A Guide to Downloading Play Store

The Google Play Store is regarded as a treasure trove of apps and content, so you might want to install it on your phone or other mobile devices. However, you might find it quite tricky to install the software, especially when you have uninstalled it unintentionally or when you want to roll back to its previous version to avoid bugs, which means that you have to re-install it manually.

One simple method that should be quite easy for you to follow if you are already an avid follower of AndroidPIT, is just installing the Play Store APK. In case you are not, an APK is the Android equivalent to a .exe program on your computer. Rather than downloading an app from the Play Store, you can just install it yourself without such a source, which is very useful when the Play Store itself is the app that you want to install.

Well, you can do this in 2 ways, which are directly on your phone or with your computer. Here is a guide on how to download and install the Google Play Store app:

The Direct Phone Method

Enable the “Unknown Sources” function on your phone by going to Settings>Security, and then ticking the box that is next to “Unknown Sources”. You need not worry, as unknown sources are just locations outside of Play Store that are critical if it is the Play Store itself that you need. Do not forget to uncheck this option once you have completed the task.

Using your device’s browser, go to the XDA Developers forum or APK Mirror, where you will be able to download the APK for the latest Play Store version. You may receive a message that warns you that this type of file can harm your device, but just ignore it and tap “OK”.

Open the APK by tapping the completed download in your notifications menu and read the new permissions (if there is any) that the new Play Store version requests, then tap “Install”. Just wait and you will have the app installed on your device.

The Computer Method

If you do not have Wi-Fi or data connection on your device, you will still be able to download the Play Store APK to your computer instead. Just follow this process:

Enable the “Unknown Sources” on your device.

Using your PC’s browser, go to XDA Developers forum or APK Mirror in order to download the APK for the latest version of Play Store.

Connect your device to your PC with a USB cable and then copy the APK file to your device.

Launch it the APK, accept permissions and then install.

It is also important to take note of Google Play Store version numbers. As you can see, the numbering system for the software’s versions might seem a little confusing, at first, but is actually will be easy to get around. If the jumps between numbers seem odd, it is because Google did not publicly release such versions in between. And depending on your device, you might need root it before you can install Play Store manually.