To disable Amazon apps on a Fire tablet, you must hide them from your home screen or block them with Parental Controls, because the pre-installed apps are embedded in Fire OS and cannot be uninstalled or disabled through standard settings. The following methods let you declutter your screen and restrict access to apps like Amazon Shopping, Music, and Kindle.
Why you can't disable Amazon apps on a Fire tablet
Pre-installed Amazon apps are built directly into Fire OS, meaning they cannot be completely removed or disabled through the tablet's settings. Even if you try to use a third-party app manager, these core apps remain on the device and still take up storage space. This limitation is by design, so the realistic solutions are to hide app icons from your home screen or block access using Parental Controls.
How to hide Amazon apps on your home screen
If your goal is simply to declutter the main view without blocking functionality, you can hide app icons by moving them out of sight. This is the quickest method and requires no password or settings changes.
- Locate the Amazon app icon you want to hide (for example, Amazon Music or Kindle).
- Press and hold the icon until the screen enters edit mode.
- Drag the icon over another app to create a folder, or move it to a secondary screen page that you rarely use.
- Release the icon to drop it in its new location.
The app will still be installed and accessible from the app library, but it will no longer clutter your primary home screen. Repeat these steps for each Amazon app you want to hide.
How to block Amazon apps using Parental Controls
To prevent access to specific apps or entire Amazon Stores, use the built-in Parental Controls. This method is ideal if you want to restrict a child's use or if you want the Shopping app to disappear entirely from the home screen.
- Swipe down twice from the top of the screen to show Quick Settings.
- Tap the Settings icon (gear icon).
- Under "Personal," select "Parental Controls."
- Toggle the switch to "On."
- Enter and confirm a password. This parental controls password is different from your lock screen password, so write it down or remember it.
- To block specific content categories, select "Amazon Content and Apps."
- Tap the button next to categories like "Apps & Games," "Books," or "Music" to set them as "Blocked."
- To disable the Amazon Shopping app and all Amazon Stores, tap "Amazon Stores (Excluding Video)" and block it. The Shopping app will then disappear from the Home screen.
- You can also control whether the child has access to the web browser (SILK) by toggling that option.
Once Parental Controls are active, blocked apps and stores will be inaccessible until you enter the parental password. If you ever need to unlock the tablet to make changes, the process is straightforward: swipe down twice, tap the Settings gear, go to Parental Controls, and enter your password to turn the controls off. (This answers the common question: "How do I unlock my Amazon tablet?")
Managing apps in a child's profile
If you use a child-specific profile on the Fire tablet, you have an alternative to device-wide controls. Open the Amazon Kids app or go to the online Parent Dashboard (parents.amazon.com) to manage content access. From there, you can add or remove specific apps, books, and videos allowed in the child's profile. If an app seems missing from the allowed list, you may first need to find hidden apps on Amazon Fire tablet. This approach lets you keep your own home screen unchanged while tailoring the experience for a younger user, and if a persistent warning interrupts their reading time, you can disable moisture detected Amazon Fire tablet alerts.
