesperson told Android Central in an email that it has decided to take this step with Android devices as the company is looking inward and wants to focus its efforts "on the Appstore experience on our own devices, as that’s where the overwhelming majority of our customers currently engage with it.”

According to the company, only a small number of customers use the app store outside Amazon devices, which pushed them to take this step.

Amazon added that its virtual currency aka Amazon Coins, which users use to purchase eligible apps and in-app items from the Appstore will also be discontinued. The company will refund unused coins to users after Aug.20. That said, the Appstore will remain untouched on Amazon's devices like the Fire TV and Fire Tablet.

It looks like Amazon is following suit after what went down with Microsoft devices last year. Windows 11 users at least got a year's headstart on this shift. As of March 5, even Microsoft devices will no longer support several apps available on the Amazon Appstore once this date arrives.