Amazon is ending its Underground store, a shopping app and app store for Android, which was launched in August 2015. Amazon was paying developers on a ‘per minute of app usage’ basis in exchange for waiving the normal in-app fees. Note that Underground app was never available on the Google Play Store, and users had to download the Underground app by visiting its webpage. Google doesn't allow other app stores on the Android Play Store. Amazon will be ending the program in two phases: To begin with, on May 31st, developers will no longer be able to submit apps for inclusion in the program. Existing Underground developers will continue to get paid for every minute customers spend in the Underground app. Developers can also continue to submit and publish updates to their existing Underground apps until 2019. Android devices other than Fire tablets will lose access to Underground apps this summer, but the company said anything previously downloaded will continue working until the end of 2019. Fire tablets can continue to download and use Underground apps and games until the end of 2019. Android customers will continue to have access to the Underground app to shop for physical goods and access Prime Video content.
