You have purchased an Android smartphone or tablet without Play Store and, despite initial hesitation, you are getting along quite well. The problem is that now you would like to update your apps and don’t know how to do it. Well, if that’s the case, don’t worry, you have several solutions at your disposal.
If you are wondering how to update apps without Play Store, you can simply check if there’s an alternative store on your smartphone/tablet that you can use in this context; otherwise, you can take charge and install a store yourself to use for installing, managing, and updating apps, just like you were used to with Google’s.
It’s not difficult, I assure you. So take a few minutes of your free time, and reach your goal with the tips I’m about to give you. The procedures are valid for pretty much all Android devices (even those that are already equipped with Google’s store, if you want) and all versions of the operating system. Enjoy your reading!
Table of Contents
Preliminary Information
Before diving into the guide and explaining how to update apps without Play Store, I find it necessary to explain the current situation regarding the manual installation of applications without Play Store.
Despite major smartphone/tablet manufacturers providing an integrated store even on devices without Google services, as mentioned earlier, not all apps available through the Play Store may be found there. This means that, even for updating, you might have to resort to options offered by third parties.
Since Android is an “open” operating system, there is the possibility to download specific apps and install them via a .apk file. However, this brings the security issue into play, considering that this type of file is downloaded from external and unofficial sources. It’s wise to pay attention to the sources if you intend to proceed this way to avoid any unpleasant surprises.
That said, in recent years, the Android world has undergone a revolution in this regard. Due to development needs, so-called bundles have emerged, which contain both the .apk file of the involved application and the related additional files necessary for proper installation. For this reason, third-party applications have been developed that can install these types of solutions, for example in .apkm or .xapk format.
If you are used to the “classics” .apk, you may now have to learn to manage this latter type of file, as this situation is almost always encountered in sideloading. Fortunately, thanks to the efforts of the Android communities, it’s not complicated at all, apart from the initial installation of another app. Moreover, this type of app usually allows for easier app updates, enabling you to conduct checks for available updates.
Alternative to Play Store
Having made the necessary clarifications above, let me tell you about some alternative stores you can use instead of Google’s to download and update apps on Android. If they are not already present on your device, the stores in question can be installed simply through straightforward .apk packages downloaded from their respective websites. You can find everything explained here.
HUAWEI AppGallery
If you have a Huawei smartphone/tablet with HMS and, therefore, lacking Google services, you can comfortably update your apps with HUAWEI AppGallery, Huawei’s store included “by default” in all relevant devices.
However, I remind you that you can download and install the store on an Android device from another brand by connecting to the official HUAWEI AppGallery portal, first clicking the Download Now button and then successively on the Install, INSTALL APPGALLERY and Download anyway buttons, proceeding to installation via the relevant .apk file. Usually, once you open this, you just follow the on-screen instructions to grant all the necessary permissions, flipping the required toggle to ON and finally pressing the Install button.
In any case, app updates related to HUAWEI AppGallery can be downloaded both automatically and manually. To proceed, open HUAWEI AppGallery by selecting the appropriate icon on the Home screen; then tap on the User tab (bottom right), select the App Updates option and you will see the list of all the apps to be updated.
To proceed with updating individual apps, press the related GET/UPDATE button. To enable automatic updates for all apps (valid only when the device is connected to Wi-Fi), flip the automatic updates via Wi-Fi toggle to ON.
As you can see, nothing complicated. However, if you want to explore how HUAWEI AppGallery works, you can read the tutorial I dedicated to this store.
Amazon Appstore
Amazon Appstore doesn’t need much of an introduction: it’s Amazon’s official store, where you can find thousands of apps and games, both free and paid. Everything, of course, tested and provided securely.
To download Amazon Appstore (if not already present on your device), connect to the official website, manage the cookies as best you see fit (for example, by pressing the Accept button) and click on the Download Amazon Appstore button to obtain the .apk file, possibly also pressing the Download anyway option (if prompted). Once the download is complete, open the file you just downloaded, grant all requested permissions, press the Install button and you’re good to go.
After installing Amazon Appstore, launch it, log in with your Amazon account and use it to install your favorite apps: unfortunately, the store does not recognize applications already installed on the device and, therefore, does not allow installing them. If you want to keep your apps updated easily, I recommend you uninstall and reinstall them through Amazon Appstore.
To install an app with Amazon Appstore, just select it (browsing the Home or searching for it in the top bar) and press the Receive button. Once done, you will find all the available updates in the My Apps section (at the bottom), under the APPLICATION UPDATES tab.
To receive notifications when updates for apps you installed from Amazon Appstore are available (unfortunately there is no automatic update), go to the Account section, select SETTINGS tab, go to Notifications and flip the toggle regarding application updates to ON.
APKPure
Aside from the large company alternative stores, there are also independent solutions on Android that allow you to easily download/update thousands of apps. One of the most popular stores of this type is APKPure, which also allows you to install .xapk files I referred to in the preliminary chapter of the guide.
Although generally safe and reliable, I advise you to use APKPure (and similar) only if you cannot find the apps of interest in the stores I recommended earlier (since it’s not managed by well-known companies like Huawei or Amazon, but, indeed, by less controlled third parties).
To download the store on your device (if it’s not already present), connect to the APKPure portal, managing the cookies in whichever way you see fit (tapping, for example, on Consent) and then pressing the Download APKPure App button and Download anyway (if prompted). To complete the installation, after pressing the Open button, optionally enable the installation from unknown sources and tap the Install button.
Perfect, now launch the newly installed app, choosing whether to enable notifications (if you’re not interested, you can press Don’t Allow) and skipping the screen that proposes various apps to install by tapping the X icon at the top right. You can do the same to skip any advertising screens that might appear.
At this point, to download updates (available for all apps on the device, including those downloaded with the same APKPure, for example from .xapk format), tap the download icon at the top right and after selecting the Update tab, you will immediately face the list of apps to be updated.
You can choose to update all applications at once by pressing the Update All button at the bottom of the screen or proceed with updating each one individually by pressing the respective Update button. You will then need to confirm the installation of each app by responding Install to the alerts that will appear on the screen.
To receive notifications regarding the availability of updates for the apps (unfortunately, there is no automatic update feature), select the Me tab, at the bottom right, then the settings icon (at the top right) and flip the toggle regarding App updates available to ON.
APKMirror
An alternative to the previously discussed APKPure is represented by APKMirror, the popular portal that has long allowed manual installation of Android applications. For some time now, it has had in beta a APKMirror Installer application (even available on the Play Store), designed to install the .apkm files I mentioned in the introductory chapter of the tutorial. Using this type of file can allow you to update even the latest apps.
To proceed with downloading this app, visit the APKMirror Installer website, managing the cookies as best you see fit (pressing, for example, the ACCEPT button). Then go to the All versions section at the bottom and select the latest version of the app, making sure to press first on SCROLL TO AVAILABLE DOWNLOADS and then on the link with the APK box (and not the BUNDLE). This way, you will just need to tap the DOWNLOAD APK option to obtain the respective .apk file, to be installed as usual.
Now it’s time to download the latest version of the app you want to update, in .apkm format. To do this, visit the APKMirror portal and use the search bar to find what suits your needs. After selecting the app box in question, tap the SCROLL TO AVAILABLE DOWNLOADS button and press the version you are interested in. If it is necessary to pass through a bundle for installation, a DOWNLOAD APK BUNDLE button will appear on screen. Once you press this, you will therefore receive the .apkm file you are interested in.
Now, for the first time, launch the APKMirror Installer app you installed earlier, manage the cookies again (tapping, for instance, on Consent) and tap the Browse files button. It will then ask you to provide the app with permissions to access the internal memory, flipping the toggle for Allow access to manage all files to ON. After doing this, you will be shown all the files from the Download folder on your device, including the app file you downloaded. You just need to tap this and then press in succession the Install package button (bottom right) and Install app (or Watch ad and install app, if required to watch an advertisement to proceed).
In the final stages of the procedure, you might also be asked to flip the toggle for Allow from this source to ON, thus enabling the APKMirror Installer app to proceed in these contexts. You might also need to skip the advertisement that appears on the screen by pressing the X icon that appears on screen after a while, at the top left. Then the usual pop-up will appear with the Install/Update option, which will allow you to complete the installation/update of the application of your interest.
Official Developer Websites
In the (remote) case that you did not find the apps of your interest in the stores mentioned earlier, you can resort to updating your apps by manually downloading their .apk packages from the official developer’s website.
This practice is, in fact, rarely used nowadays. However, there are applications, such as WhatsApp, that can be freely downloaded from their respective official portals (therefore from secure sources, for example by pressing on a link like Download WhatsApp Directly).
To use the .apk files of the apps, you need to do nothing different than what I’ve already illustrated in the previous steps of the tutorial: enable support for external sources, open the installation package of the app to be installed (via the notification dropdown or file manager) and respond with Update/Install to the alert that appears on the screen.