If yous happen to ain a device without the Google Play Shop installed, getting it up and running is a fiddling trickier than merely downloading an APK file and pressing a button. In this guide, we'll effort to show you how to install the Play Store using a series of steps that may piece of work for your phone or tablet, depending on just how old (or odd!) it is. We can't guarantee these steps will work: there are just too many devices and versions of Android to account for in a single guide, and as well many reasons these steps might fail for a particular combination of them. Just if you lot want to give it a try, we think this is a expert place to offset.

So, how do you become the Play Store onto an Android device that didn't come with it? While it would be incommunicable to create one guide that covers every situation and device, this tutorial might help you get the Play Store running on uncertified hardware. Some devices crave more than complex workarounds, like Huawei's flagship phones, and then nosotros can't guarantee these steps volition piece of work for everyone.

Are yous trying to install the Google Play Store on an Amazon Fire Tablet? Please utilise this defended guide, equally 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 piece of work properly (similar Google Pay) or tin't be installed at all. Other strange bug could crop upwards, depending on what version of Android you're running, but there's no way to know for certain what will piece of work until y'all try.

First, consider the alternatives

As previously mentioned, this guide isn't a complete tutorial for every kind of Android device out in that location. It'south very possible you lot volition reach the end of this guide and still non have the Play Shop functional. If you want to save yourself some time and (possible) frustration, there are some alternatives you can try outset.

The all-time alternative to the Google Play Shop that generally works on all devices is the Amazon Appstore. It has most of the same big games as the Play Store, equally well every bit a decent collection of third-party applications, all without the need for Google services. However, y'all won't find any Google apps like Chrome or Gmail on the store. You tin can download the Amazon Appstore from hither.

Ane more alternative app store is F-Droid. It's entirely composed of open up-source games and applications, so the selection is extremely limited, but at that place's a chance information technology might have something yous are looking for. You lot tin can browse F-Droid's library and download the app store from the official website.

Finally, if you merely need a scattering of apps, and automatic updates aren't super of import, you can e'er effort downloading the applications you need from APKMirror. It'southward a repository of Android applications mirrored from the Play Store — the apps are safe, and non modified in whatever way.

If you absolutely need the Play Store, you tin can try 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 selection exists on your device. This allows you to open and install applications from downloaded APK files, which is how we'll get the Play Store running.

Open the Settings app on your device, and if there's a search feature, blazon in "unknown" and look for an option for "unknown apps," "unknown sources," or something else along those lines (some manufacturers change what the option is chosen). If your Settings app doesn't have a search function, the pick 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 10

Older versions of Android accept a simple switch for enabling unknown sources — brand sure it's switched on, if that's what you see. If y'all see switches for each individual app, like in the in a higher place screenshots, don't worry about enabling any of them right now.

Find your device information

The verbal files you need to install the Play Store on your device depend on your Android Bone version and your device'due south hardware platform. While the OS version can usually exist found in the Settings app, it might list information almost your device's specific software instead of the general Bone — for case, Fire tablets only display the Burn Os version, not the core Android version. As such, y'all should use a 3rd-party tool to observe both pieces of information.

The quickest method is to employ WhatDevice, a web application that tells you information nearly your hardware and software. Get to whatdevice.app on your Android device, and make a note of the Android version and CPU architecture. The architecture should say something similar "armv8," "armv71," "x86_64," and so on.

Checking device info with WhatDevice

If WhatDevice isn't displaying the information you need (some browsers hibernate the required data), an app called 'Device Info HW' will practise the job. Information technology's available from the Play Store, but since you don't have that yet, y'all'll have to get it from APKMirror. Go to the app's APKMirror page hither on your device, click on the latest bachelor version, and press the big 'Download APK' button. One time information technology's done downloading, open it to install the APK file.

After Device Info HW is washed installing, open it. Make a annotation of the Android version on the main General tab, and then switch to the 'SoC' tab and check what is listed next to 'ABI.' It should be an architecture like "arm64-v8a," "x86," "armeabi-v7a," so on.

Checking device info with Hardware Info HW

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

Download the Play Shop

The next step is to download the proper APK files for the Play Shop. You technically take to install four unlike applications — Google Account Manager, Google Services Framework, Google Play Services, and finally the Google Play Store. The first three apps handle bones account services and APIs, while the last app is the store itself.

If you're not already reading this on your Android device, please make sure you lot're following these steps on the device you desire to add the Play Shop to.

The first step is to get Google Account Manager. If yous have Android 7.one.2 or a newer version, become to the page for Google Business relationship Manager vii.1.2 and tap the main 'Download APK' push button. If you accept something older than Android vii.1.two, check the list of app releases here and pick the one with the version closest to your Android version. For instance, if you take Android 6.0.ane, download Google Account Managing director 6.0.1. After the APK file is done downloading, exercise not open up it — nosotros'll practise that afterward.

Next is the Google Services Framework. This is mostly the same process as with the first app, just become to this page and select the version that most closely matches your Android Bone version. For example, if you take Android 8.ane, you would pick Google Services Framework eight.1.0. Subsequently the APK file is done downloading, do non open it — we'll do that later.

Now information technology'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 lilliputian catchy, every bit there are dissimilar versions depending on both the Android Os version and your hardware architecture. Go to the APKMirror page for Google Play Services and select the latest release that isn't marked beta.

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

For instance, my Google Pixel is running Android x and uses the arm64-v8a compages, and then I would pick the APK for "Android ten+" and "arm64-v8a + armeabi-v7a." The plus symbol means it works on both listed architectures. One time yous find the variant for your device, select it and download the APK. Again, don't open information technology subsequently you're done downloading, considering we'll do that later.

The last app you need to download is the Google Play Shop itself. Thankfully, Google distributes the Play Store as a single variant that works on all architectures and Android versions, so just become to this page and download the latest version that isn't marked as "beta." After the APK file is done downloading, exercise not open up it — nosotros'll do that afterward.

Install the Play Shop

Now comes the final stride: installing the Play Store. Find the Downloads/Files app on your device and open up it. If you don't have a file manager, download the latest version of Files by Google from APKMirror and install information technology. You should see all four APK files ⁠— if not, go dorsum and figure out which one you missed.

The four APKs ready for installation

Open the apps in the beneath order, and when the installation is complete, press 'Done' and not 'Open up.' Installing the apps out of club will crusade the Play Shop to not work. Also, if you lot have an SD carte du jour, make sure to take 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 have installed all four apps, reboot your device. If one of the applications didn't install, it means you probably downloaded the wrong APK variant — go back and make sure you properly matched the CPU architecture and Android version. If your device has the arm64-v8 architecture, try downloading the variant for armv7a. Some depression-finish devices (similar Amazon Fire tablets) have arm64 processors, only run Android in 32-bit armv7 mode.

If you can open the Play Store and sign in, pat yourself on the dorsum, you did it! Now you can download all the apps and games yous could ever want.

If the Google Play Shop isn't working, or you get alerts about Play Services crashing, information technology probably ways 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 tin can't get it working, get to the 'All applications' section of your Settings app and uninstall all iv APKs, to prevent farther popups almost crashing (and potential battery drain issues from Play Services constantly restarting).

I know, information technology's non fun to spend time trying to get something to work and not get the results you want, but the truth is that the Play Store just sometimes works on devices that aren't rooted/modded in some way. I recommend checking out the alternatives section at the first of this guide for another options that might work for you. If you own an Amazon tablet, you'll too want to check out our guide to install the Google Play Shop on your Amazon Fire device.