Well, this is intriguing.

http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2015/aug/27/amazon-underground-android-apps-games-free

In-app purchases may have become the dominant way for developers to make money from charging for their apps, but Amazon’s new app takes a sledgehammer to the model.

Well, in a sense. Amazon Underground is an app for Android smartphones that offers a catalogue of apps and games with their in-app purchases all reduced to zero. Users can still “buy” virtual currency and items, but Amazon will pay for them – touting an “actually free” slogan.

I’m slightly perplexed as to how Amazon are making money on this. Advertising? Or just a PR stunt for their also-ran Marketplace perhaps?

They’ll pay for it with the money saved in tax.

Oh,

https://www.amazon.co.uk/underground

Hmmm. Sideloaded apps. Not so keen on that if I am entirely honest.

From the comments section from the article

I downloaded the app but baulked at accepting the Ts and Cs. Have seriously never seen anything quite so invasive – ‘this app may access everything on your phone, delete, modify contents of your SD card, view and edit contacts, know your GPS whereabouts, go on holiday with your family, wear your favourite slippers and stalk you for the rest of your natural life… etc’. I clicked cancel… and hey presto, no app for me, and you’re left feeling short-changed.

Er no thanks.

bit like a 24/7 tesco club card really..

you dont get anything for free…..

Aha. That’s their revenue stream, it’s all about the metadata.

Hum.

They sound like fairly standard t&c’s to be honest. As individual consumers we seem rather powerless to stand against them, this is why we need much much stronger laws to protect us from obtrusive data collecting and sale.

As individual consumers we seem rather powerless to turn them down

We have all the power. No one is forcing you download the app. It looks like Amazon are trying to challenge Google Play. It’ll be a battle I could happily watch.