Amazon (AMZN) has recently been making drastic moves to push more customers onto its platforms and devices amid increased demand over the last few months.
For example, the retail giant warned customers in July that Freevee, its 6-year-old free streaming TV service, would be discontinued this month after first announcing the change in November last year.
💵💰Don’t miss the move: Subscribe to TheStreet’s free daily newsletter 💰💵
The company claimed in a message in the Freevee app that “Prime Video is the new exclusive home for Freevee TV shows, movies and Live TV.”
Related: Amazon pulls the plug on a free service for customers
“Continue watching your favorite Freevee Originals and our library of hit movies, shows, and live TV on Prime Video for free, no subscription needed,” said Amazon in the in-app message.
picture alliance/Getty Images
Amazon shuts down another beloved service
Now, Amazon is once again shuttering another years-long service for a major group of customers within the next few days, making it oexclusively available on devices it sells.
The retailer will officially shut down its free Amazon Appstore for Android devices on Aug. 20, a move it previously announced in February. This change comes after the company pulled the app from the Microsoft Store on Windows 11 devices on March 5.
“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,” said Amazon in a statement at the time.
Related: Target will soon cut a major section customers love from stores
Amazon Appstore first launched in 2011, allowing users to download and purchase apps and games onto their devices, similar to Google Play and the Apple App Store.
Users often used Amazon Coins, a virtual currency on the platform, to purchase eligible apps, games, and in-app items.
Amazon now warns users on its website that if they have any remaining Amazon Coins in their account after Aug. 20, they will be refunded. The company also flagged that apps that were previously downloaded from the Amazon Appstore may not work the same way after the service is officially discontinued.
“Starting August 20, 2025, any apps downloaded from the Amazon Appstore will not be guaranteed to operate on Android devices,” said Amazon on its website.
Amazon also said the Amazon Appstore “will continue to be available elsewhere, including on Fire TV and Fire Tablet devices.”
Amazon is seeing increased consumer demand
Amazon’s recent efforts to push more consumers onto its platforms and devices come after it saw revenue from its subscription services and products spike during the second quarter of this year.
More Retail:
- Target has another big problem amid alarming customer behavior
- Dollar General announces big store change to win back customers
- Amazon pulls the plug on a free service for customers
In its latest earnings report, it revealed that it generated about $12.2 billion in subscription service revenue during the quarter, which comes from fees associated with Amazon Prime memberships, audiobook, digital video, e-book, and other subscription services.
This is almost 11% higher than the amount it earned from these services during the same quarter last year.
Amazon also noted in the report that its net product sales increased by roughly 9.7% year-over-year.
Related: Amazon quietly plans to offer customers a convenient new service
