How to Download and Install Apps from Google Play for Your Fire Tablet
Amazon’s Fire tablets have many things going for it, but they also have at least one shortcoming: they don’t come with Google Play.
While the Amazon Appstore does have most of the apps one might want, there are some apps (like reading apps that compete with the Kindle app) that Amazon won’t let us install on a Fire tablet.
Luckily there are several workarounds. The more complicated solutions involve installing Google Play on your Fire tablet (this is also the most efficient and effective) but there is also a trick that requires a lot less work.
A friend recently asked about this trick (he’s a new Fire owner), so I thought it would be worth sharing with everyone.
Here’s the short version.
TL;DR
After identifying the free app in Google Play you want to download, go to a site like Evozi’s APK Downloader and use its download tool to get the app. Transfer it to your Fire tablet, and install it.
And here’s the longer version.
How To
First things first: Turn on your Fire tablet, and go to the Amazon Appstore. Search for and install a file manager like "ES File Explorer".
Next, go to the Settings menu on your Fire tablet. Open the Security submenu, and check the option to allow installation of apps from unknown sources:
Nowurn back to your computer. You probably have a web browser open right now, so go ahead and open two more tabs.
- In the first tab, navigate to the Apps section of Google Play.
- Open Evozi’s APK downloader in the second tab.
The trick for getting free apps is to search for the app, copy the URL for the app listing, and then paste the URL into the Evozi APK downloader and clicking the button.
Evozi will get the app for you, and let you download it to your computer. (Or at least that is how it is supposed to work; sometimes the service is overloaded.)
Once you’ve downloaded the apps you want, you can transfer them to your Fire tablet over a USB cable. Copy the apps to a folder on your Fire tablet, and then unplug the tablet from your computer.
Installing the apps is as simple as using the file manager to open the folder with the apps, select an app, and then select the option to install the app.
Addendum
- This trick won’t work with paid apps or with apps that depend on in-app purchases (those additional sales depend on Google tech) but it’s good for like 90% of the apps I have needed.
- This won’t work with all apps; some just aren’t compatible and sometimes the process simply won’t work. But this is the trick I use when I want to assemble a suite of apps so I can test compatibility.
- Do let me know in the comments if this doesn’t work for you or if parts are unclear.
- And if you want to go the hard route, you can install Google Play on the Fire tablet. It’s a lot more work, but it can be done.
image by trophygeek
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