• by Laurie Sullivan , Yesterday

Amazon will shutter its Appstore for the Android operating system, as well as its Coins program this week to funnel services through Fire TV and Fire Tablet devices.

Advertisers targeting Android users will might need to shift app promotions and advertising to the Google Play Store, unless they wish to advertise in other placements on Amazon as the company makes changes.

The move, announced in February, represents the end of 14 years of service for Android devices. It became a close competitor to the Google Play store on Android devices.

The company shut down the app store on Windows in 2024. The app service will be supported on Fire TV, Fire Tablet, and Fire TV built-in products.

Users will have the ability to access their subscriptions on Fire TV, Fire Tablet, and Fire TV built-in products. They can also choose to cancel their subscriptions and receive a refund for subscriptions that extended past August 20, 2025.

Those using the apps should transition to available ones on Google Play. Amazon also suggested deleting the remaining apps on their Android devices to avoid potential data vulnerabilities, according to Amazon.

The move is part of an ongoing effort to streamline and improve services and programs.

Amazon Coins -- which Amazon also will shutter -- represent a virtual currency used to purchase apps, games, and in-app items from the Amazon Appstore.

Each coin had a value of about one cent in the U.S., and users could buy them in bundles at a discounted. They were used on Fire tablets, Fire TV, and Android devices with the Amazon Appstore installed. 

Cons were introduced in 2013. They were not a cryptocurrency and operated more like prepaid credits.

Any remaining Amazon Coins in user accounts after August 20, 2025 were refunded.