Amazon has decided to sunset the TestDrive service which allowed people to try Android apps before they decided to buy them. Since the feature was launched back in 2011 more than 16,000 apps have allowed people to try before they buy but as more and more apps move towards a ‘free to play’ model with in-app purchases, the TestDrive service’s usage has plummeted and that’s why Amazon has decided to kill it.
For those who are unaware, Amazon runs its own Appstore for Android apps. It comes pre-installed on the company’s own smartphone and tablets, while anyone with an Android device can get the Amazon Appstore to download apps.
Amazon often runs promotions and offers many apps and games for free in order to get more users on its Appstore. TestDrive was one another service with which it could attract people who otherwise got their apps from the Google Play Store.
The company reveals that the increasing use of the free to play model has resulted in a “significant decline’ in people using TestDrive which is why effective immediately the TestDrive service will no longer be available.
Amazon has already pulled this feature from the Appstore, and it will no longer be available to anyone wishing to try premium apps before they decide to buy.