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How to download Android apps without the Google Play Store
Who needs Google Play when you have APK Mirror?
Getting Android apps without using the official Google Play Store can be a mixed bag, depending on where you get your apps. While Android lets you install any app you want, you must be cautious about where these files come from. Also, some popular devices, like the best Amazon Fire tablets, aren't preinstalled with the Google Play Store.
Android 12 has been making all sorts of things sleeker, as well as bringing new looks and functionality to apps and widgets. We’ve already seen Material You come to YouTube Music playback controls, Google Maps' shortcuts, and the Calculator app, among many others. But it turns out there are a couple of extras also arriving for the revamped calculator app.
APKMirror Installer now available on the Android TV Play Store
It's now much easier to sideload apps on Android TV
The introduction of app bundles has made sideloading Android applications a bit more difficult. That's why APKMirror, sister site of Android Police, released an installer application earlier this year alongside support for app bundles on the website. APKMirror Installer has continued to receive new improvements since then, and now it's officially supported on Android TV.
Android 11 requires apps to restart upon getting permission to install APKs, but you likely won't notice
Apps that want to install APKs will be force-quit upon receiving the permission
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New Android releases always bring exciting new features to the table, but every once in a while, a beloved feature gets reworked or removed altogether. That's no different for Android 11, which made it more cumbersome to grant apps the permission to install APKs, requiring a restart of the application in question up until at least Developer Preview 4. While that requirement is still present on more recent builds, the situation is now slightly improved: when apps are programmed correctly, they'll restart the latest activity, making the experience as smooth as possible.
How to install Netflix and Disney+ APKs on your Android phone or tablet
It wasn't previously easy to sideload these apps, but with a new tool, it's a snap
Netflix and Disney+ are two incredibly popular streaming services, but if you try to install the application files (APKs) for these apps on your phone or tablet, they just fail out. That's because they're something called "bundled" APKs, and can't be installed with just the regular application file you get from the Play Store. But now, you can, and we'll show you how.
APKMirror Installer for Android now in public beta, lets you install app bundles and APKs
Over a year in the making
Google introduced a new way to distribute Android apps in 2018, called app bundles. While regular apps contain resources for every imaginable screen size and architecture, app bundles only include the components that your specific device needs, organized into split APKs. While app bundles help save storage space and data usage, they aren't one-size-fits-all APK files — the app bundle that Google Play saves to your device only has the components for your specific architecture/screen size.
Modern communication has evolved far beyond the written word, and the software we use to help us keep in touch has been racing to keep up. Last month we checked out the latest SwiftKey beta release, updating the keyboard software with not only a new toolbar-based interface that makes spicing up text with your favorite emoji and GIFs easier than before, but also introduces a new customizable Stickers system. After that beta whet our appetite, the new features are finally ready to go wide, with today's release of SwiftKey 7.0.
With the Galaxy S9 getting ready to populate carrier shelves, a new generation of users are about to be exposed to Samsung's suite of Android apps. Fear and loathing may be our go-to emotions when encountering most pre-installed bloat, but Samsung's collection of software is actually not that objectionable, as we noted when reviewing the Galaxy S9. Maybe the crown jewel there is the Samsung Internet browser, and today we're learning about the newest safety and performance features to hit the development branch of this app, with the release of Samsung Internet 7.2 Beta.
For anyone tempted by the Samsung Galaxy S9 or S9+ who wants to learn more about what it can do, there's an app for that. The Experience app for Galaxy S9/S9+ does exactly what the name suggests. It can be downloaded on most Android phones (Marshmallow 6.0 and up) and it gives you a sense of what it would be like to own Samsung's latest flagship.
The latest SwiftKey Beta fixed an annoying bug that made typing in comment forms like Disqus in Chrome a headache. Well, it turns out that the update brought a few new features, including an expandable toolbar that sits atop the prediction bar and stickers. If you're the creative type, you'll be happy to know that you can even make your own stickers within the keyboard.
SwiftKey remains the keyboard of choice for many Android users, myself included. While the app is undoubtedly bloated, its autocorrect and next-word prediction are tops. Sadly, those strengths have gone to crap lately when using SwiftKey to type in comment forms like Disqus in Chrome. The latest SwiftKey Beta appears to fix the issue.
Here in the UK, you get used to the convenience of catching up on any BBC show using the fantastic iPlayer app. It hasn't been so easy for Stateside users, even though the BBC iPlayer Radio app is available outside the UK. BBC America has just released its very own app, so US viewers can get some of the same benefits as we do this side of the Atlantic.
Since the demise of its own Windows Phone platform, Microsoft has been putting a lot of effort into creating a compelling suite of Android apps instead. Microsoft Launcher started life as the experimental Arrow Launcher but morphed into its current form late last year. It features a control center panel unlike any other Android home app and is unsurprisingly linked with Bing rather than Google for search.
There are plenty of apps on the Play Store if you want to check your credit score, but how many of them would you trust? Intuit is a company people have come to depend on for financial services, with popular apps like QuickBooks and TurboTax. So while we might not normally highlight an app of this kind, Turbo is probably worth a mention.
Logitech has released an update to the Logi Circle app that goes with its Circle security cameras, and for the first time, users will now see an image preview in a notification warning you of detected activity while you're not at home. This functionality is available to every Circle user, even on the free plan, bringing it in line with similar services from Nest and Netamo.
OEM apps are pretty hit and miss – with emphasis on the miss – and web browsers often seem like a wasted effort given the competition out there, not least from Google's own Chrome browser. Samsung Internet succeeds where many others fail, however, and offers a compelling experience whether you own a Samsung device or not. It's fast and stable, and the devs have been on a roll adding useful new features since it was launched.
One of the best third-party keyboards on the Play Store is SwiftKey, and its popularity can be put down to its great customization options and constant development. The beta channel is the first place to get new features, and the latest update includes a 'Quick Paste' option and built-in location sharing.
Direct messages in Instagram are a good way of sharing photos more privately with friends and relatives. As part of the version 24 update, an extra layer of creativity has been added to the process as you can remix photos you've received before sending them back.
Last month, Spotify announced that it was turning its artist dashboard into a standalone app. Spotify for Artists offers easy access to real-time streaming data and other useful stats, as well as the ability to manage profiles and releases. It launched in October for iOS and has now made its way to Android.
Instagram has all but killed off Snapchat by this point, and it's got a lot to do with the strength of its stories and live video features. With the latest update to version 24, a new 'Request' button has been added to the comments section of live videos to be added to the stream.