You might be familiar with this scenario: you were browsing the Web and stumbled upon an interesting app that piqued your curiosity. Instead of just getting up and looking for your phone, opening the Google Play Store, searching manually for the app, and hitting install, you could just install the Android app directly from your PC. In this post, we show you how you can install a new application on your Android phone without having to lay your hands on it.
Before Getting Started
Before you are able to perform this feat, you need to make sure you are signed in with the same Google account on both your PC and Android phone. You should align the two in advance. If you’re not sure how to switch between Google accounts on Android, check out our earlier article which describes how to easily do so.
Also, this is only applicable for apps in the Play Store.
How to Install an Android App from Your PC
When you found the app, did the webpage provide a direct link? If so, click on it and go straight to the Google Play Store in your device’s browser.
If the website only mentioned the app’s name, then you’ll have to open a new tab in your browser, navigate to the Google Play Store page and use the search bar at the top to look for the app.
You may want to filter your results to view only the Apps by selecting this category from the menu on the left. When you’ve located the app you want to install on your Android, click on it to go to the app page.
Getting Down to Business
Once on the app page, examine the details. Check to see if the app is compatible with your device(s). If it is, you should see “This app is available for all your devices.”
Next, locate the green “Install” button and tap on it. If you’ve used your Google account to sign on to multiple devices, you’ll be asked to select on which of these handsets you want to install the new app. Click “Install” again.
You’ll be asked to input the password of your Google account. Next, you’ll have to select your preferences regarding when you would like authentication to be required.
Regardless of your choice, you’ll always have to authenticate yourself using your password when it comes to installing an Android app from another device.
Once you’ve confirmed your selection, a pop-up will appear on the screen informing you that the “app will be installed on your device soon.”
Click OK and you should see the green “Installed” button on the app’s Play Store page.
Next, you can go check you phone. You should see the app waiting there for you. Now all that’s left to do is tap on it to launch it.
Wrapping Up
What’s great about this method is that you can install the same app on multiple devices without having to get them all in one place and perform the same repetitive steps multiple times. Go back to the app’s page in the Google Play Store in your browser and click on the “Installed” button. Select the next device you want to install the app on and so on.
If you’re looking for more apps to install on your Android device, check out our list of the best free music download apps for Android. Also, learn all about the most useful Google Lens alternatives for Android.
Alexandra is passionate about mobile tech and can be often found fiddling with a smartphone from some obscure company. She kick-started her career in tech journalism in 2013, after working a few years as a middle-school teacher. Constantly driven by curiosity, Alexandra likes to know how things work and to share that knowledge with everyone.
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