Amazon Ending “Underground Actually Free” Program for Android

It has only been almost two years since its launch but Amazon will be shutting down their Underground Actually Free program soon. The program was initiated as a way to bring more attention to Amazon’s own Android hardware such as Fire tablets, Fire TV and various devices, giving user the chance to get thousands of apps for free including popular gaming titles such as Star Wars Rebels: Recon Missions, Looney Tunes Dash! and Angry Brids Slingshot Stella when it first debuted. The apps were downloadable via Amazon’s app store or via the Underground mobile app which is only available directly from Amazon’s website since Google would not allow competition to set up shop in its own Play Store. Amazon compensated the developers of the apps depending on how long the user used their apps and as of writing this article, there are over 20,000 apps and games listed in the Underground Actually Free program.

According to an Amazon blog posted over the weekend, the company will still continue to expand their Amazon Appstore experience but will be discontinuing the Underground Actually Free program in stages, with all support ending in 2019. As of May 31, 2017, Amazon will no longer be accepting new app or game submissions for the program although existing Amazon Underground developers will still continue to get paid for every minute customers spend using the app as provided in the developer agreement. Updates for each existing app or game are also still being accepted up until the 2019 end date.