Buying your first mobile device on Android is a real celebration. At the dawn of the formation of this operating system, there were not too many programs intended for it, and because of the hardware limitations of the first platforms, some “revelations” should not have been expected. Now the situation has radically changed. And many are well aware of how to install the program on the phone.
Difficulties in the development of “Android” arise only at the initial stages, which the owners will soon safely forget. We are trying to help this article to those who first picked up a mobile device with this system, and therefore can’t even imagine how to install programs on Android.
Android? Nothing complicated!
The operating system from Google, dubbed Android, is based on the classic Linux. Of course, an attempt to drag applications from one OS to another will not succeed, but the code base itself is still the same. Therefore , there are no special difficulties in how to install programs on Android , because the software installation mechanisms are already honed on desktop solutions. Although Linux is known as a not-so-simple system for understanding and working, Android has overcome all this. Installing applications is done in just a couple of tapas (touching the touch screen at the right points), usually requiring only a few seconds.
About installing new programs
In the Android system, there are two main methods of installing applications - through the Market and independently, starting the installation in much the same way as on a computer. Other options are modified versions of the first two. However, for a newcomer who first takes the device out of the box and studies it, by default these functions are not available. To reveal the potential laid down in the system, it is necessary to read how to install programs on the Android and perform several necessary actions.
Online Market
The Google company has created a special resource on the Internet called the Play Market (or simply the Market). In fact, this is a kind of virtual market where developers of programs for the Android system upload their creations, selling them to visitors for money, giving away for free or distributing in the form of shareware solutions. Previously, all applications hosted on the Market were tested for malicious sections of code, but gradually there were so many of them that it became difficult to carry out such control. Thus, knowing how to install programs on Android does not exempt from the need to follow security measures while protecting your mobile device from computer viruses. This can be done both by installing special applications, and by reading comments on the uploaded content.
The disadvantage of using the Market is the need to connect your mobile device to the Internet. Wireless Wi-Fi networks are not always available, and the classic GPRS speed is too low for comfortable operation. In addition, statistics for downloaded applications are kept for each account, which not all users will like. And, perhaps, one cannot ignore the fact that hacked (pirated) copies of popular applications are not laid out on the Market, which is often a defining moment for fans to save.
Register an account
Let's consider how to install the program on the Android tablet from the Market. First of all, you need to create an account in gmail. This can also be done from a desktop computer, which is more convenient, given the difference in screen sizes. Having opened the specified address (.com), you need to click on "Create Account". A window will open in which the new user must indicate his name, surname, date of birth, phone number for confirmation, and come up with a password. After going through all the stages of registration, the owner of the “Android” device will have a login and an access code to the system. It is recommended that they be written to a notepad or file and saved.
How to prepare a mobile device
After the account is opened, it is necessary to activate it in the mobile device. In general, a request for data entry is displayed in all official firmware during the first launch of the device. But since the owner has a question about how to install programs on Android, it arises not immediately, but after some time, then usually all activation steps are skipped.
On the mobile device, you need to click the settings call button, select the “Accounts” item in the “Personal data” section. Here it remains to click the button below - “Add Account”, indicate the Google record and click “Sign In”. Sometimes a dialog appears prompting you to select a type - "New" or "Existing." You should choose the latter if the username / password was received earlier, and the first, if necessary, start it from scratch. Of course, all these actions must be performed with an active connection to the Internet.
How to enter the market
By completing the above paragraph, you can begin to select and install applications. The further procedure will not only give an answer to the question of how to install the program on a tablet, but will also be useful for smartphone owners because of the similarity in the functioning of these two classes of portable devices. To access a huge list of applications hosted in the "Market" from "Google", you need to run a user client. The Play Market shortcut is located in the application menu on the mobile device. We remind you that without an active Internet connection, this installation method does not work. If everything is done correctly, the "Market" window will open. Initially, its appearance depends on the client version. However, thanks to the auto-update mechanism, the next version will be installed and launched the next time it is turned on.
A little bit about installing applications
The interface is intuitive. Everything here is divided into categories, so you can not only install a program for downloading music, which is becoming more popular, but also find much more.
Experienced users know that leaving the Market without installing a single program is almost impossible. This is really the case when eyes are scattered from an abundance of offers. For example, you can even install a torrent program that allows you to control the downloads that go on a personal computer from a mobile device. And this is not all the opportunities realized by programmers in the applications they offer. Beginners who are interested in how to install the program on a tablet or smartphone are usually looking for free applications. Such ones are present on the “Market” along with paid content, therefore it’s enough to select a category in the header that does not require payment for installation. In addition, the cost is also indicated in the short description, which is immediately evident. There really is something that anyone likes.
Each application installed by the user is stored in the system and can be viewed at any time. Sometimes this proves to be very useful, for example, in the case of accidental deletion and the need to restore what was lost over time. The program for viewing installed programs is part of the Market, so nothing extra is required. To access this feature, select "My Applications" by clicking on the menu button in the upper left corner of the interface. A program for viewing installed programs is available in all client versions.
From theory to practice
Having chosen the application you like, you need to click on its name. A window with detailed data will appear, including reviews from other users. The “Install” button allows you to initialize the installation process. A warning will be issued on which resources of the device the program will have access to. In principle, they can all be limited with the help of third-party software solutions. For example, for this range of tasks, you can recommend LBE Security Master - a utility implemented on a free basis, but this is a completely different topic. All those programs that were installed from the Market are saved on the device, so they can be reinstalled or rewritten to other media, etc.
How to install a program from a third-party source
As we mentioned, using Market is not always the best solution. The absence of pirated programs, the need for an active Internet connection on a mobile device, maintaining user actions logs - all this pushes some of the owners of this solution from Google. It is for them that it is possible to independently install files by analogy with desktop computers. The difference is that if in popular Windows systems you can install .exe (com), then on “Android” you can install distributions with the extension “apk”.
After downloading the program from the Internet to the device’s drive, you can perform the installation. But for this you should enable the use of this function. To do this, in the settings menu you need to select "Security", find the item "Unknown sources" and check the box. A warning will be issued to the user, which at least for the first time is very useful to read. After that, any available file manager should open the flash drive, where distributions with the extension apk were previously copied, and, clicking on the selected, agree to the installation. Everything is incredibly simple.
Alternative option
There is an unofficial method for working with apk files that requires installing a program for downloading. It is quite understandable that it is ten times more convenient to review and select Market programs from the screen of a computer monitor, and not from a modest tablet display or, even worse, a simple smartphone. Using the unofficial APK Downloader extension for the Chrome browser, you can download files from the Internet market to a personal computer or laptop. No less well-known program Real APK Leecher. At the same time, their use is associated with a certain risk, since the user must specify his password and login to access the Google account. As long as there is no money there, the danger is more theoretical, but in other cases you can lose your savings or indirectly participate in hacking or promotion.