The Amazon Appstore now provides web app developers with the option to submit self-contained, packaged web apps. Developers only need to wrap the assets for their web app (i.e. HTML, CSS, JavaScript, images etc.) into a standard zip file and Amazon will offer that web app to millions of Kindle Fire and Amazon Appstore customers.

This new service expands on our previous web app solution, which enabled hosted mobile web sites to publish apps to the Amazon Appstore. This works well for thousands of mobile web developers who are already serving content to the web, and we'll be continuing to offer hosted web apps in the future. But for many other developers, hosted apps aren't an ideal solution - they might not have a server, don't want to deal with the extra burden and cost of maintaining a server-side host for their app, or want their app to work seamlessly while offline.

Amazon's packaged web app solution solves this problem by letting web developers bundle all the files needed for their app into a zip file. Similar to other pure HTML5 solutions, web developers can submit apps to the Amazon Appstore without any need to worry about native packaging or distribution. Developers can concentrate on creating cutting edge web apps that take advantage of the advanced capabilities of our Chromium-based Amazon WebView available on our Kindle Fire tablets, or create more cross platform web apps that run on any device where Amazon Appstore is installed.  Web developers can focus on creating great apps, and Amazon takes care of the native app creation and hosting process. 

How to Package Your HTML5 Web App

Creating a new packaged app is as simple as creating any other type of zip file. Make sure the app has an index.html file as its starting page, or indicate the path to the app's main launch page when submitting the app.  To ensure the app works offline, include all those assets as well.

A packaged HTML5 app project looks and works like a normal web project folder on a server. For example:

./project/index.html
./project/js/main.js
./project/js/libs/jquery.min.js
./project/css/main.css
./project/images/logo.png
./project/images/picture.jpg
...
etc.

You can use a GUI application like WinZip, or using zip from the command line. This command for zipping a folder will result in the basic zip file you need:

$ zip -r project.zip ./project
 
adding: project/ (stored 0%)
adding: project/css/ (stored 0%)
adding: project/css/main.css (stored 0%)
adding: project/images/ (stored 0%)
adding: project/images/logo.png (deflated 7%)
adding: project/images/picture.jpg (deflated 1%)
adding: project/index.html (deflated 47%)
adding: project/js/ (stored 0%)
adding: project/js/libs/ (stored 0%)
adding: project/js/libs/jquery.min.js (deflated 65%)
adding: project/js/main.js (deflated 69%)

Testing Your Packaged Web App

The Amazon Web App Tester has been upgraded to handle packaged web apps as well. If you're not familiar with the Web App Tester, check out this blog post, Getting the most out of the Web App Tester, which shows you how to use it to test your web app before submission, including enabling and using the Remote Development Tools and other tips and tricks.

In addition to entering URLs for hosted web apps, developers can now load their zipped web app files on to the device, which will be pulled in by the Web App Tester for viewing/debugging. Using the Android File Transfer tool, copy the zipped web app files you want to test to a folder in the root of the device:

/amazonwebapps

The app package file should then show up in Web App Tester, where you can click Extract and use the app as per normal.  You can also enter a URL pointing to a packaged zip file instead and follow the same steps above.

Submitting your HTML5 Packaged Web App to the Amazon Appstore

Developers need to follow the following simple steps to submit their web apps:

1. Create a Free Amazon Developer account. 

2. Go to the New Web App Submission page and provide details about the packaged web app:

1. General Information (title, category, support details, privacy URL)
2. Availability and Pricing  (release date and base list price)
3. Description
4. Images and Multimedia (screen shots, icons)
5. Content rating

3. Choose whether or not to submit a hosted web app or a packaged web app. (In this case, the latter).

4. Upload the web app files (HTML, JavaScript, CSS, content files/resources) as a zip file.

5. Submit!

Final Thoughts

That's it! Creating HTML5 packaged apps for the Amazon Appstore is straight forward, but if you have any problems, be sure to check out the web app support forum, where you can find answers or post questions.

Amazon's packaged web apps are a great step forward for the open web. Creating cross platform apps using HTML5 technologies will enable a whole new class of apps created by a whole new generation of developers. We're excited to launch this new functionality and can't wait to see what developers do.

-Russ

In house testing with side-loaded apps is great for isolating and fixing bugs, but it’s not enough. To be certain that your customers are getting the experience you want them to have, you have to test your app against a production environment. 

We’re excited to announce a new tool for mobile developers called Live App Testing. Live App Testing allows you to quickly distribute your apps in the Amazon Appstore to a pre-defined set of testers before you go live.  The testers will be able to sample the full suite of Amazon services - including in-app purchasing - against our production environment, so you can ensure your app is working as expected.  This allows you to gather feedback, improve quality, increase stability and optimize the experience before you push your app live for all customers to download.

What is it?

Live App Testing allows you to create a version of your app that is only distributed to select testers of your choice. You invite testers by adding their email address to Live App Testing.  Once testers are invited to test, they will receive an email with instructions to download the test app and begin testing against Amazon’s production environment.  Only invited testers will be allowed to download and test your app.  As a part of Live App Testing, you can test your apps on any Android or Amazon Fire device.

What does Live App Testing Include?

• Test your app against Amazon production environment before distributing to everyone:  You no longer need to wait until after your app is launched to get real world testing.  You can now distribute your app to a set of testers you define, which gives your more control over the test.  And, you can quickly test against a production environment (yours and Amazon’s), ensuring a higher quality app when you release to the general public.
• Tester Management: Easily define the list of testers you want to be able to test your app.  You don’t need to keep track of who you have invited to test your app.  Amazon takes care of the complexity of ensuring that only the set of testers you defined are the ones that are testing the app.
• Test on all Android and Amazon devices, including Fire TV and Fire phone:  You can choose to test your app against all Android and Amazon devices, including the Fire TV and Fire phone. 

Step by Step guide

1.  Go to the Amazon Developer Portal and select “My apps”. You’ll need to sign into your developer account. If you don’t have one yet, the sign up is easy and it’s completely free.

2.  Select an existing app or click on “Add a New App”.  If “Add a New App” is selected, go to step 3, otherwise, skip to step 4.

3.  After selecting “Add a New App”, select “Android”.  Click next and fill out the New App Submission information.

4.  Select Live App Testing to begin to setup a test for this app.  Once on this page, click on “start your first test run” to begin the process of setting up your first test.

5.  Fill out all of the required tabs

In this step, you will be adding the metadata and the APK that you want to test.

6.  Once you have filled out each tab, you can either submit your app (without assigning testers) or go to the dashboard and add testers.

If you are not ready to add testers at this time, you can select “Submit” and submit the app for publishing.  This process can take up to a few hours.

If you would like to add testers before submitting your app, select “Go to Dashboard” to add testers following the steps below.

7.  On the dashboard, click on “Add Testers” to add testers to the test.

8.  On the testers page, click on “Add Testers”.

9.  Either upload a list of tester email addresses or add the testers individually.  I recommend you add yourself as a tester so you can get the invitation email which will signify that the binary is available to download and test.

10.  Once you add the testers, select save.

11.  You will notice on the dashboard that you have 1 tester assigned to the test.  At this time, select actions (the sprocket icon) and select submit.

You’re all done.  Testers will receive an email to join your test once the app is live.

Managing Your Test

Once your app is running, you can either end your test, or promote your test to an upcoming version.  By promoting your app to an upcoming version, you can make some finishing touches such as upload final screenshots or metadata before going live.

Tests that you have ended will appear on the Live App Testing Dashboard under the “Past Tests” section.

You can also easily see the crashes that have occurred during this test in the Live App testing Dashboard.

Try Live App Testing Yourself

The new Amazon Live App Testing helps you manage testing to help you publish higher quality apps in the Appstore with fewer errors. Creating a new test is easy through the Amazon Developer Portal, at no cost to you. Click here to get started.

Click here to get a free Amazon developer account.

Now available in 41 additional international locations, the Amazon Appstore has expanded its global presence to 236 countries and territories. Publishing your Android app on Amazon means you can reach customers from around the world, including those in countries that were previously inaccessible.

Africa, Asia, the Middle East, Oceania

This expansion represents an opportunity for Amazon developers to target new areas in Africa, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia, including some of the most populous and connected nations in the world. Singapore, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, Nigeria, Bangladesh, Egypt, and Turkey are just a few examples.

Local Restrictions

All apps will not be approved to be published in all countries, based on local restrictions. As always, you should familiarize yourself with any content guidelines or rules that may be imposed by specific governments in the countries in which you select to distribute your apps.

Impact on Existing Apps

For apps that are already live on the Amazon Appstore (or that you are in the process of submitting), distribution to these new areas will be enabled automatically if:

• You selected In all countries and regions where Amazon sells apps when asked where you would like the app to be available; and
• The app complies with the local restrictions described above.

As before, you can also fine tune where your app is distributed in each geographic region by selecting countries and territories individually.

More Countries, More Potential Customers

As the Amazon Appstore expands its presence around the world, your potential customer base expands with it. With the ability to publish your Android apps and games to 236 countries and territories around the world, Amazon helps you reach a truly global audience.

Here are the newly added locations (see Countries & Territories Eligible to Shop for Apps for the complete list of all accessible areas):

-peter (@peterdotgames)

If you’re attending GDC Europe, be sure to check out the Amazon Developer Day on Tuesday, August 12^th from 10am-6:30pm in Rheinssal West, 1^st Level. Anyone with an Expo pass can attend, so plan to join the Amazon team to learn how you can build, optimize, and monetize your games for Amazon’s Fire devices and Fire OS, an Android-based platform.

Come learn more about developing for our latest devices, including Fire phone and Fire TV. Fire phone lets you create games that respond to customers in a whole new way with Dynamic Perspective. Fire TV makes it easy for Android game developers to reach a new audience in the living room. We’ll provide details on the SDKs, show you how other developers are using these features and help you get started. You’ll also hear more about the AWS services that will help you evolve your game and Appstore APIs that can help you make more money and engage more customers on our devices.

Technical evangelists from Appstore and AWS will be on hand to answer questions. We’ll also have devices for you to explore and test your games – be one of the first developers in Europe to play with Fire!

Agenda:

10:00-10:45
Reach Cross-Platform with Amazon Appstore for Android
The Amazon Developer day at GDC EU is the place for game developers to learn about building for the Amazon Appstore. Learn about the platform's reach and scale, Amazon's Fire OS, an Android-based platform, and our latest devices and services in Europe.

11:00-12:30
Engage More Customers with Immersive Game Experiences
Fire, the first phone designed and produced by Amazon, enables you to create new experiences that respond to the way the customer holds, views and moves the phone, and helps customers engage more deeply with your gamethrough the enhanced carousel. First, you'll get acquainted with Fire's hardware and the Dynamic Perspective and Firefly SDKs. Then you'll hear from experienced game developers about building innovative new games for Fire.

12:30-13:15
Lunch

13:15-15:15
Increase Your Reach by Engaging Customers in the Living Room
Fire TV can help you increase your customer base by putting your existing game in the living room, in front of people who enjoy entertainment and may not have seen your games before. Learn more about Fire's capabilities and the SDK, hear from game developers about their experience with Fire TV, and learn how to port and optimize your game for the big screen, including how to implement controller support.

15:30-17:30
Architect Your Games for Maximum Profitability, Scale and User Engagement
You'll hear about the AWS services that will help you evolve your game to take advantage of cloud patterns such as in-game asset download, saving games to the cloud, online gameplay / stats, and game analytics. We'll also teach you how to publish HTML5 games to Fire phone, and discuss services that can help you engage more customers and make more money.

17:30-18:30
HAPPY HOUR | Q&A

Register now to attend the Amazon Developer Day at GDC 2014 and come meet the Amazon team.

Fire, Amazon’s first smartphone, is now available at AT&T stores throughout the US and online at www.att.com/firephone or www.amazon.com/firephone.   

Fire is the only smartphone with Dynamic Perspective and Firefly. Dynamic Perspective is an entirely new sensor system that responds to the way a customer holds, views and moves the phone. The Dynamic Perspective SDK gives developers access to algorithms that identify the X, Y and Z coordinates of the head, enabling a whole new class of apps and games. Firefly quickly recognizes things in the real world—web and email addresses, phone numbers, QR and bar codes, movies, music, and millions of products, and lets the user take action in seconds—all with the simple press of the Firefly button. With the Firefly SDK, developers can extend the use of the Firefly button to enable new actions their users can take based on what they identify. 

If you’re ready to get your app on Fire phone, you can test your app today. For more information on the Fire phone SDKs, click here.

Here is a quick recap of all of the Fire phone posts on the Amazon Apps & Services Blog.

Today, Amazon announced that Amazon Appstore selection has nearly tripled over the past year, and since Fire phone launched, the rate of app submissions to the Amazon Appstore has more than doubled. Read the press release to learn more about innovative new apps and games from developers—including Camouflaj, Craigslist, eBay, Fandango, Fluik, Kik, Magmic, Trove, TV Guide, and WhitePages—all using Fire phone’s unique technical capabilities.

In addition, yesterday, Amazon Game Studios announced two exclusive new games—Saber’s Edge and To-Fu Fury—for Amazon’s new Fire phone. Saber’s Edge and To-Fu Fury are co-developed with partners, Hibernum and HotGen as part of Amazon Game Studios’ mission to build fun, immersive games from the ground up for Amazon devices. These new games were created exclusively for Fire phone and take advantage of Amazon’s groundbreaking Dynamic Perspective.

Ready to get your app on Fire phone? Test your app today.

Here is a quick recap of all of the Fire phone posts on the Amazon Apps & Services Blog.

In-App Purchasing (IAP) is gaining in popularity with developers as it continues to be a reliable revenue generator for mobile apps and games. It is the basis of Free-to-Play, eliminating up-front costs but allowing customers to purchase upgrades and add-ons they find valuable. The Amazon Appstore platform is designed to manage these transactions, and we have enhanced our In-App purchasing API to make it easier for you to manage the purchases your customers make.

Improved Customer Experience

With this update, the In-App Purchasing API improves the receipt process to provide better visibility into the fulfillment status of your customers’ in-app purchases.

The updated API replaces PurchaseToken with a unique receipt identifier called ReceiptId. The ReceiptId value allows you to:

• Determine fulfillment status and reconcile transaction records with your Amazon earnings report.
• Identify duplicate transactions to prevent over-fulfillment of digital content.
• Receive notification of transactions that cancel orders.

Getting Started

The updated API is backward-compatible, which means that your existing applications will continue to work without modification. We recommend that you migrate to the latest version, though, so that you can benefit from these improvements.

• If you are adding in-app purchasing to your app for the first time, simply build your project with the Amazon Mobile App SDK, which includes the latest version of the In-App Purchasing API.
• If your app already uses an older version of the API but you’re not ready to migrate from PurchaseToken to ReceiptId, you can still update to the latest version. Your app will work without modification, so you can prepare for the switch and follow through with the actual migration when you’re ready.
• If you are ready to use ReceiptId now, simply follow the migration guide available on our Developer Portal.

Additional Resources

For more details on in-app purchasing and how to implement it in your mobile projects, check out our Developer Portal and blog. Dive deep on the new API, or explore related topics such as increasing conversion, digital item sales in desktop and web-based applications, and managing promotions and discounts.

Starting today, there will be a single, centralized place where customers can easily find discounted apps on the Amazon Appstore, called Deal Center. Deal Center makes it easy for customers to discover deals set up through the Developer Promotions Console, as well as promotions offered through Amazon’s Appstore Developer Select and Free App of the Day programs.

Reach New Customers with Deal Center

Deal Center is a special section of the Appstore on Kindle Fire HDX and HD devices dedicated to promotions and discounts. It is designed to help developers acquire new customers. Deal Center is implemented as a collection of widgets, each of which displays a different type of deal or product. Customers can see several offers at a glance and follow links to browse all discounts that are available.

Discounts that were previously visible only from the detail page associated with your app are now easier to find, and feature individual Buy buttons to simplify purchase. Customers can install apps right from Deal Center without having to navigate to the detail page for each app.

Deal Center is the home for all promotions across the Appstore, so apps that feature Amazon Coins back offers as part of the Appstore Developer Select (ADS) program are prominently visible. The Free App of the Day will also have a new home on Deal Center.

How Do I Participate?

You don’t have to do anything special to benefit from Deal Center’s high visibility and eye-catching placement of deals and discounts. Discounts set up through Developer Promotions Console will be featured on Deal Center without any additional steps required. If you are an ADS developer, Coins back offers on your apps will be featured on Deal Center in addition to being featured on the Appstore on Kindle Fire.

For more information about setting up price adjustments and promotions, see Easily Manage Pricing & Discounts: Developer Promotion Console.

-peter (@peterdotgames)

If you’re in the Washington D.C. area, please come out and join Amazon Appstore for a workshop on building apps and games for Fire phone and Fire TV.  Learn more on how to get your app into the living room or create apps that respond in all new ways. This MoDev exclusive event is on Saturday, July 12 from 10am-4pm. Bring your laptops and join Amazon Developer Evangelists and Fire phone product experts for a hands-on workshop designed to get you started with Fire phone and Fire TV.

Saturday, July 12, 2014

10:00AM – 4:00PM

Artisphere

1101 Wilson Boulevard, Arlington, VA (in the Ballroom off of lower town hall)

Want to attend this event?

Whether you have an existing app or are looking to launch a new app, this is an opportunity to work directly with our team for hands-on development support. Plus, you can test your apps on Fire phone and Fire TV.

Agenda

Program Details

Fire TV

• Introduction to Fire TV
• Best practices for developing for the 10-foot experience 
• Working with the remote & controllers
• Setting up your environment & publishing to the Amazon Appstore

Fire Phone

• Introduction to Fire phone
• Exploring the Dynamic Perspective SDK
• Connecting the phone to the physical world with Firefly
• Setting up your environment & publishing to the Amazon Appstore

Giveaways + Gaming Fun & Happy Hour

We’ll cap the afternoon with giveaways, gaming fun and a happy hour for attendees and evangelists to network.

We look forward to meeting you at the Artisphere in July!

The Amazon Appstore will soon be available on more devices. Early yesterday, BlackBerry announced that the Amazon Appstore preloaded on BlackBerry 10 devices starting this fall.

What Does This Mean For Amazon Appstore Developers?

This is great news for Amazon Appstore developers. In addition to Fire phone, Kindle Fire tablets, Fire TV and Android devices, you’ll now have the opportunity to distribute your apps and games on BlackBerry 10 devices. This expanded reach gives you the opportunity to sell to more customers.

What Does This Mean for BlackBerry World Developers?

You don’t have to wait to migrate your app or game to the Amazon Appstore. Click here to give your app a test run now. Submitting your app to the Amazon Appstore is easy. Register for a developer account at no cost. If you have questions, see these FAQs.

Today in Seattle, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos unveiled Fire, the first phone designed by Amazon. Fire is the first and only smartphone with Dynamic Perspective and Firefly. Dynamic Perspective is an entirely new technology that responds to the way a customer holds, views and moves the phone. For example, Zillow is using the Dynamic Perspective SDK to create the ability to zoom in on pictures within their app by just moving the phone closer to the user. The revolutionary Firefly technology already recognizes movies, music and more and with the Firefly SDK developers can extend the use of the Firefly button to enable new actions their users can take based on what they can identify. As a developer, these new technologies enable you to create more immersive experiences in your apps and games that increase user engagement.

The Fire SDKs are available now, and make it easy for developers to take advantage of these features in their apps. These SDKs were designed to offer developers power and flexibility with pre-built controls, low level APIs, and complete UI frameworks. You can download both SDKs here.

How Developers Are Using Dynamic Perspective

Fire apps are built with the same familiar Android development environment you are used to. Fire provides a powerful set of hardware to bring your apps alive. With 2 gigabytes of RAM, a powerful Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 Quad-core 2.2 GHz CPU and an Adreno 330 GPU, Fire will support the high performance game experiences customers crave. For detailed technical specifications of Fire, click here.

Zillow used the Dynamic Perspective SDK to integrate real-time information into their app’s user experience. In the Zillow app for Fire, customers can view new listings or nearby homes for sale and rent, right on the Fire carousel without having to open the Zillow app. In addition, Zillow brought a new photo experience to the device so users can use their head to zoom in on a bedroom or peek to see what's around the kitchen corner. “Real estate shopping is an inherently mobile experience so any chance we have to bring listings or new information to a home shopper while they're out on the go is a great thing,” said Jeremy Waxman, Vice President of Marketing and Mobile, Zillow. “Photos are incredibly impactful for home shoppers—it is the most common activity for users of our app. We are thrilled to be able to go one step beyond static images and offer our users the opportunity to zoom in on the photos and then peek around the room with the Dynamic Perspective SDK.”

Ezone.com, the creators of Snowspin and Crazy Snowboard, used the Dynamic Perspective SDK to allow a customer to navigate the endless runner game with just their head—no tapping on the screen necessary. Using head and hand movements, users can control direction and speed. Users can interact with games in a more immersive way – without their hands getting in the way of game play. Additionally, Ezone.com created a special flip jump in Snowspin currently exclusive to Fire customers with just a flick up of the head. “Porting our existing Android versions of Snow Spin and Crazy Snowboard to Fire couldn’t have been easier, and we were able to add new innovative game moves such as a double backflip with just the flick of your head, enabling even higher scores,” said Simon Edis, CEO of Ezone.com. “The Amazon team had all the tools ready to go, making it super easy for us to just drop them in our games and publish.”

CrowdStar used the Dynamic Perspective SDK to create the ability for Covet Fashion users to select their favorite fashion choices for their model. Using zoom and tilt, players can see details of outfits to vote on looks. “Dynamic Perspective is so innovative we’ve just begun to figure out how to take advantage of all the technology has to offer. The simplicity of the user interface and design around a one handed experience will really allow us full creativity as we look ahead in our portfolio of apps and games,” said Jefferey Tseng, CEO of Crowdstar. “Dynamic Perspective has unlocked capabilities we’ve always wanted to create in our game—incorporating zoom and pan in an incredibly natural way without having to touch the screen, is the first example.”

Firefly – Experiencing the World around You

Firefly understands your surroundings, instantly helping you to learn more, discover new things, and take action on the world around you. It can scan physical objects, identify them, and obtain related information about them. Everything from book covers, album covers, bar codes, QR codes, movies, television shows, songs and more. Developers can use the Firefly API to supplement item identification or build actionable options for customers after an item is recognized. For example, iHeartRadio used the Firefly SDK’s built-in music recognizer and music database to identify a song playing. Then they built their own Firefly action to create a station based on the song Firefly recognized.

Go beyond Touch with Shortcut Gestures

Because phones are often used with only one hand, Fire also offers one-handed shortcuts that go above and beyond touch. These shortcut gestures allow you to simply angle the device and “peek” into additional information that your apps can display on screen. For example, customer ratings in the Amazon Appstore instantly appear over each app’s icon when the device is tilted. Navigation is enhanced with gestures: moving back is as simple as flicking up on the screen with a finger, while tilting the device in either direction brings up two additional panels for navigation and contextual information. Gestures can even be integrated inside your games so that users can experience the game in a more intuitive way. Imagine moving a character on screen simply by titling the device instead of having to cover what’s on the screen with your finger.

Creating Multi-Dimensional Experiences inside Your Apps with the new SDKs

Fire enables new ways of interacting with your phone by simply rotating the device around X, Y and Z axes. These gestures were designed to be used with only a single hand, a common scenario when using a phone. We’ve created a framework that integrates directly with these gestures and Fire’s new sensors, making it a simple process to integrate within your own apps.

Fire SDKs and APIs

The underlying technology for Dynamic Perspective and Firefly is sophisticated, but Amazon makes it simple for developers to harness their capabilities. See a full breakdown of the SDKs and their contents here.

Dynamic Perspective SDK

The Dynamic Perspective SDK includes a series of APIs and Controls to help developers create peek, tilt and zoom capabilities within their app based on customer head movements, create multi-dimensional game play, or provide quick navigation menus by tilting the device to the left or right. These experiences are created through a variety of visual effects including adding shadows, depth and tracking head and motion gestures. For example, you could create an app that allows you to peek at how many pages are left in the book you are reading, or browse your apps as if you were flipping through a physical file drawer. Flat cartoonish icons and graphics could be replaced with realistic visuals that use lighting, shadows and motion to create an experience you would want to show off at every opportunity.

Firefly SDK

With the Firefly SDK, developers can build apps that recognize real world objects—music, movies and more—and let customers interact with them. As a developer you can create more immersive experiences that increase both engagement and the frequency of app use. The Firefly SDK comes with built-in recognizers and databases for products, music, movies, URLs, and websites, as well as built-in actions such as dialing a phone number, looking up an object on Amazon or going to a website. Developers can use the Firefly SDK to take advantage of the built-in recognizers, databases and actions.

Fire is Android Compatible

Fire is based on Fire OS so if an app runs on Android it can run on Fire with little to no work. For a developer who just wants to get started with Fire they can do a simple port, or they can use the Fire SDKs to easily integrate UI features such as shadows or hovering images within the app or game, or creating left and right panels based on Fire’s three-panel UI design.

Fire uses the same familiar Android development environment, and while Android Studio is fully supported IDE, you can also use Eclipse and other IDEs. Android Studio Gradle support is also supported for builds. An API simulator for the Side Panels and Carousel is included to test code on stock Android emulators and devices without needing a physical Fire device.

We know that many Android apps and games are built with various technologies so the Fire SDK includes support for those as well. Unity, HTML5 and C++ are all supported. For additional details on using third-party frameworks click here.

By optimizing your apps for Fire, you have the opportunity to create compelling experiences that combine realistic visuals, with both depth and perspective allowing customers to use their smartphone in ways never done before. Starting today we are updating Appstore Developer Select offerings, Amazon Mobile Ads API, and Amazon Testing Service with special Fire incentives.

Amazon Developer Select: Amazon will offer 500,000 Amazon Coins ($5,000 value) for each of your qualifying paid apps or apps with in-app purchasing that meet the additional program requirements for Fire Phone. You can create campaigns via the Promotions Console to give these Coins away to consumers purchasing any of your paid apps or in-app items. For more details on the Amazon Developer Select program for Fire click here.

Amazon Mobile Ads API: Developers earn $6 for every thousand interstitial ads displayed across any supported device in August and September (up to one million impressions per app per month) when they distribute their apps on Fire phones and send the first ad request from a qualified app. For more details on the Amazon Mobile Ad Network Interstitial CPM Offer promotion click here.

Amazon App Testing Service: We have also expanded our testing tool to Fire. Developers can now test their Fire apps before submitting them to the Amazon Appstore. Developers simply drag and drop an app and most will receive feedback about their app’s compatibility within 90 seconds. Additionally, registered developers have access to additional Fire test results that check the app’s experience. These tests enable developers to see how an app looks and performs on an actual device sitting in an Amazon device lab.

With the launch of Fire, Amazon now offers a complete device and apps ecosystem spanning across tablet, phone and TV. Customers pay for your apps once and interact with the experiences you create across all their screens. As a developer, you only need to submit your app once and with few changes make it available to your customers across all Amazon devices. Now is the time to submit your apps and games!

Additional Fire Developer resources:

• Order Fire - Amazon.com Page
• Create a developer account on the Amazon Appstore
• Dynamic Perspective SDK for Fire Phone
• Firefly SDK for Fire Phone
• Setting Up Fire Development Environment
• Getting Started Developing Apps for Fire Phone
• Specifications and Design Guidelines for Fire Phone
• Implementing Foundation Controls for Fire Phone
• Developing for the Home Screen on Fire Phone
• Amazon Apps & Services Blog

-Dave (@TheDaveDev)

Today is the last day to request an invitation to our launch event with Jeff Bezos on June 18th. Check out the video and get more details. 

With the release of the latest version of the Amazon Appstore for Android, customers using the Amazon Appstore on Android tablets and phones have more ways to discover and purchase apps.

New Features for Customers

The Amazon Appstore for Android is continuously updated with new features that improve the customer experience and make it easier for developers to monetize their apps. Here are a few recent updates:

• Customers can purchase your apps, and associated in app items, with Amazon Coins on Android tablets and phones
• Amazon Coins launched in France, Italy and Spain
• Enhanced Search with the ability for your customers to purchase your app directly from their search results

More Ways to Buy Apps with Amazon Coins

Amazon Coins can be purchased directly inside the Amazon Appstore for Android. Customers save up to 10% on apps, games and in-app items by purchasing Amazon Coins. Customers are shown their current Coins balance at the top of the screen as well as during checkout.

Figure 1- Available Amazon Coins displayed at top with ability to purchase at discount when clicking

Any of your apps or games that reward Amazon Coins when purchased can also be easily discovered in the Amazon Appstore for Android. Customers can search only for those apps and games that reward Amazon Coins from the navigation menu. We also feature apps and games rewarding Coins directly on the home screen.

Amazon Coins are a great way for your apps to get noticed in the Amazon Appstore. As a developer with a qualified app in the Appstore Developer Select program, customers who purchase your app will be rewarded with Amazon Coins for simply downloading your app. They can then use these Coins to buy other apps and in-app items.

Figure2- Apps and games that reward Amazon Coins can be viewed from the menu and on the main screen

Purchasing Directly from Search

Customers now get search hints whenever they’re searching for new apps and games. The title, publisher, customer rating and price are all displayed on the search hint. If a customer clicks on the button to make a purchase (Free or Paid), then more details about the app or game will be displayed, along with a “Get App” button that allows customers to immediately download your app or game. 

Figure 3- Purchasing a new game directly from search

Publish Your App to the Amazon Appstore

With the Amazon Appstore, customers can purchase your apps and games from a web browser, Kindle Fire tablets, Amazon Fire TV and select Android devices. Customers can find your apps and games in a variety of ways inside the Amazon Appstore.

If you have not submitted your Android app yet to the Amazon Appstore, registration is free and simple to complete and over 75% of Android tablets we tested work on Kindle Fire devices with no additional development required. Amazon also offers a free Mobile App SDK that supports In App Purchasing, Mobile Ads, A/B Testing, Analytics and more. Once your app is in the Amazon Appstore you can expand your reach to Kindle Fire and Amazon Fire TV devices at any time directly from within the developer console.

You may also want to check out these additional developer resources:

• Create a Free Amazon Developer Account
• Submit Your Android App
• Download the Amazon Mobile App SDK
• Android & Fire OS
• Amazon Fire TV
• Kindle Fire

-Dave (@TheDaveDev)

Last year, we launched Amazon Coins in the US, UK, and Germany. As of today, Amazon Coins are available to even more customers in Europe as we are expanding the program to France, Spain, and Italy. We’re giving millions of Euros (100 Coins = €1)  worth of coins to customers in France, Italy, and Spain, so this is a great time to submit new apps to the Amazon Appstore and ensure your existing apps are available for distribution in these countries.

Amazon Coins allows Amazon customers to buy and enjoy Android apps and in-app items at a discount, with savings of up to 10%. As a developer, you are paid whether your apps or in-app items have been purchased with Amazon Coins or another payment method, and you’ll continue to get your full 70% revenue share. Since the launch of Amazon Coins in the US, UK, and Germany, customers have already purchased hundreds of millions of Amazon Coins and are actively using them on Android phones and tablets, including Kindle Fire devices, representing real dollars to developers.

500 Coins for Amazon Appstore Customers

Kindle Fire owners will receive 500 free Coins automatically in their accounts and, for a limited time, users of the Amazon Appstore on Android phones and tablets will receive 500 Coins once they’ve updated the client and downloaded an app. During the promotion, you’ll have additional opportunities to boost your sales while customers enjoy buying apps with their free Coins. We ran a similar promotion after we launched Coins in the US, UK, and Germany, and developers gave us positive feedback about the monetization they achieved in conjunction with the promotion. Here’s what a few of them had to say:

“Sales went up 10-fold (1000%) for about a week during the Amazon Coins promotion and 500% afterwards.” –Barnstorm Games

“We saw a significant increase in revenue after the Amazon Coins announcement. Revenue from Amazon Coins during the launch week was higher than previous week’s revenue. What was also interesting is that our cash receipts also saw a lift from Coins.” — Halfbrick Studios Pty Ltd

 “Our SMS texting and calling app revenues grew more than 300% on Kindle Fire the day after Amazon Coins went live, with a staggering 78% coming from Coins. We’re convinced that this virtual currency makes sense for developers no matter what category their app is in; it certainly does for us.” — textPlus, Inc.

We continue to receive positive feedback from developers about the monetization they see on Amazon and their ability to connect with new customers via Amazon Appstore. Learn what developers like Pixowl, TuneIn, and Toca Boca have to say in our latest developer blog.

No API Integration Necessary

To benefit from Amazon Coins, you do not need to integrate an API. If your apps are already available on the Amazon Appstore and available for distribution to customers in France, Italy, and Spain, you’re already set. If you have new apps and games that are still in development, then you’ll want to submit them soon to take advantage of this promotion. If you have a new Android app, we’ve found that 75% of Android apps we’ve tested just work on Amazon Appstore, with no coding changes required. Test your APK in less than 10 minutes with our drag-and-drop testing tool. It’s also a good idea to ensure your apps are available in France, Italy, and Spain, which you can check from your account on the developer portal.

In May last year we announced Login with Amazon (LWA), an OAuth 2.0 protocol authentication service that allows your mobile apps for Android and iOS to securely connect with Amazon customers.

Today we are making things even easier for customers using apps enabled with Login with Amazon  on the latest generation of Kindle Fire devices.  Starting today, mobile apps and games that use Login with Amazon on these Kindle Fire devices will no longer need to ask Amazon customers to sign in each time the app is run. Instead, the first time the app is run Login with Amazon will automatically use the account registered to the Kindle Fire device.  The user will then simply need to consent to share their information once for each of those apps to be automatically signed in.

What Has Changed for Developers?

In addition to enabling single sign-on for Kindle Fire, Login with Amazon is now integrated with the Amazon Mobile App SDK with documentation available here in the API section of developer.amazon.com.  Login with Amazon is now part of your one-stop destination for all of Amazon’s Mobile App Developer offerings.

What Has Changed for Kindle Fire Customers?

Mobile Apps and Games downloaded to Kindle Fire devices that have implemented Login with Amazon will no longer need to ask customers to sign in each time.

In the below screenshot I launch the Sample Login with Amazon app from the Amazon Mobile App SDK.

Figure 1- Launching the Login with Amazon Sample App from the Amazon Mobile App SDK

The Sample App provides a Login with Amazon button for the user to click.  Since this is the first time I am logging in with the Sample App I am greeted with a prompt where I agree to consent to share specified information from my Amazon account under the Settings section.  Note, I am only prompted the first time I run the app and when I use the app in the future, I will automatically be logged in. To stop logging in automatically, go to Your Account>> Manage Login with Amazon settings and remove the app.

Figure 3- Giving the App permission to automatically log you in on future launches

What Versions of Kindle Fire Are Supported?

All third generation of Kindle Fire are supported including:

• Kindle Fire HDX 7” HDX (3^rd Gen)
• Kindle Fire HDX 8.9” HDX (3^rd Gen)
• Kindle Fire HD 7" (3^rd Gen)

How Do I Get Started?

To enable Login with Amazon, click on the Login with Amazon tab in the Developer Console to create or select a security profile.

Next, follow the below steps to setup your developer environment and add Login with Amazon to your app:

1. Install the Login with Amazon SDK for Android
2. Run the Sample App
3. Register with Login with Amazon
4. Create a Login with Amazon Project
5. Use the SDK for Android APIs

The above Login with Amazon sample app is now included with the Amazon Mobile App SDK.  Simply download the latest version and navigate to  Android/LoginWithAmazon/samples/SampleLoginWithAmazonApp in the folder where you unzipped the SDK.

Learn more about the Login with Amazon API section of developer.amazon.com here.

Conclusion

By enabling Login with Amazon on your Mobile Apps and Games for Kindle Fire, you no longer need to ask customers to sign in. This streamlines the experience for your customers and increases engagement for your apps where your customers may have needed to remember their specific login credentials. 

-Dave (@TheDaveDev)