Amazon ended the Amazon Appstore on non-Amazon Android devices in August 2025, and on Windows 11 earlier that year. It remains the store on Fire TV and Fire tablets, where it reaches large streaming and family audiences. To optimize, write clear titles, descriptions, and feature bullets, provide high-quality 16:9 assets for Fire TV, support remote and voice navigation, and make sign-in and trials easy on a TV screen.
What changed and what remains
For years, the Amazon Appstore was available as an alternative store on Android phones. Amazon ended support for the Appstore on non-Amazon Android devices on August 20, 2025, after ending the Windows Subsystem for Android and the Appstore on Windows 11 in March 2025. Apps distributed only through the Appstore on those devices lost that channel.
The Appstore continues on Amazon's own devices: Fire TV streaming devices and TVs, and Fire tablets. These are substantial audiences, especially for streaming, games, kids, and family apps. Amazon has also introduced its Vega OS on some newer Fire TV devices, which uses a different app framework, so check which platforms your target devices run before you build.
How users discover Fire TV apps
On Fire TV, discovery happens through the home screen, Find and search menus, editorial rows, and Alexa voice search. Many users never type a search; they say the app or content name to Alexa, or pick from rows of featured and recommended apps. That makes the app name, aliases, and content metadata important for voice and browse discovery.
Streaming services can also integrate their catalogs so content appears in Fire TV's universal browse and search experiences, which drives deep links into the app. For video apps, this integration often matters more than the store listing itself. Our guide to smart TV app store optimization covers similar dynamics across TV platforms.
Listing text: title, descriptions, and feature bullets
Amazon's developer console asks for a title, short description, long description, feature bullets, and keywords. Use the title for the brand and core purpose, the short description for the main benefit, and feature bullets for scannable reasons to install. Write for people browsing on a TV screen from several feet away, where long paragraphs go unread.
Keep keywords relevant and avoid competitor names, which can breach Amazon's content policies. The principles in ASO keyword research apply, but focus on content and use-case terms, such as live sports, kids cartoons, or workouts, which are how TV users think.
Assets for a 10-foot experience
Fire TV listings need large, high-quality images, including 1920 x 1080 screenshots and background art, plus icons in the sizes the console specifies. Images are seen on large screens, so low-resolution or text-heavy assets look worse than on a phone. Show real in-app screens with clear focus states that demonstrate remote navigation.
For Fire tablets, provide tablet-appropriate screenshots and consider the Amazon Kids experience if your app targets families. Content and privacy rules for children's apps are strict, so review our kids and family app ASO guide before targeting that audience.
Conversion on TV: sign-in, trials, and remote control
TV users abandon apps that make them type passwords with a remote. Offer sign-in by QR code or device code on a phone, and make free trials or free tiers obvious. The first screen after opening should show content, not a wall of forms.
Test navigation with the Fire TV remote and voice. Every action should be reachable with the directional pad, and focus should always be visible. Poor TV usability shows up quickly in reviews, which affect both ranking and conversion. Our app onboarding best practices guide covers the first-session principles that apply here too.
Ratings, updates, and Amazon promotions
Ratings and reviews on Amazon's devices are visible and influence installs. Reply where possible and fix device-specific issues, such as playback problems on older Fire TV sticks. Keep the app updated for new Fire OS versions and device models.
Amazon offers developer promotions, featured placements, and advertising options on Fire TV. If you invest in them, measure installs and retention against an organic baseline, using the approach in attribution and organic uplift.
A worked example: a fitness streaming app on Fire TV
A home workout service with strong mobile adoption launches a Fire TV app. Its first version mirrors the phone layout and requires email sign-in, and early reviews complain about typing passwords with the remote. Installs from the store are decent, but fewer than half of installers ever start a class.
The team rebuilds the first screen around a row of featured classes, adds QR-code sign-in, and rewrites feature bullets around class types and durations. It also checks that Alexa recognizes the app name and common requests. Within two months, the share of installers starting a class rises sharply, ratings improve, and the app earns a spot in a fitness editorial row.
Common Fire TV app mistakes
The most common mistake is porting a phone app to TV without redesign. Touch-first layouts, tiny text, and keyboard-heavy sign-in produce frustrated users and poor ratings. Another is assuming the Appstore still reaches all Android users, which can leave marketing plans pointing users to a store they no longer have.
Teams also neglect voice. If Alexa cannot match your app's name or content, users who ask for it end up somewhere else. Test voice commands with real users and accents, and check how your app name is pronounced and recognized.
How to do it, step by step
- Confirm your target devicesDecide whether you target Fire TV, Fire tablets, or both, and check which operating system each target device runs.
- Design for remote and voiceMake every action reachable with the directional pad, show clear focus states, and test Alexa voice commands.
- Write TV-friendly listing textUse a clear title, a benefit-led short description, and scannable feature bullets with content and use-case terms.
- Produce 1920 x 1080 assetsCreate large screenshots and background art showing real screens with visible focus states.
- Simplify sign-in and trialsOffer QR or device-code sign-in and make free trials or tiers obvious from the first screen.
Before and after examples
Illustrative examples written for a generic app in this category, not client results. Swap in your own product, audience, and data.
Email and password typed with the remote.
Scan a QR code or enter a short code at a web address on your phone.
Why it works: Typing with a remote is slow and a major cause of abandonment.
Our app has many great features for everyone.
Live and on-demand yoga classes; 10 to 60 minute sessions; new classes every week; works with Alexa.
Why it works: Scannable bullets suit TV browsing from a distance.
Phone UI scaled to 16:9 with tiny text.
Native TV layout at 1920 x 1080 with a highlighted focus state.
Why it works: TV users judge whether the app is built for the big screen.
Action plan
- Confirm which Amazon devices you target
- Design for remote, focus, and voice
- Write scannable TV-friendly listing text
- Provide full HD 16:9 assets
- Offer QR or device-code sign-in
- Integrate content with Fire TV browse where possible
Metrics to monitor
- Installs by device type
- First-session completion on TV
- Sign-in success rate
- Rating and review count
- Voice-initiated launches where measurable
Record the baseline, release date, audience, markets, and external changes before interpreting movement. Rankings and conversion are useful signals, but a decision is stronger when activation, retention, and business value confirm that the page attracted the right users.
Frequently asked questions
Is the Amazon Appstore shutting down?
Amazon ended the Appstore on non-Amazon Android devices in August 2025 and on Windows 11 in March 2025. It continues on Fire TV and Fire tablets.
Is Fire TV worth building for?
For streaming, fitness, games, and family apps, often yes. Fire TV has a large audience and discovery through voice and browse can drive installs.
What size are Fire TV screenshots?
Fire TV uses 1920 x 1080 images for screenshots and background art. Check Amazon's console for current icon and asset sizes.
How do users find Fire TV apps?
Through home screen rows, search, editorial collections, and Alexa voice requests. Content integration can also surface apps in universal browse.
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