Unknown sources to download apps

Some devices may come with their own, integrated third-party app stores. For example, Samsung devices come with the Samsung Apps app, which may contain free versions of some paid apps, but is otherwise fairly uninteresting. Carriers have distributed their own app stores with their Android devices in the past, but this is becoming less common.

Just as you should be extra careful when sideloading apps, you should be extra careful when using third-party app stores. For example, you can probably trust Amazon and the Humble Bundle, but you should beware of many other app stores.

For example, an untrustworthy app store distributing pirated apps may be a source of malware. We recommend staying away from those. You can also sideload apps onto your Android device in other ways.

For example, if you have an APK file on your computer, you can use the excellent AirDroid app to upload it to your Android device and install it without even connecting your Android device to your computer. You can also install Android apps on your Windows PC , which opens up a whole new world of touchscreen games and apps on touch-enabled Windows 8 devices. Browse All iPhone Articles Browse All Mac Articles Do I need one? Browse All Android Articles Browse All Smart Home Articles Customize the Taskbar in Windows Browse All Microsoft Office Articles What Is svchost.

Browse All Privacy and Security Articles Browse All Linux Articles Browse All Buying Guides. Best iPhone 13 Pro Case. The opt-in process depends on the version of Android running on the user's device:.

Figure 1 : The Install unknown apps system settings screen, where users grant permission for a particular source to install unknown apps. In both cases, users need to complete the opt-in process before they can download and install unknown apps onto their devices. Content and code samples on this page are subject to the licenses described in the Content License.

Google Play. The sections below highlight some of the alternatives for distributing your apps. Distributing your apps by email A quick and easy way to release your apps is to send them to users by email. Distributing through a website If you don't want to release your apps on a marketplace such as Google Play, you can make them available for download on your website or server, including on a private or enterprise server.

Sign up for all newsletters. I would like to receive newsletters via email. We will not share your data and you can unsubscribe at any time. Comments 1. Facebook Tweet. One comment Kumar. Apr 17, at am. How to Delete Downloads on an Android Phone. Gboard vs. There are a few different methods, depending on your Android version. The above steps enable your browser to get apps from sources other than Google Play.

Android 8 controls the installation permissions through individual apps rather than all of them at once, so you need to allow the browser to perform installations.

With older Android versions 7. Instead, you have to trigger an option for downloading files from all available sources. Using the above steps, you will have access to any APKs you want to install , as long as they are compatible with your device. This option can put your device at risk since it allows all unknown sources to store files rather than on an app-by-app basis.

If your smartphone is not protected enough, it could get infected.