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Amazon's Prime Video app disappears from the App Store [Updated] – TechCrunch
In what we understand was a “technical issue”, the Amazon Prime Video app disappeared from the Apple App Store, making it unavailable for new downloads or updates to users both on iOS and Apple TV. Twitter users began to tweet to Amazon for help about the problem on Friday morning, to which Amazon’s support channels have yet to reply.
[Update: we’ve learned the issue is technical in nature, but we have no further information as to the details of the problem. The app should be back shortly.]
[Update 2: Amazon has now offered a comment on the disappearance.
"Earlier today, there was a technical glitch that impacted the Prime Video app on iOS and tvOS devices," an Amazon spokesperson said. "The issue has been resolved, and the Prime Video app is now once again available in the App Store."
Earlier post continues below:
The app’s disappearance was earlier reported by AppleInsider, iMore and others.
The most likely reason for the app’s removal is a technical one — an issue with the update could have caused it to be temporarily pulled, perhaps.
What’s not likely is that Amazon Prime Video is gone for good.
(Score: 2) by c0lo on Thursday October 10 2019, @11:55AM (1 child)
I confess myself... disappointed.
https://www.youtube.com/@ProfSteveKeen https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday October 10 2019, @12:03PM
There's probably another story lurking inside here, about how exactly multi-billion dollar corporations with app stores update software on another multi-billion dollar corporation's app store. Unfortunately, that story has to go untold.
(Score: 3, Interesting) by VLM on Thursday October 10 2019, @12:26PM (1 child)
They're no google. Theres an entire website of services google has killed off. Some pretty good.
https://killedbygoogle.com [killedbygoogle.com]
Some of it is stretching the definition via re-branding. Fabric for mobile apps is not dead its just rebranded after purchase, so that was kinda cheaty. "Follow your world" sounds like it would have been fun, if I hadn't heard about it after it was discontinued.
As for stuff amazon shut down... there was "spark" which was a shitty photo heavy shopping client for those who don't like the information density of the real shopping app. They have had many rebranding and new front end experiments fail, in fact all of them AFAIK, everyone likes the real site and the real app. They gave up on their "me toooooo" restaurant food delivery service. They gave up on their clone of the brick and mortar apple store. Famously dash buttons just shut off although I'm not sure anyone bought them to use and everyone was fascinated with the idea of hacking them although with ESP8266 stuff being like five bucks and better supported... They had a me toooo hotel booking site, etc.
Basically Amazon has tried every "me toooooooo" service that every other billion dollar company tries and failed every one, except prime video, which is kinda interesting.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday October 10 2019, @08:27PM
Google is pretty evil when it comes to removing apps from their store, too. As much as I wish Amazon would shut down Amazon Logistics, it's due to the utter incompetence of the latter.
It seems Google removes apps from their store when they violate certain conditions. From what I can tell, the reasons for app removal include those described at https://play.google.com/about/spam-min-functionality/min-functionality/#!?zippy_activeEl=broken#broken [google.com]. From what I can tell, this includes removing apps that once worked properly but haven't been updated recently, leading to incompatibility with recent Android devices.
I have no problem with not making broken apps available for purchase in their app store. That's completely reasonable. But this also removes the app from the libraries of people who have already purchased the app. In this case, I can no longer attempt to install an app that I've already purchased, because it doesn't appear in my library. Moreover, if I use Google Play to review the list of apps that I've previously purchased, those apps are also hidden from my purchases. No explanation is given; the apps just disappear. My only record of having purchased such apps is the receipts emailed from Google when the apps were purchased. I can't even try to install the apps, even if they would work properly on older Android devices that I own.
I'll give a couple of examples:
1) Final Freeway 2R [google.com] -- This is a rather fun Out Run clone that was removed from the app store in this manner. The developer even acknowledges this in response to a review on Final Freeway [google.com], where they say, "Unfortunately Google removed FF2 from the store demanding some changes. We're working on that. FF2 will appear again :) Thank you." Thankfully, the app recently reappeared in my library.
2) Quell Memento+ [amazon.com] -- There's a free version of this with in-app purchases [google.com], but I had bought the free version awhile back. I emailed the developer, Fallen Tree games, and received a response. The developer told me that Google removed the app because it hadn't been updated in a year. To their credit, they offered me a workaround, refunding an in-app purchase providing the same functionality in the free version. I sincerely appreciate the developer contacting me, seeing as other developers haven't responded to me.
3) Fieldrunners HD [google.com] -- At one point, I recall this popular game disappearing from my library. Thankfully, it has been restored. I can only assume it disappeared for similar reasons.
4) iCircuit [apkhome.net] -- There are versions of this for other systems. I purchased the Android version a couple of years ago, but it's since disappeared. I emailed the developer and never heard back.
5) SPB Shell 3D [softonic.com] -- This app was once available on Google Play, but has since disappeared from my library. I haven't contacted the developer. It cost me $14.95, which is quite expensive. It seems I've permanently lost that money since I can't even attempt to install this software now.
It's also worth noting that the free CardioTrainer [amazon.com] app also disappeared in this manner. While this app is free, there were a number of paid add-ons, which I purchased. They weren't in-app purchases, but separate app purchases that unlocked additional functionality. These paid add-ons are now useless because the free CardioTrainer app has disappeared from my library.
There doesn't seem to be a mechanism to obtain a refund, nor does Google allow me to try to install the app that I purchased. They offer no explanation to users. Apps just disappear from users' libraries without notice or explanation. I would understand if Google was preventing me from installing malicious apps, but these apps don't qualify as such.
Unlike the glitch affecting the Amazon Prime Video app, the issues I described appear to be intentional on the part of Google. It's deceptive, because any record of the purchases is hidden from users in the Google Play app. It's unfair because users who purchased the app have their ability to install the app arbitrarily revoked with no apparent recourse.
(Score: 2) by DannyB on Thursday October 10 2019, @01:56PM
When Apple censors an app, it is now called a Technical Issue?
What about when Google censors an app?
Data: The censor array has detected incoming DMCAs!
Riker: Shields Up!
The Centauri traded Earth jump gate technology in exchange for our superior hair mousse formulas.
(Score: 2) by ledow on Thursday October 10 2019, @02:16PM (2 children)
Apple iTunes Store is not THE App Store.
Please adjust the headline.
(Score: 2) by EvilSS on Thursday October 10 2019, @03:34PM (1 child)
(Score: 2) by ledow on Thursday October 10 2019, @06:12PM
All of which are app stores. Apple's is *an* app store, just like theirs.
There is no THE App Store, without further context. There's Apple's App Store (as the entire summary and text is careful to highlight) but the headline strips that out to assume Apple is unnecessary, when the app is perfectly fine on all the others.