Amazon decided to kill its TestDrive feature which allows Amazon Appstore users to try out new apps before purchasing them.
The feature was first introduced in March 2011 simultaneously with the Amazon Appstore. TestDrive used a web-based Android emulator powered by cloud technology that allowed users to fully experience the trial of an app.
Amazon said that their decision to discontinue TestDrive was because of the significant decline in the usage of the feature. The Seattle-based e-commerce company said that F2P business models were to blame. At its peak, the company said that TestDrive had more than 16,000 apps that were available to be tested. It was similar to playing a demo.
Most of the apps that could be tried using TestDrive were mobile video games. However, the current trend in mobile games today is that they earn revenue through selling virtual goods or other in-app purchases. This eliminates the need to actually try out the game first, much less to buy the whole game in order to play it.
In addition, Google Play is now offering a better policy. Android users who purchased an app have up to two hours maximum after downloading to try it out. If the user does not like the bought app, it can be uninstalled to get a full refund, according to PC World.
TestDrive officially stopped working on April 15. Apps with the feature no longer had the feature on their page. However, Amazon said that the apps involved will still be promoted in its Appstore. The category will also be taken out of the application, and developers will no longer be able to select TestDrive as a feature for new submissions of apps.
Amazon is still rolling out new schemes to attract app buyers. For instance, it launched a sale just this week that gave out 26 software apps worth more than $100 for free, according to Tech Crunch.
In addition, the company is also trying a new Amazon "Unlocked" app, which also gives away paid apps for not even a single cent as part of a promotion for a new service that is still unannounced.