Chris Velazco is a mobile enthusiast and writer who studied English and Marketing at Rutgers University. Once upon a time, he was the news intern for MobileCrunch, and in between posts, he worked in wireless sales at Best Buy. After graduating, he returned to the new TechCrunch to as a full-time mobile writer. He counts advertising, running, musical theater,... ? Learn More
Amazon’s Appstore has always been a great place to pick up great Android apps on the cheap, but it came with a caveat: ever since its launch this past March, it has only been available to U.S. customers. Surprisingly, Amazon seems to have lifted this restriction today without so much as a peep, because international customers are reporting that they can now download the free app of the day sans hassle.
At first it looked like only Europe was granted access, but Pocket Gamer reports that a few countries outside the EU have been given the green light too.
So far, the list of countries where the Appstore appears to have gone live include the UK, Germany, Denmark, Spain, Australia, India, and Holland. Both free and paid app purchases are reportedly running smoothly, albeit with a vestigial American influence. The prices still appear in US dollars, which means enterprising app fans can take advantage of favorable exchange rates.
Before today, international users could still access the Appstore, but it required a bit of dedication: they had to create a new Amazon account with a US address. Now all it takes is a quick .apk download from Amazon, and setting the Android device in question to install content from unknown sources.
It’s a bit puzzling as to why Amazon flipped the switch on the Appstore without a word, but there are a few theories already making the rounds. It could be that Amazon is just doing a little stress testing to see how an official rollout would manage in the future, or it could be a bit of foreshadowing for an impending Amazon tablet launch. Of course, it could also just be a huge mistake, in which case international users should enjoy it while it lasts.
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