These devices offer some really great features, high resolution screens, and high processing power, along with the wide range of personalization possibilities thanks to the Android OS.
As a smartphone user, the most important issue is finding and downloading your favorite apps so you can use and benefit from all your smartphone’s features. For Android smartphones, there is no better place in the digital world than Google Play Store, with millions of apps, music, movies and other entertainment and essentials for your device.
There, you can download virtually limitless apps, media, e-books and more. Plus, just over a month from now, the Play Store’s highly anticipated Family Library feature will finally go live.
Therefore, the Play Store is likely to be the essential app on your smartphone. So, if you can’t find Google Play Store pre-installed on your mobile, you’re probably a bit confused. Play Store is supposed to be there and ready to go once you power up your device! Fortunately, there is a solution to your problem.
Why is Google Play Store missing on my smartphone?
There are several potential explanations for not having Google Play Store installed in your smartphone, and for you having to download the Play Store app manually.
Device’s operating system
First, depending on your device’s operating system (OS), you might not be able to use Google Play Store at all; for example, iOS devices (iPhone) and Windows Phone have platforms that are not designed to have Play Store pre-installed or even run it at all. You may be able to do something about it, depending on your specific smartphone, but this is not the norm (you’re better off using the official app market for your type of device).
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Used Android smartphone
If you received a used Android smartphone and you find that it doesn’t have Play Store installed in it, it’s possible it has been rooted or it is running an older version of Android that is not compatible with Google Play Store. Note that Android 2.3 and older versions use Android Market instead (although the latest version of Android OS is 14, so you’re not likely to run into a smartphone with 2.3 or lower).
Brand new Android smartphone
Finally, if you have a brand new Android smartphone that doesn’t have Play Store pre-installed, then it is most likely not an “original” device (i.e. it’s a clone device), or it may be missing its official Google certificate.
How to download Google Play Store for Android Smartphones
For Android smartphone users who don’t have Play Store on their devices, all you need is to download the Google Play Store APK file on your smartphone manually (simply put, “APK” is the name of the file type that Android OS devices knows how to run).
As long as you find a good copy of the file (like the one we’ve provided for you in this post) this is guaranteed to work no matter if the Android smartphone is brand new or used, rooted or not.
All Android smartphones have a default setting to allow installation of programs from the Google Play Store only, but in case you need to download the Google Play Store APK from a third-party website (like ours), you’ll have to go to your device’s settings, look under the “General” tab and find the “Security” section.
Find the option “Allow installation from unknown sources”, and tap on the box next to it so it’s checked. By doing this, your smartphone will be allowed to install the APK file from our site. It’s the exact same application as the Play Store that normally comes as a system app on Android devices.
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Then, you’ll need to use your device’s browser and tap on the Google Play Store APK download link included in this post, and just wait for the file download to be complete. Once it’s finished, open the file; you can find it using a file manager or by tapping on the notification pop-up of the completed download.
Follow the instructions that appear on the screen to help you go through setting up your new Google Play Store successfully on your smartphone; it’s very simple and easy to do.
How to use Google Play Store on Smartphone
To be able to enjoy all the features of Google Play Store on your smartphone, you need to have a Google account, so if you don’t have one, make sure you create one right away!
Log in to the Play Store with your Gmail address and set your personal information and your account settings in the app. After logging in, browse, search and download your favorite apps and have the best time with your smartphone.