How to download outside android market apps

But sometimes, particularly when searching for apps that perform particular functions, we are met with an instance where we find an app we want somewhere on the internet that is not yet, or maybe never will be, in the Android Market. When we come across one of these apps, we need a way to install it. Luckily, Google gives us the option to do so from within the Android OS, and with a few simple steps, we can enable it!

The first step is to know what you want to install. Much of the time, this is done by necessity. Lacking that, a cursory browsing through Droid-Life. The file you download will be a. APK file. This is an Android installer package, and will install all the files for your new app, and you can put it in any folder on your device that makes sense to you. To do this, hit menu, and go to Settings.

Then go to Applications , and check the top box called Unknown Sources. Select the latter, then click install on the top left side. If you have a better way to do this, or know of any cool non-market apps, tell us in the comments! By signing up, you agree to our Privacy Policy and European users agree to the data transfer policy.

Frankly, Colin is a big geek about the things in which he's interested. You need an emulator of some sort to use Android apps on Windows Bluestacks, for example.

What can i do to change it back to normal. Also, i have rooted my phone. Henrique, I use a flash player in my 4. Use it with Firefox, Dolphin, certain games, etc I can't live without it! Is it really important to have 4. I have one device still on 2. But I may have misunderstood your words. Because Android G fully supports install to the microSD - that was eliminated in J - I was able to keep my old LG phone going for several years in spite of terrible specs.

As long as the device has enough RAM and internal storage to actually run the sideloaded app it should be fine - one of the nice things about APKs is the ability to find older, much smaller and more resource-efficient versions of apps that have bloated in size and hardware requirements in current versions without much serious "improvement".

I do that all the time with caution of course! Please click here if you are not redirected within a few seconds. Mobility News E-Bikes. Jump to: How to set up your device for sideloading What are the risks? These are the two most common paths: Go to Settings. Scroll down and look for 'install from unknown apps'. If it's not there, try under 'more'.

You should be presented with a list of apps. Find your browser - Chrome, for example. Tap on it and then select 'Allow from this source'. If the above path doesn't work for you, try the following: Head to Settings. Scroll down. Find and tap advanced options or special app access. Scroll to the bottom of the special app access menu, where you can find the Install unknown apps option.

Find your browser, e. Chrome , tap it and select Allow from this source. How to find the sideloading options on an HTC. What are the risks of sideloading? The biggest challenge with sideloading apps on Android is not how to do it, but making sure everything you install is safe: Android apps are given more rein on your device than they are on iOS, so the potential for an untrustworthy app to do damage or steal data is significantly higher—as long as you stick to known portals like APKMirror and known apps that are well established and widely used, you can minimize your risk.

For the more adventurous, rooting your Android phone is an option: This basically means hacking your Android phone to take off all its limits and restrictions, but it's not for the faint of heart. While it lets you give apps more control over your system— Titanium Backup , an excellent whole-device backup tool, is a good example—it's difficult to do, it's likely to break some of your favorite apps, and it leaves your phone more vulnerable from a security perspective.

Unless you have a very good reason, we'd recommend using the APK method rather than rooting to install non—Play Store apps.

Besides, the procedure to root you phone varies among devices and even among carriers sometimes, depending on whether your phone is locked. It used to be a popular pastime, but it's much less common now and in many cases more difficult, and that's by design. Lastly, web apps are sometimes an option if you need to get at apps that aren't in the official Google store. Even if apps are officially available through the normal route, you can always use this trick to access apps—Twitter, Facebook, and so on—that you don't necessarily want on your phone.

If you're struggling to find something in the Google Play Store, see if there's an online version you can get at through your Android web browser. Apple's iOS and iPadOS are much more tightly locked down than Android—Apple simply doesn't make it possible to sideload apps on its mobile operating systems in the same way that you can with Android.

There's no safety security switch that you can override, but you still have several options for getting unauthorized apps on your iPhone. The first is to jailbreak your phone : Here you're essentially smashing the lock that Apple puts on iOS and unlocking your phone yourself, using software distributed on the web the equivalent of rooting on Android. Once you've applied the jailbreak, you can install just about any app you like—apps to change the look of the interface, access the file system more easily, have apps overlaid on top of each other, and much more.

Jailbreaking gives you a lot more freedom in terms of what you can do with your iPhone. The disadvantages are that it's difficult to do, it voids your warranty, it leaves you open to all kinds of new security threats, and it stops you from updating your iPhone as normal.

You'll need to wait for the next iOS version to be hacked before upgrading, which can leave you without security updates, new app features, and in some cases new versions of your favorite apps. What's more, Apple is constantly and aggressively trying to stop the practice.