As most of you already know, Samsung devices run on Android operating system, therefore they usually have certain standard Google applications preinstalled, such as Google search, Gmail, Hangouts and the most important, Google Play Store. But you might get a Samsung smartphone or tablet and be surprised that, for some strange reason, the apps you expected to find are not there!
There’s no arguing that you will want (maybe even need) to have Google Play Store on your Samsung Android device. It’s essential for downloading whatever you might think of from its mind blowing variety of applications, games, movies, music, and other entertainment content.
Generally, depending on other sites and app markets instead of Play Store hugely limits your device’s capabilities because access to some of these applications won’t be possible. Or at the very least, you’ll need to search for each application’s file online, and it will take a lot longer to download apps this way.
And unfortunately, you’ll miss out on using the nice Play Store features, its interface, browsing apps by category, searching for similar apps, etc., and you even run the risk of getting a download that’s been contaminated with malware. Google Play Store is definitely the way to go.
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Why doesn’t my Samsung device have Google Play Store?
Almost all new Samsung devices, like the Samsung Galaxy S series, Samsung Galaxy Note, Samsung Galaxy Ace, etc., come with the Play Store application preinstalled. But there are some reasons why some Samsung devices do not have Play Store preinstalled when you buy them.
Device was rooted
One reason might be that the device was rooted and Play Store was uninstalled from the device, but don’t this doesn’t happen by accident, so chances are this is not your problem.
Second hand Samsung device
Buying a second hand Samsung device would be another possible reason, as the person who sold it may have had it rooted and then wiped the whole thing clean before shipping it to you.
Samsung device from markets like China
And the most probable reason is buying a Samsung device from overseas markets like China at a deep discount. Most of these cheap Samsung devices are usually not official products, so they don’t have the Google certificate either.
It is noteworthy that the Google certificate is what makes the Google Play Store app and other standard apps come preinstalled on Samsung devices. Thus, a “clone, as these unofficial devices are sometimes called, will not come with Play Store.
How to download Google Play Store on my Samsung?
Fortunately, downloading Google Play Store on your Samsung is an easy thing to do. It’s free, and will be done in the blink of an eye. And most importantly, the Play Store app will function perfectly as if nothing was ever wrong.
First, you need to use the Internet browser on your Samsung device to find the Play Store Android file, named “Play Store APK”. You can find a free, secure Play Store download link in this post; just tap the download link to get the download started.
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But there is something very important to do to make this Play Store download work. Before installing the downloaded file, you need to go to settings of your Samsung and allow application downloads from places other than the Play Store. Just enter security settings by going to Settings > Security, and select “Unknown sources”.
You have another option for downloading Play Store on your Samsung device in case you have no internet connection or cellular data available. It’s quite simple; just download the same Play Store APK file to your computer, connect your Samsung smartphone or tablet to the PC with its USB cable, and transfer the APK file to the device. See? Really easy!
Installing Google Play Store on Samsung
Now, when your Play Store APK is downloaded on the device, open the downloaded file by tapping the notifications bar that says “Download complete” (if downloaded directly on the device), or find it by using the file manager app.
Once the file is open, you will go through a few steps to install Play Store to your Samsung device (your device will walk you through the process – basically you just have to tap “Install” and accept the app’s permissions), and you will need your Google account information to log into the Play Store.
And that’s all it takes to download the official Play Store app on your Samsung. Now you can access all of the apps, games, media and more of the content available in the Google Play Store, without having to worry about malicious application files, and you’ll enjoy all the speed and power of your Samsung device.
You can now search for and download your favorite games, some useful apps that bring you closer to you friends or find some lifestyle apps that make doing unlimited things more fun, easy, active and creative.