If you happen to own a device without the Google Play Shop installed, getting it up and running is a little trickier than merely downloading an APK file and pressing a button. In this guide, we'll endeavor to show yous how to install the Play Store using a series of steps that may work for your phone or tablet, depending on only how former (or odd!) it is. We tin can't guarantee these steps volition work: at that place are simply too many devices and versions of Android to account for in a single guide, and besides many reasons these steps might fail for a particular combination of them. But if you want to give it a effort, we recall this is a adept place to start.And so, how do you get the Play Store onto an Android device that didn't come up with information technology? While it would be incommunicable to create one guide that covers every situation and device, this tutorial might help you become the Play Store running on uncertified hardware. Some devices require more circuitous workarounds, like Huawei's flagship phones, so we tin't guarantee these steps volition piece of work for everyone.

Are you trying to install the Google Play Store on an Amazon Fire Tablet? Delight employ this dedicated guide, every bit it has more specific instructions for Amazon's tablets.

Of course, there are some caveats to this procedure. Devices that don't come up with the Play Store pre-installed won't pass Google'due south SafetyNet checks, which means some applications won't work properly (like Google Pay) or tin can't be installed at all. Other strange issues could ingather upward, depending on what version of Android you're running, but there's no way to know for sure what will work until you try.

First, consider the alternatives

Every bit previously mentioned, this guide isn't a complete tutorial for every kind of Android device out there. It's very possible you will reach the cease of this guide and still not have the Play Store functional. If you want to save yourself some fourth dimension and (possible) frustration, there are some alternatives you can try showtime.

The all-time alternative to the Google Play Store that mostly works on all devices is the Amazon Appstore. It has most of the aforementioned big games as the Play Shop, also as a decent collection of third-party applications, all without the need for Google services. However, you won't find any Google apps similar Chrome or Gmail on the store. You lot can download the Amazon Appstore from here.

I more alternative app store is F-Droid. It's entirely composed of open-source games and applications, so the selection is extremely limited, but in that location's a chance it might have something y'all are looking for. Yous can scan F-Droid's library and download the app store from the official website.

Finally, if y'all just demand a handful of apps, and automatic updates aren't super of import, you lot can always try downloading the applications you lot need from APKMirror. It's a repository of Android applications mirrored from the Play Store — the apps are safe, and not modified in whatever style.

If you absolutely need the Play Shop, you tin endeavor your luck with the post-obit instructions.

Enable installation from unknown sources

The first step in this process is enabling apps to be installed from unknown sources, if the option exists on your device. This allows you to open and install applications from downloaded APK files, which is how we'll get the Play Shop running.

Open the Settings app on your device, and if there's a search feature, blazon in "unknown" and look for an pick for "unknown apps," "unknown sources," or something else along those lines (some manufacturers change what the option is called). If your Settings app doesn't take a search part, the option should either be located in the Privacy or the Apps & Notifications sections, depending on your version of Android.

Enabling apps from unknown sources on Android ten

Older versions of Android have a unproblematic switch for enabling unknown sources — make sure it'south switched on, if that'due south what you run across. If you see switches for each individual app, similar in the to a higher place screenshots, don't worry about enabling any of them right now.

Observe your device information

The exact files you need to install the Play Store on your device depend on your Android OS version and your device's hardware platform. While the OS version can unremarkably exist found in the Settings app, it might list data near your device's specific software instead of the general OS — for example, Burn down tablets only brandish the Burn OS version, not the core Android version. As such, yous should utilize a third-party tool to find both pieces of information.

The quickest method is to use WhatDevice, a web application that tells yous information virtually your hardware and software. Become to whatdevice.app on your Android device, and make a note of the Android version and CPU architecture. The architecture should say something like "armv8," "armv71," "x86_64," then on.

Checking device info with WhatDevice

If WhatDevice isn't displaying the information you demand (some browsers hibernate the required data), an app called 'Device Info HW' will do the task. Information technology's available from the Play Shop, but since you don't have that however, you'll have to get it from APKMirror. Become to the app's APKMirror page here on your device, click on the latest available version, and press the large 'Download APK' button. Once it's washed downloading, open up it to install the APK file.

After Device Info HW is done installing, open it. Make a note of the Android version on the principal General tab, then switch to the 'SoC' tab and cheque what is listed next to 'ABI.' It should be an compages like "arm64-v8a," "x86," "armeabi-v7a," and then on.

Checking device info with Hardware Info HW

Regardless of which method y'all used, you should at present have two pieces of information: your Android version, and your CPU architecture. At present we can get on with actually installing the Play Store.

Download the Play Store

The next step is to download the proper APK files for the Play Store. You technically have to install four different applications — Google Account Managing director, Google Services Framework, Google Play Services, and finally the Google Play Store. The offset three apps handle bones business relationship services and APIs, while the last app is the store itself.

If you're non already reading this on your Android device, open the web browser and blazon andp.lc/playstoreguide into the address bar to jump straight to this post.

The beginning step is to get Google Business relationship Manager. If you take Android seven.ane.two or a newer version, go to the page for Google Account Director seven.1.2 and tap the main 'Download APK' button. If you take something older than Android 7.1.ii, check the listing of app releases hither and option the one with the version closest to your Android version. For example, if you lot have Android 6.0.ane, download Google Account Manager 6.0.1. After the APK file is done downloading, practice not open it — we'll do that later.

Next is the Google Services Framework. This is mostly the same process as with the first app, just go to this page and select the version that most closely matches your Android Bone version. For example, if you have Android viii.1, you would pick Google Services Framework 8.1.0. Subsequently the APK file is done downloading, do not open it — we'll exercise that after.

Now it's time to download Google Play Services, which provides most of the backside-the-scenes functionality for the Play Store. This is where things become a little catchy, as there are unlike versions depending on both the Android OS version and your hardware architecture. Get to the APKMirror page for Google Play Services and select the latest release that isn't marked beta.

While the APKs for the terminal two applications usually only have one variant for each version, there are specific variants of Google Play Services for every imaginable hardware configuration. Here you have to find the combination that matches both your Android Bone version and your hardware architecture — the pieces of information you found earlier.

For example, my Google Pixel is running Android 10 and uses the arm64-v8a architecture, then I would option the APK for "Android 10+" and "arm64-v8a + armeabi-v7a." The plus symbol means it works on both listed architectures. In one case you detect the variant for your device, select information technology and download the APK. Again, don't open it after you lot're done downloading, because we'll practise that later.

The terminal app you lot need to download is the Google Play Store itself. Thankfully, Google distributes the Play Store as a single variant that works on all architectures and Android versions, and then just go to this folio and download the latest version that isn't marked equally "beta." Afterward the APK file is done downloading, do non open it — we'll do that later.

Install the Play Store

Now comes the last step: installing the Play Store. Detect the Downloads/Files app on your device and open up information technology. If you don't have a file manager, download the latest version of Files by Google from APKMirror and install information technology. You should run into all 4 APK files ⁠— if not, become back and figure out which 1 yous missed.

The iv APKs ready for installation

Open the apps in the below order, and when the installation is complete, press 'Done' and not 'Open.' Installing the apps out of order will crusade the Play Store to not work. As well, if y'all take an SD card, make sure to have it out during these installations.

  1. com.google.gsf.login
  2. com.google.android.gsf
  3. com.google.android.gms
  4. com.android.vending

Once you lot have installed all 4 apps, reboot your device. If one of the applications didn't install, it means y'all probably downloaded the wrong APK variant — go back and brand sure y'all properly matched the CPU architecture and Android version. If your device has the arm64-v8 architecture, effort downloading the variant for armv7a. Some low-end devices (similar Amazon Fire tablets) have arm64 processors, just run Android in 32-bit armv7 fashion.

If you can open the Play Store and sign in, pat yourself on the dorsum, you did information technology! Now you can download all the apps and games you could e'er want.

If the Google Play Store isn't working, or you get alerts nearly Play Services crashing, it probably means it isn't possible to get the Play Store functioning on your device without more complicated steps like rooting or installing a custom ROM. If yous can't get it working, go to the 'All applications' section of your Settings app and uninstall all iv APKs, to foreclose further popups nigh crashing (and potential battery drain bug from Play Services constantly restarting).

I know, information technology'south not fun to spend time trying to go something to work and not get the results you want, but the truth is that the Play Shop only sometimes works on devices that aren't rooted/modded in some way. I recommend checking out the alternatives section at the kickoff of this guide for another options that might work for y'all.

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About The Writer

Corbin Davenport (3633 Manufactures Published)

Corbin is a tech journalist and developer who worked at Android Police from 2022 until 2022. Check out his other work at corbin.io.

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