Amazon Android Appstore DRM Unveiled

Amazon, the popular Internet destination for making purchases in various domains, is set to soon make available an Appstore with various Android software available for download, and the company has unveiled more info on the matter recently.

According to the company, it plans on offering users the possibility to use a purchased application on any Android device at their disposal, while also being concerned about the security aspect of selling applications.

The same “buy once, read anywhere” approach as with books available in the Kindle Store would be instituted for the Android app store as well, the company explains.

At the same time, Amazon unveiled the fact that users would “retain an entitlement to their app even if they decide to replace their current Android device,” provided that the device would be compatible with the application.

“This provides insurance to customers that their purchased apps will be available for use on all supported devices, even if the customer has uninstalled or otherwise removed those apps in the past,” the company notes.

Moreover, they add that a Digital Locker similar with the one available on Kindle devices, would be in place for the Amazon Appstore, and that it would be complemented by a Digital Rights Management (DRM) solution aimed at enhancing the security of apps on the storefront.

“The digital locker service combined with a robust Digital Rights Management (DRM) solution not only make managing apps easier for customers, they also address one of the biggest concerns developers have: unauthorized copying and distribution,” Amazon notes.

“An authorized user can now install your app on any of their supported devices; however, if you chose to apply DRM on your app at submission time, your app will not run on unauthorized devices.”

Any applications with an applied Amazon DRM would require for the user to have the Amazon Appstore client installed and to be signed-in to access the software, so that it can be verified whether the user has an entitlement to the app.

“If the user does not sign in or does not have an entitlement to that app, then the app will not be usable. However, any user can gain an entitlement by purchasing the app through Amazon,” the company explains.