Amazon sets an end date for its standalone Freevee app
Image: Ben Patterson/Foundry
Nearly eight months after Amazon announced it was phasing out its ad-supported Freevee streaming service, the standalone Freevee app is still widely available. Now it appears the app’s days are numbered.
On the July 1 update for the Apple App Store version of the Freevee app, a new note reads: “The Freevee app will be available until August 2025. Continue watching your favorite Freevee Originals and our library of hit movies, shows, and live TV on Prime Video for free, no subscription needed. Download Prime Video to get started and sign-in with your Amazon account.”
It’s not clear if the same deadline applies to the Freevee app for other platforms. For example, a similar message without the August 2025 deadline appears on the Fire TV version of the Freevee app.
We’ve reached out to Amazon for more details.
Word that the standalone Freevee app will only be available until next month—for Apple users, at least—doesn’t come as a big shock.
Amazon announced back in November 2024 that it would sunset the Freevee brand and fold all its ad-supported streaming shows and movies into Prime Video, a move intended to “deliver a simpler viewing experience for customers.”
At the time, Amazon said the phase-out of the Freevee brand would occur within a matter of weeks, but it didn’t give a firm date for yanking the standalone Freevee app, which has remained widely available.
First launched as IMDb Freedrive in 2019 before being rebranded as IMDb TV six months later, Freevee offered a mix of on-demand and ad-supported TV shows and movies as well as a wide range of FAST (short for “free ad-supported streaming TV”) channels.
In April 2022, Amazon rebranded the service yet again as Freevee and gave it a splashy re-rollout, complete with buzzy new shows such as Bosch: Legacy.
Freevee scored at least one genuine hit with Jury Duty, a reality show in which an unsuspecting juror served in a fake trial populated by actors, including James Marsden.
But having Freevee side-by-side with Prime Video soon became confusing for viewers and advertisers alike. Paying Prime Video subscribers were often surprised to find Freevee’s ad-supported content mixed in with Prime Video’s ad-free offerings, while the arrival of Prime Video’s ad-supported tier meant Amazon had two “with ads” streaming services but with different branding.
Author: Ben Patterson, Senior Writer, TechHive
Ben has been writing about technology and consumer electronics for more than 20 years. A PCWorld contributor since 2014, Ben joined TechHive in 2019, where he has covered everything from smart speakers and soundbars to smart lights and security cameras. Ben’s articles have also appeared in PC Magazine, TIME, Wired, CNET, Men’s Fitness, Mobile Magazine, and more. Ben holds a master’s degree in English literature.
