With the Google Play Store app, download apps and games for your Android phone or tablet. The Play Store also serves as an entertainment hub, letting you buy or rent movies, TV shows, books, and music, which you can watch or listen to on your Android device, Chromecast-connected TV, and through the Chrome browser on your Mac or Windows PC.
Pros
Protects device by vetting apps: Google uses in-store and on-device monitoring to guard against harmful apps. Google claims only 0.05 percent of Android devices that download apps solely from its Play Store have a potentially harmful app.
The app also includes Google Play Protect, which periodically scans your device for potentially harmful apps and checks apps before you download them from the Google Play Store.
Listen to music for free or with a subscription: Google Play Music offers a competitive alternative to other music services, such as Spotify and Apple Music with personalized playlists and radio stations, podcasts, albums, and individual song tracks you can listen to for free or with a subscription. (Some of the personalization comes from Google's Songza purchase.) A $9.99 monthly individual subscription gives you unlimited skips and an ad-free music stream. And Google seems to be constantly offering a multi-month free trial of Play Music, so you can try it out for free for a few months to see if you like it before paying for it.
Watch movies and TV shows: Again, going toe-to-toe with video store competitors Apple and Amazon, Google's Play Movies & TV store lets you purchase or rent films and shows you can watch on your Android phone, computer, or Chromecast-connected TV. You can choose either SD or HD formats (priced accordingly).
Share with the family: Through Google's Play Store's Family Library, you can share eligible apps, films, TV shows, games, and eBooks with up to five members of your family.
Shop in Google Play through a desktop browser: Of course, you can shop in the Play Store with the Android app, but you can also browse and buy apps and media and manage your account via a browser. Using the browser version is handy, letting you quickly manage your account, view your order history, and find and install new apps. Unfortunately, to check for and install updates, you need to use the app. (If you can't find Google's Play Store on your Android phone, check out our guide for how to locate and enable it.)
Cons
Google's hands-off approach to apps: While Google talks up security, it seems less concerned about the quality of apps it lets in its store. Popular apps attract copycats -- with deceptively similar names and icons -- and picking out the original among the fakes can be tough.
Google Music not included in Family Sharing: Play Music is not part of the Google Play family plan. To share music with five family members, you need a separate $14.99 per month music subscription.
Google Play Protect not up to the task: The independent security testing firm AV-Test found Play Protect lagged far behind the top Android antivirus in detecting malware and noted that those relying only on Play Protect to guard their phone are taking an unnecessary risk.
Bottom Line
The official Android app store, Google Play also serves as storefront for music, movies, TV shows, eBooks, and magazines. Google Play is bursting with apps, and the company's hands-off approach to policing copycat apps can, at times, make finding the true apps among knockoffs a challenge.
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How can you tell if an Android app is safe?
Search and browse:
- Nearby shops and restaurants
- Live sports scores and schedules
- Movies times, casts, and reviews
- Videos and images
- News, stock information, and more
- Anything you’d find on the web
Get personalized updates in Discover*:
- Stay in the know about topics that interest you
- Start your morning with weather and top news
- Get updates on sports, movies, and events
- Know as soon as your favorite artists drop new albums
- Get stories about your interests and hobbies
- Follow interesting topics, right from Search results
Unstable connection?
- Google will automatically optimize results to improve loading on bad connections
- If Google cannot complete a Search, you’ll get a notification with the search results once you regain connection
Learn more about what the Google app can do for you: http://www.google.com/search/about
*some features of Discover might not be available in all countries
• Weak connection? If your search fails, the Google app will deliver you results once you regain connection.
• Troubleshoot connectivity issues with more helpful error cards when your search fails because your device is offline
• It's easier to access privacy settings from the homescreen. Just tap your Google Account profile picture.
If you want to install an older version of the Google Play Store APK or get the complete newest version of the APK on your device, there are a number of simple steps that you can use to install it over again.
Contents
- 1 How to download and install the Google Play Store APK
How to download and install the Google Play Store APK
Step number 1: Discover the version you are currently running
If you have a current version of the Google Play Store running on your device, you can open it up to check on the version to see if you have the latest application version or an older version of the Play Store. Keep in mind that the play store does come installed as standard on most Android devices.
To get started: open your app and scroll of the settings section. At the base of your settings you will see the build number for your application.
The most current version at the time of writing this article is Google Play Store 15.1.24 (June 2019) for Android. It’s a good idea to do a quick Google search to see what the most current version of the store could be however as this gets updated sometimes once a week.
In some cases the version of Android that you could be running on an old device may not be compatible with the latest store version. Generally this isn’t going to be a problem if you are installing the APK however as the Google Play Store is not terribly taxing on hardware. If you have an Android phone that is limited to Gingerbread as an operating system however, it could be time to upgrade your hardware so that you can also upgrade to the latest version of the Google Play Store.
Step number 2: Getting the newest Google Play Store APK
Any version of the Google Play Store or any application on Android for that matter comes in an APK format. This is a file format that’s very similar to an exe on Windows. As a result it’s very important that you download the latest version of the Google Play Store APK only from a trusted source as an un-trusted APK could have viruses, malicious content and more packed into them.
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An APK from the official Google website or one that is signed by Google will make sure that you are getting the true version. You can often look this up on a PC and then transfer it to your Android device or look it up in your Android device web browser and find it in the download file on that same device.
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Step number 3: Ready your settings
In order to install APK files that aren’t directly from the Google Play Store you are going to need to adjust the settings on your Android device. Going to the device “Settings” tab, clicking on “Security” and then finding the unknown sources option in the “Security” menu is just how you do this.
After clicking on the “Unknown sources” option you will have to hit “OK” to enable your device to install APK’s from unknown sources. Sometimes this option is also available within the “Privacy settings” of your application settings on select Android devices.
Enabling this option will allow you to install any type of APK file that you source online including the one that you just downloaded for the Google Play Store.
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Step number 4: Located the APK in your file manager and install the latest Google Play Store apk
Finding files on your Android device can be very difficult without the help of a file manager. You can go into your “Settings” and “Find applications”, but it’s much easier to do with the help of an auxiliary file browser. If you can still access the Play Store, you may want to consider downloading the ES file Explorer. You can also find a package installer for this online for your Android device if you do not have it installed currently. Be sure to have the ES file Explorer installed in case you do have to patch your Android device with the latest Google APK.
By opening your file browser you can locate the Google Play Store APK that you downloaded from your device web browser or transferred directly to your device through a USB cable. You can also transfer the APK file to your device from Dropbox to access the APK without having to resort to the file browser.
Once you have located the APK you can click and you will see a pop-up that will allow you to install the APK directly. Your device will recognize previous versions of the Google Play Store and patch to the latest version or install a completely new version of the Google Play Store APK on your device from scratch.
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Step Number 5: Sign into your Google Play account
After the installation you can just sign into your Google Play account as soon as the app finishes installing and you will have full access to the latest version of the Google Play Store on your device. Feel free to use this tip to patch to older versions of the Google Play Store as well!
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Step Number 6: Be sure to disable “Unknown apps” sources again
Go back to your “Security” settings or “Privacy settings” to disable “Unknown sources” for app installation once again. Leaving this box unchecked can be a massive hole in the security of your device later on. Keeping yourself safe means checking this box once again so that other applications cannot install their own APK and to make sure that you don’t accidentally install an APK that automatically downloads in your device browser by going to a malicious website.
When it comes to getting Android phones and tablets, there are exceptional deals available for the users out there. Needless to say, that the experience of using those phones depends on the frequency and quality of updates rolled out to them over time. Most high-end mobile phones receive Google Play Store updates at the earliest whereas mid-end and low-end smartphones receive these updates according to their manufacturers. Availability of updates may also depend on the location of the user - some countries get updates before others.
Below is an image to provide you with a brief overview of the update history of the Google Play Store.
This doesn’t mean that you have to wait for your manufacturer to roll out an update in order to use the updated Google Play Store app. We have brought to you an easy way to skip the queue and get the latest Google Play Store APK on your smartphone!
So without wasting any more time, let’s start the step-by-step procedure to download Google Play Store updates i.e. installing the latest version of the Google Play Store app with the help of APKs.
Steps to Download Latest Google Play Store Updates For Your Smartphone
Here is how you can update the Google Play Store app on your Android smartphones, in case you already haven’t:
Step 1 - Determine Your Play Store App’s Current Version
The first thing that you need to know is which Google Play Store version is currently running on your Android smartphone. Once you determine the current version of the Google Play Store app, you can proceed with the installation.
In case your phone’s Play Store version is out of date, make sure it updates to the latest version by following the steps mentioned below:
- Start by opening the ‘Google Play Store’ on your mobile device.
- Go to the ‘Settings’ section.
- Click on the ‘Build Number’ at the bottom of the screen to find out your Play Store’s current version.
Step 2 - Download Latest Google Play Store APK
Just like any other Android app, the Google Play Store application also comes in the format of APKs. So in order to download the APK for Google Play Store, there are few points that you need to keep in mind, which are as follows:
- Only download the APKs from trusted and verified sources.
- It is a suggested practice by many experts to opt for Google Play Store download links from Google’s official page only.
If you see that Google Play Store is up-to-date, then feel free to download the latest version from the Google Play Store 13.0.22. Some of the most recent Play Store updates are Play Store 12.9.30, Play Store 12.9.12, Play Store 12.8.22, Play Store 12.7.23, and Play Store 12.6.13.
Step 3 - Enable ‘Unknown Sources’ To Install The Play Store App
Once you have finished downloading the latest Google Play Store APK, you will come across a window as shown in the image below:
The ‘Unknown Sources’ setting in the Android devices can be seen as a default feature that comes disabled in the majority of Android smartphones. In case the option of ‘Unknown Sources’ is already enabled in your smartphone, you can skip to the next step.
In order to install the latest Google Play Store APK, the Android users first need to enable ‘Unknown Sources’ settings by following the below-mentioned steps.
- First, go to the ‘Device Settings’ on your Android smartphone.
- Then click on the option of ‘Security.’
- After that, find the ‘Unknown Sources’ option and then check the box to enable it.
To enable the setting for ‘Unknown Sources’, select ‘Ok’ when the popup comes up (as shown in the image above). Now you can install any APK on your smartphone but at the risk of infecting your phone with malware.
Step 4 - Run Google Play Store APK Installer Via File Manager
At this point, we have completed the initial steps required for the downloading process of the Google Play Store app. Now it is time to move on to the main part of this app installation process. For this purpose, you can use your favorite file manager such as ES file manager, File Manager, MK explorer etc.
- If you have downloaded the latest Play Store APK version successfully, then find the same and click on it.
- Choose the ‘Package Installer’ option when the pop-up appears asking which app you want to use.
- The next screen may or may not ask you to grant certain ‘Permissions’ as it depends on the version of your Android OS.
- Click on the ‘Install’ button. As soon as the Play Store installation is finished, you will get a success message.
Step 5 - Disable ‘Unknown Sources’ Option
This may seem like an optional step to some people but let us assure you. it’s not. Disabling the ‘unknown sources’ option is as important as enabling it, especially to keep your device’s security intact.
So if the ‘Unknown Sources’ option is enabled without any particular purpose, then make sure to turn it off because it increases the risk of a malware attack on your smartphone. To keep your devices safe, you can also read an informative guide on how to improve your mobile app security.
Therefore, after the installation is complete, go through the following steps to disable unknown sources:
- Start by going to your ‘Device Settings.’
- Then you can either go to the ‘Security Setting,’ ‘Application Setting’ or ‘Privacy Setting,’ i.e. the option that is available on your Android smartphone.
- Now, just uncheck the box to disable ‘Unknown Sources.’
Also, keep in mind that this process may vary from one device to another for Android smartphones.
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And that’s all you need to do to get the latest Google Play Store and updates from the current Google Play Store version.
Troubleshooting Issues After Google Play Store Update Installation
While downloading, users may also come across a number of technical issues. In case you face any such issue, you can directly go on Google’s Official Page to resolve the concerns or follow the below-mentioned steps:
- First, go to the ‘Settings’ tab in Apps
- Then scroll down to the ‘Google Play Store’ option and tap on it, then select a ‘Clear Cache’ option.
- Follow the same procedure for Google Play Services as well.
These instructions should fix most of the issues you are likely to experience with the Google Play Store application. Ek rishta full movie download avi. Else, you can go ahead and read the different fixes you can apply to your device when your Google Play Store app is not working.
Final Thoughts
In case you have gone through all the settings step-by-step, you are now well-versed with ways of updating and installing the Google Play Store application.
Although there are no hard and fast rules regarding this process there’s one thing that we need to mention. Always download the latest APKs for your smartphones from trusted and verified sources only. In addition to this, do not keep your ‘Unknown Sources’ option enabled to protect your phone from unknown viruses that may damage the Operating System of your device.
This article is mainly an offering for Android lovers, but we also care for non-Android-natives. So, in case you are looking for app stores that are great alternatives to Google Play Store, do pay a visit to one of our previous articles featuring some of the best Google Play Store alternatives. Also, if you are interested in reading more such interesting articles then make sure to click on that ‘Subscribe’ button to stay updated with all the latest updates.
Written ByMobileAppDaily host a team of experienced technical writers, industry wizards, and app experts who have an exact knack of content that caters to the needs of the mobile app targeted audience. We strive to bring you the best of tech!
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