[wplug] Download Android apps without Google Play

[Justin Smith]

A few weeks ago, someone asked on here if it was possible to download 
apps from Google Play, Android's official app store, on an Android device 
that doesn't come with Google Apps.

Well, you can! It's easier than you might think. The folks at XDA-Developers, 
one of the top mobile software development sites, have a thread in their 
forum where people post apps they've downloaded from Google Play:

http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2392504[1] 
NO, before you ask, that doesn't include paid apps. XDA is very strict about 
copyright infringement.

You can browse the apps in Google Play by going to http://play.google.com. 
Once you've found an app you want, check the XDA thread to see if 
someone has posted it. If not, register an account at XDA and then make 
a request in the thread. 

Of course, you don't /have /to get apps from Google Play. You can install 
the Amazon Appstore[2], which has many of the same apps as Google 
Play, or you can download F-Droid[3], an app store that has nothing but 
free, open source software.

-- 
*Justin Smith*
GNU/Linux System Administrator

/"Any fool can use a computer. Many do."/

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[1] http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2392504

[2] 
https://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html?ie=UTF8&docId=1000626391&re
f_=mas_dl_appstore_rr
[3] http://www.f-droid.org