Amazon Underground Replaces Free App Of The Day

[DroidModderX]

​

For me the only reason to ever download the Amazon app store is so you can take advantage of the free app of the day. That reason is now gone! Amazon has decided to go a different route. Today they released Amazon Underground. This is a sub section in the Amazon Appstore that gives you a list of all the "actually free" games and apps. Amazon says there are about $10,000 worth.

One great thing about the Free app of the day was that it was essentially curated content. You didn't have to search through endless apps to find something you might like. Instead you found out what the app was and you either grabbed it or not. The upside of Amazon is that you get many apps for free everyday. These free apps are available as long as the developer keeps them underground. So far there are quite a few intriguing titles such as Goat Simulator, Cut the Rope 2, and Star Wars Rebels: Recon Missions.

Via Amazon Underground

 

[liftedplane]

meh.. guess we'll find out won't we. I have literally hundreds of apps from amazon FAotD

 

[Mustang02]

I have 3 apps from FAOTD. I'll check this out

 

[Jonny Kansas]

Here's the part that the OP doesn't make exactly clear...These apps are supposed to be COMPLETELY free. Ie, unlocked. Ie, no ridiculous IAPs. As in, if it's in this Underground app, you should be able to play/use the app for free without ever having to think about dropping an extra dollar or two.

At least, that's how I read the info provided at the link and I also saw another story about this last night that offered more detail.

To me, this could be better than FAOTD, because you won't have to worry about missing that one or two days a month where they offer up a paid app that you actually want. They'll all just be free in here, if I'm understanding this correctly.

 

[johnomaz]

Here's the part that the OP doesn't make exactly clear...These apps are supposed to be COMPLETELY free. Ie, unlocked. Ie, no ridiculous IAPs. As in, if it's in this Underground app, you should be able to play/use the app for free without ever having to think about dropping an extra dollar or two.

At least, that's how I read the info provided at the link and I also saw another story about this last night that offered more detail.

To me, this could be better than FAOTD, because you won't have to worry about missing that one or two days a month where they offer up a paid app that you actually want. They'll all just be free in here, if I'm understanding this correctly.

Thats how I've seen it listed too. Though IAPs do exist, I've read them as free instead of just gone.

At the same time, watch out for the app permissions

• com.amazon.mas.client.install.KICKOFF_INSTALL_com.amazon.mShop.android
• Access platform metrics
• Call the single sign-on provider
• com.amazon.mas.client.CONTENT_PROVIDER_READ_com.amazon.mShop.android
• com.amazon.mas.client.install.RECEIVE_INSTALL_STATE_com.amazon.mShop.android
• Install packages
• Access customer attributes
• Access coarse (e.g., Cell-ID, Wi-Fi) location
• com.amazon.mas.client.authentication.permission.DEREGISTRATION_BROADCAST_PERMISSION_com.amazon.mShop.android
• PowerManager WakeLocks to keep processor from sleeping or screen from dimming
• Access information about Wi-Fi networks
• Manage the list of accounts in the AccountManager
• Allows an application to receive messages via Google Cloud Messaging
• Receive broadcast intents from in-app purchasing
• Access device credentials
• Receive updates when Amazon app settings have changed
• com.amazon.mShop.android.permission.MAPS_RECEIVE
• com.amazon.mas.client.GLOBAL_BROADCAST_com.amazon.mShop.android
• Read permission settings
• Get notifications of permission changes
• Manage regional settings
• Record audio
• Change Wi-Fi connectivity state
• Open network sockets
• Install an app update
• Read account changes
• Read the user's contacts data
• Access the flashlight
• Access the list of accounts in the Accounts Service
• Act as an AccountAuthenticator for the AccountManager
• com.amazon.mas.client.CONTENT_PROVIDER_READ
• Write to external storage
• Access fine (e.g., GPS) location
• com.amazon.mas.client.malware.blockedapp.BLOCKED_APP_PROVIDER_WRITE_com.amazon.mShop.android
• Allows an application to uninstall home screen shortcuts
• Access information about networks
• Get access to Appstore’s settings
• Delete packages
• Allows installation of home screen shortcuts
• Monitor incoming SMS messages, to record or perform processing on them
• Send SMS messages
• com.amazon.mas.client.install.CONTENT_PROVIDER_WRITE_com.amazon.mShop.android
• Generic permissions access
• Allows an application to read device settings
• Access to the authentication SDK
• com.amazon.mas.client.install.INSTALL_com.amazon.mShop.android
• Update configuration values
• Access the vibration feature
• com.amazon.mShop.android.getui.permission.GetuiService
• Access the Amazon video SDK
• Request authtokens from the AccountManager
• Required to be able to access the camera device
• Read from external storage
• Change account property
• Read only access to device state
• Communicate to Google Cloud Messenger (GCM)

I'm tempted to reset my Nexus 7 and make a new/fake gmail account for it just to install this app. That way none of my personal data will be available.

 

[Mustang02]

Holy smokes. What's up with these apps thinking they can do whatever they want? Uninstalling.

 

[Jonny Kansas]

I mean, I know they're doing some sort of monitoring of how much you use each app to determine how much to pay the developers, but I don't see any reason they need access to anything to do with my contacts or monkey around with my SMS. Guess I'll just delete that email that I sent myself with the download link...

 

[Beer Goggles]

Thats how I've seen it listed too. Though IAPs do exist, I've read them as free instead of just gone.

At the same time, watch out for the app permissions

• com.amazon.mas.client.install.KICKOFF_INSTALL_com.amazon.mShop.android
• Access platform metrics
• Call the single sign-on provider
• com.amazon.mas.client.CONTENT_PROVIDER_READ_com.amazon.mShop.android
• com.amazon.mas.client.install.RECEIVE_INSTALL_STATE_com.amazon.mShop.android
• Install packages
• Access customer attributes
• Access coarse (e.g., Cell-ID, Wi-Fi) location
• com.amazon.mas.client.authentication.permission.DEREGISTRATION_BROADCAST_PERMISSION_com.amazon.mShop.android
• PowerManager WakeLocks to keep processor from sleeping or screen from dimming
• Access information about Wi-Fi networks
• Manage the list of accounts in the AccountManager
• Allows an application to receive messages via Google Cloud Messaging
• Receive broadcast intents from in-app purchasing
• Access device credentials
• Receive updates when Amazon app settings have changed
• com.amazon.mShop.android.permission.MAPS_RECEIVE
• com.amazon.mas.client.GLOBAL_BROADCAST_com.amazon.mShop.android
• Read permission settings
• Get notifications of permission changes
• Manage regional settings
• Record audio
• Change Wi-Fi connectivity state
• Open network sockets
• Install an app update
• Read account changes
• Read the user's contacts data
• Access the flashlight
• Access the list of accounts in the Accounts Service
• Act as an AccountAuthenticator for the AccountManager
• com.amazon.mas.client.CONTENT_PROVIDER_READ
• Write to external storage
• Access fine (e.g., GPS) location
• com.amazon.mas.client.malware.blockedapp.BLOCKED_APP_PROVIDER_WRITE_com.amazon.mShop.android
• Allows an application to uninstall home screen shortcuts
• Access information about networks
• Get access to Appstore’s settings
• Delete packages
• Allows installation of home screen shortcuts
• Monitor incoming SMS messages, to record or perform processing on them
• Send SMS messages
• com.amazon.mas.client.install.CONTENT_PROVIDER_WRITE_com.amazon.mShop.android
• Generic permissions access
• Allows an application to read device settings
• Access to the authentication SDK
• com.amazon.mas.client.install.INSTALL_com.amazon.mShop.android
• Update configuration values
• Access the vibration feature
• com.amazon.mShop.android.getui.permission.GetuiService
• Access the Amazon video SDK
• Request authtokens from the AccountManager
• Required to be able to access the camera device
• Read from external storage
• Change account property
• Read only access to device state
• Communicate to Google Cloud Messenger (GCM)

I'm tempted to reset my Nexus 7 and make a new/fake gmail account for it just to install this app. That way none of my personal data will be available.

Completely INSANE. Geeeezzzzz Amazon.

 

[Hodor]

Completely INSANE. Geeeezzzzz Amazon.

Yup I agree! I removed the app too, gotta draw the line at all these excessive permissions somewhere....

 

[liftedplane]

well I decided to download cut the rope 2 and sure enough iap is free.. I "bought" the 49.99 50k coins pack and it was indeed free...

excessive permissions however I'm just downloading through the regular amazon app. which seems to be the underground app as well as the Amazon Marketplace app forwards to it... strange but I use amazon for so much that I'm not uninstalling... prime video ordering stuff all the time... etc etc.

still, completely free IAP is pretty cool

Sent from my SCH-I605 using Tapatalk

 

[Jonny Kansas]

They really need to decide which app(s) we should use. They have too many now that cross each other.

 

[Ollie]

My only beef with the FAOTD was that in the beginning it was the same version that was available on Google Play. Then the devs started giving outdated versions to FAOTD and rarely updated them when they updated the Google Play version. I stopped using it altogether.

 

[cr6]

I agree. Free wasn't necessarily good. Its been years since I downloaded any FAOTD apps on any of my devices. If there was an app I just "had" to have, I paid for it through the Play Store. Always ensured a better experience that way.

 

[Beer Goggles]

Yup I agree! I removed the app too, gotta draw the line at all these excessive permissions somewhere....

I never installed it. This is NOT the Amazon Store App nor the Amazon Shopping App. It's something new.

 

[Mustang02]

I never installed it. This is NOT the Amazon Store App nor the Amazon Shopping App. It's something new.

Lucky you. Mine auto installed, I removed it and now I get this message when trying to use the Store app.