You guys… this is really the update we’ve all been waiting for almost a year! You’re going to want to download Play Store 6.8.24 APK file right now and get early access to the update released alongside the official announcement that Google Play’s exciting Family Library feature has finally gone live. And it’s better than we even thought it was going to be!
Although Google announced at I/O that the feature would be released on July 2, the day came and went and nobody had really reported anything interesting. We all assumed it was a slow, gradual server-side release that just hadn’t hit many devices yet, but it turns out yesterday was the big day… just a little behind schedule.
Get family sharing with Play Store 6.8.24 APK download
You can expect the standard array of bug fixes and improvements to the Play Store’s speed and functionality. A few users have reported a different look to their search results in the store, although there are conflicting reports here.
But the big news here is that the shared Family Library for Google Play is finally in action, announced on the company’s official blog on Wednesday and then going live to the first devices yesterday.
Now here’s the interesting part: we all originally thought that the sharing option was only going to apply to apps and games – not entertainment content – which was kind of a bummer, but we were happy for a step in the right direction. After all, Apple and Amazon have allowed paid app sharing for a long time, so Android users were a bit miffed at having to buy 3 copies of the same premium app for their 3 kids.
But according to the official Google blog post from Wednesday, just before the Play Store 6.8.24 APK release, Family Library will include just about everything in the Play Store (“eligible app, game, movie, TV show, or book”, it says on the blog).
Any of these purchases that are put into the Family Library can be used on any Android device belonging to a family member. Furthermore, the entertainment content – movies, TV series, and e-books – can also be shared to Apple devices or in a web browser.
Whoa. That’s a lot more sharing possibilities than we expected. I think we can forgive them the 3-week delay.
Right now, Play Store family sharing isn’t available in all countries, but it’s being rolled out to more and more people as the hours go by. So my personal recommendation is to sideload the newest version, Play Store 6.8.24, to make sure you’ve got the right foundation in place when it’s your turn.
Then, it’s just a matter of checking into your Play Store account settings every once in a while to see if you have the option to “create a family”. Once you see that option, you’re in and ready to start sharing.
Important note on families: to avoid random groups of 6 people conspiring online to form fake families, you are required to add a credit card as the family payment method. In other words, don’t invite anyone to your family unless you trust them with your money.
How to download Play Store 6.8.24 APK
If you’ve never done an APK sideload before, there’s never been a better Play Store update to learn. It’s actually much simpler than it sounds. First, use the browser on your Android to get to this post if you aren’t already reading it on your device. Tap on the Play Store 6.8.24 APK download link, and wait for the file to finish downloading (it shouldn’t take too long, but it will depend on your connection speed).
While you wait, there is one extremely important step you must do. Go to the security section of your device’s settings and scroll until you find something called “unknown sources”. There will be a little toggle switch next to this option; make sure it is turned on/enabled before proceeding. If this option is turned off, you’ll be able to download the APK file but your Android will reject the installation because it didn’t come from the Play Store.
Once that’s done, open the downloaded Play Store 6.8.24 file. The easiest way is by tapping on the “download complete” notification that will pop up when it’s done. If that doesn’t work, or you don’t get the notification, or you accidentally swiped and dismissed it, don’t worry; use a file manager or explorer to find the file, or if you know how, go directly to the “downloads” folder on your Android. Then, just tap on the file name to open it up in Android Package Installer.
Here’s the easy part: just tap the “install” button and accept the permissions. The Play Store 6.8.24 file you downloaded will be installed and overwrite the older version you had on the device. In just a few seconds, you’ll be able to open Google Play and have the absolute latest version, and if you’re really lucky, you’ll already have access to the Family Library feature in your account settings.