Amazon’s pledge is to provide Android consumers with a compendium of top apps that are 100% certifiably free – with no hidden in-app purchases required.
A genius marketing ploy? Perhaps. The digital doyen made sure an email got to consumers, emphasizing that the new underground mall offers more than “ten thousand dollars in apps, games, and in-app items that are actually free.”
Amazon is reportedly working with thousands of developers to offer a service that assures customers that the apps and games listed as free are really and truly free.
Amazon cited the common trick in its missive: “They use in-app payments to charge you for special items or to unlock features or levels.”
Amazon Underground? It may be … well … underground, but it wants to stay free of the dirt usually dished on apps falsely advertised as “free.”
“You will find 100% free versions of popular premium titles,” the letter stated. “We’ve made this possible by working out a new business model with app and game developers.”
The relevant apps and games are being marketed under an “Actually Free” banner.
But there’s always a catch, isn’t there? Users reportedly have to download Underground directly from Amazon.com — not a simple thing, especially for users without Fire phones.
Word to the wise: The Verge has pointed out that the process entails changing security settings and installing an .apk to access content that is largely available in the Google Play Store already.
