Disclosure: Sponsored Post
*UPDATE: Check out my related post – Parent’s Guide To Using Amazon Coins
While I visited Amazon online regularly to shop, I realized that they have an appstore I had not used yet. With summer break coming up, it is also an especially good time to prepare our mobile devices for travel with the right apps. So I thought it was perfect timing that Amazon happened to contact me for a *sponsored* campaign to learn more about their Amazon Appstore. For those with Android phones or tablets, utilizing the Amazon Appstore will give you access to a great selection of apps, entertainment and more.
Here is information on the Amazon Appstore (some of this info was taken from Amazon help screens):
- If you log onto to your Amazon account online, you can see headings for Appstore for Android, Underground Apps, Best Sellers, Amazon Coins, Deals, New Releases, Fire Tablet Apps, Fire TV Apps, Get Started, Games, Your Apps & Devices, Fire Phone Apps and more.
- Amazon Underground is Amazon shopping plus access to “movies, TV shows, apps and games. There are “two ways to save: Get Actually Free apps and games that are 100% free including your lives, levels, and upgrades or save up to 15% on all paid apps, games and in-app items when you buy Amazon Coins. Stream tens of thousands of movies and TV episodes from Amazon Instant Video. “
What is Amazon Underground?
- Amazon Underground is the Amazon Shopping App with an integrated Amazon Appstore. The Amazon Appstore side is where users can download and install games and apps and use Amazon Coins to save on apps, games and in-app purchases.
- Amazon Underground is also a program that offers free apps and games [these typically paid apps and games are completely free if they are part of the Amazon Underground program (no need to buy the in-app purchases – including your lives, levels, and upgrades)]. The “actually free” content is denoted with an “actually free” banner on the top left hand corner of the app icon. Some games, such as Clash of Kings and Cookie Jam, are not part of the Underground program, however, they are downloadable through the Amazon Appstore (also known as the Underground app).
How do I download the Amazon Appstore?
- You can access Amazon Appstore on any Amazon Fire device or download on any Android device. If you don’t have the Amazon Appstore App installed, visit www.amazon.com/underground from your Android device. You will need an Amazon account and will need to link your credit/debit or gift card to make purchases. Or you can visit the Amazon Underground online and have instructions sent via phone or email.
- You will be asked to open a web page through one of your browsers to download the Amazon Appstore.
- After opening the link in your browser, you will be able to download the Amazon Appstore. Make sure to enable “Unknown Sources” during the installation process.
- Note for games: If you are currently playing a game through a non-Amazon appstore (such as Google Play or iOS), make sure to sync your information to maintain your progress so you can pick up where you leave off. It may also be helpful to delete the existing version of your Google Play app before installing the supported Amazon Appstore version.
When I visited the Amazon Underground online and put in my email address https://www.amazon.com/underground, here is the email I received with instructions:
Download the Amazon Underground App on your Android device here:
https://www.amazon.com/app-email
To install the Amazon Underground App, just follow these 3 steps:
1. Update Phone Settings
-Go to your phone Settings page and tap Security or Applications (varies with device)
-Check the Unknown Sources box and confirm with OK
2. Install
-Go to Your Downloads
-Open Downloads on your device by going to My Files or Files
-Tap on the Amazon App File (Amazon_App.apk)
-Tap Install when prompted
3. Launch Amazon Underground
-Tap Open to launch the Amazon Underground App
-Sign in, open the left Menu
-Select Apps & Games, where you’ll find over ten thousand dollars in apps, games and even in-app items that are actually free—unlimited lives, levels, upgrades and more.
For more information on how to download Amazon Underground, CLICK HERE.
How can I access the Amazon Appstore on my mobile device after it is downloaded?
You can see from this photo that after you download the Amazon Appstore, an icon will appear on your device. When you then choose apps to download, they will also appear as separate app icons similar to the way you populated other apps on your device. For example, this summer our family has a goal of learning Spanish. After we downloaded the Amazon Appstore, we downloaded a Spanish Language learning app:
How do I pay for games if I need to buy them?
You can pay for the games through your Amazon account but the more budget friendly way is to buy Amazon Coins for your kids to pick out games for the family mobile devices. Here is information on Amazon Coins from the website “Buy select in-game items in any of the [Amazon Appstore] games below, and receive up to 30% free Amazon Coins back (while supplies last). You can spend Amazon Coins, like money, to buy even more in-game items. First install the Amazon Appstore on your Android device, then install your favorite game below to enjoy Amazon Coins rewards. Don’t see your favorite game here? You can always save up to 15% on in-game items in any game when you buy them with Amazon Coins.”
On my next blog post in this series, I will provide more information about Amazon Coins and show the process of buying them and then using those Amazon Coins to buy the Geometry Dash app on the Amazon Appstore. The Geometry Dash App can be purchased for either $1.99 or 199 coins. 100 Amazon Coins equal $1; so the conversion math is simple and you can buy Amazon Coins at a discount where the more you buy, the larger the discount. More about Amazon Coins to come so stay tuned.
TIP FOR PARENTS: I suggest providing guidelines on the types of apps that are appropriate and make your own family rules. In our family, we tell our kids that using mobile devices is a privilege they only have if they follow the rules (trusted relationship). We sit down as a family to talk about what apps are appropriate and also guidelines on app use. For example, the rules in our family are that screen time is only after they have had outdoor and reading time.
Disclosure: Sponsored by Amazon and Amazon Coins. All of my words are my own.
