Have you been looking for apps for your new Android device, but are having a hard time finding the right ones? Though the Android marketplace has a huge number of apps, there are always more out there, although they’re a little bit more difficult to find. Most people don’t know that you can take your search off the marketplace.
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Have you found an app on the web that you would love on your phone? With a guide to non-market Android apps, you can use anything you find on the web, on your Android based device. There are a few reasons that an app may not be on the Android marketplace. First, it may not have been approved yet. Once an app has been submitted, it has to go through an approval process before it ends up on the market. It may also never have been submitted for one reason or another – some publishers like to keep their apps quiet.
Once you have found an app that you want on your device, it’s actually fairly easy to use. Follow the steps below to download and install your new app.
1) Find your app. This is the most difficult step for most people. You can find these apps in a variety of ways – you may have heard of the app from friends, you may have stumbled upon it while browsing the Internet, or while reading an article.
2) Download the APK file to your computer. This is the application package file, and holds all of the information for the app.
3) Connect your phone to your computer through the USB cord. If you get asked whether you want this as a hard drive or a charging connection, select hard drive. This will allow you to put the file onto your phone.
4) Check if your settings allow you to download apps from sources other than the Android marketplace. Most phones are factory set with this not allowed. This should be an option in your device’s security setting options.
5) Find the file on your computer. Copy this file, and paste it into your device’s drive.
6) From here, you should be able to run the file from your file manager. If you do not have a file manager already downloaded, it is highly suggested to get one from the Android marketplace before beginning this process.
Though there are other ways to find and download off market apps, this is generally thought to be the easiest. When looking for great apps, don’t hesitate to look off market.
