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Currently, the Amazon app store appears to be US-only. Similar to How do I use the US Android Market from Europe?, I want to know: How can I use the US Amazon Appstore?

Market Enabler doesn't seem to work, and it's not IP-based like I previously thought. Any suggestions?

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  • Just curious: what can you do in the Amazon store that you can't using the regular Android market ?
    – Edelcom
    Commented Mar 22, 2011 at 14:05
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    Not much but they give one paid app away for free every day. Today is Angry Birds Rio. Edit: Turns out there's more.
    – Matt
    Commented Mar 22, 2011 at 14:07
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    As far as I can tell, it's not Amazon who's giving away the app, it's just the developer who doesn't get paid. With Angry Birds Rio, that will be different because want to attract people and therefore will certainly have invested in this game, but other developers may not be so lucky.
    – Edelcom
    Commented Mar 22, 2011 at 17:44
  • Note that bypassing regional limitations is actually more serious offense then just pirating the app straight up. At least in EU.
    – Šimon Tóth
    Commented Aug 23, 2011 at 9:45
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    @Let_Me_Be Can you provide any reference to support your statement?
    – hennes
    Commented Dec 20, 2011 at 18:49

3 Answers 3

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You have to "prove" to be a US resident by accessing the store with a US based IP once. It's sufficient to use a US proxy.

Additionally, you need a US credit card with a US billing address to buy apps; to download free apps, you can fake the number (all 0's will work) and address. Then ensure 1-click ordering is turned on in your Amazon.com account (the Appstore will prompt you to do this and provide a link). A prepaid credit card in USD might be a good way to do this for people outside the US, I'm not sure.

Some users seem to be reporting that Amazon is now blocking non-US IP addresses. This isn't 100% accurate, since I access the app every day from Canada with no issues. It may block specific countries though, in which case you'll need a US-based proxy/VPN. Make sure you trust it, so that your account credentials aren't compromised; don't use Tor / Orbot!

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    I was just typing this up as an answer when you posted it. One way to make the transactions more secure would be to get a prepaid credit card and only charge it up with funds when you need to. If you just put $10 in at a time the most the thieves will get is a couple cups of coffee worth.
    – Matt
    Commented Mar 22, 2011 at 14:06
  • Actually, I managed to activate 1-click with a dummy credit card (0000-0000-0000-0000) and a completely fake postal address. I think amazon doesn't check the credit card number until you actually buy something...
    – user6384
    Commented Jul 4, 2011 at 21:49
  • Yeah, it's fine if you only want free apps. The issue is if you try to buy apps with a fake address; Amazon and your credit card company are sure to be unhappy. Interesting that all 0's worked though!
    – Matthew Read
    Commented Jul 4, 2011 at 21:56
  • "Simply connect to the Internet via your smartphone an American proxy and already Amazon are satisfied. After a single authentication as "American" users we were able to use, even without the IP-US Amazon Appstore future. " Here's a Google Translate link to original article.
    – ce4
    Commented Jun 21, 2012 at 18:17
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This from MoDaCo worked for me:
Using the Amazon Appstore from outside the US (including paid apps)

The gist is you need..

  1. An account with amazon.com (rather than .co.uk or whatever)
  2. A valid US address and phone number to attach to this account
  3. A US registered credit/debit card number for the account attached to account's 1-Click settings

Legal and 'non-illegal' methods given in the link.

Update
This method no longer works as Amazon seem to have started checking your region (IP address presumably). So looks like you'd need to use a US based VPN now.

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I'd just like to let everyone know that initially I registered my Fire with an account that had a US address and a fake AMEX credit card, and then I added my (Australian) bank account number and it works just fine. I haven't bought anything on my Fire yet, but I did successfully purchase Quickoffice Pro from the Amazon website. =D

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