Android is the most popular operating system for smartphones and tablets. There are countless apps available for Android, but the Play Store is not the only place to find them.
We compiled a list of some of the best apps for Android that are not in the Play Store.
The first app on our list is called F-Droid. It’s an alternative app store that supports open source software. It’s like the Play Store but without all of the restrictions that come with using it. You can find games, productivity tools, photo editors, and much more on F-Droid!
The next app we recommend is called Google Play Console. This app allows you to manage your applications on your device or via desktop access if you have one installed. It will show you which apps have been updated recently or if there are any problems with them that need attention before they can be used again properly again by users who download them from others sources outside Google Play Store itself such as XDA developers or other forums where they may get downloaded from other sources rather than directly download them from official website itself which means it
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10 of the Best Android Apps Not on the Google Play Store
Mike Tee
Aug 4, 2019
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There are more than a million Android apps on Google Play, but some particularly great apps are left out because they violate some of Google’s terms. However, you can always grab their apk and install them if you want to.
This article lists the best apps not available on the Play Store. Make sure to allow installation from unknown sources in your device’s Security Settings before attempting to install any of the listed apps.
- Tachiyomi
It’s a common misconception that iOS is better catered than Android when it comes to the niche of manga-reading apps. The fact is that Android has one of the best options available – you just have to know where to look.
Android Apps Outside Play Store Tachiyomi
Tachiyomi is a great manga reader with a clean UI and plenty of customization options. You can arrange bookmarks into folders and subfolders, read in a well-optimized landscape view, and it has an excellent repository of sources to get your manga from.
The app is still a work in progress, and sometimes doesn’t automatically update your library like it should, but beyond that it’s already great and it’s only going to get better.
- Fortnite
Now that Epic have gone from a stalwart publisher to one of the biggest powerhouses in the industry, the company is keeping its most prized possessions close to its chest.
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So Epic has decided to make its battle royale phenomenon Fortnite available only through the official Epic site on Android, where you need to use a QR code to download it. Bit fiddly, but hey, it’s the world’s most popular video-game and it’s free. What more do you want?
- Viper4Android (Root-only)
For reasons unknown, the Google Play Store has deemed Viper4Android unfit for its hallowed halls (perhaps because it requires various deep-level permissions to function). This XDA Labs app lets you really dig in and fine-tune the audio capabilities of your phone, letting you tinker around with all manner of equalizers, effects, and custom drivers that you can download.
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This one’s definitely for the audio enthusiasts, and less so for those who want quick-and-easy audio boosts for their phone. From Gain Control to V4A, the functions here are for those who know what they’re doing.
- FireTube
One of the bugbears of YouTube for years now has been the inability to listen to music or videos with the screen switched off, which would save on both battery and mobile data.
best-android-apps-not-on-play-store-firetube
Enter FireTube, an app that Google would probably much rather didn’t exist. FireTube is essentially a YouTube interface that lets you listen to any video you like without the actual video playing, then switch off your screen and keep listening.
You can see why Google’s not that into it!
If you want to know more, you can read our full guide on how to install and use FireTube.
- Amazon Appstore
Amazon’s attempt at taking a share of the app market for itself never really quite achieved what it set out to do, but it’s still supported by Amazon and still contains plenty of great apps (often free) that you’d have to pay more for on the Google Play Store.
android-apps-not-on-play-store-amazon-appstore
You can pretty much use it as your Amazon shopping app too, making purchases at the swipe of your hand. So with your app and shopping needs catered for, do you really need anything more in life?
- MiXPlorer
MiXPlorer is one of the best Android file managers out there with a very neat user interface and plenty of features that should appeal to both casual and power users alike. For one, it offers tab support and a dual panel mode on big screens which helps if you’re working with several folders at once. You can also access your cloud files with up to seventeen services to select from including all the popular ones such as Google Drive, Dropbox, MEGA, and Onedrive.
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MiXPlorer also supports root access for advanced operations, advanced search functions and a very customisable user interface. Overall, it’s a very well-rounded file manager you can get for free that doesn’t have ads.
- Lucky Patcher
not-on-google-play-lucky-patcher
Lucky Patcher is an app that allows you to modify other Android apps in various ways. You’ll need a rooted device to harness all of this app’s great power. You can run several actions with this app such as removing license verification for premium apps, modifying apk files, removing Google ads, and backing up and restoring apps. It’s better to make a full backup of your apps and data before using this app as it can possibly lead to loss of data. - F-Droid
not-on-google-play-F-droid
F-droid is the market for free and open-source Android software. Downloading the F-droid client makes it easy for you to search for and install open-source apps, and it also helps you keep track of updates on your device. It’s highly recommended for open-source enthusiasts. - XPosed Framework Installer
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Installing a custom ROM is one way to modify your Android device, but you don’t really need to do so if you just want to modify a few things here and there. The XPosed Framework allows you to modify your existing system without going through the hassle of installing a custom ROM. It is for root-level users only, and there is a wide range of mods and tweaks that can be applied to your device, but be careful. I’d recommend making a full backup before using the Xposed Framework or its components. - Adaway
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Adaway is a free and open-source ad blocker for Android. It was previously available on Google Play but was later removed after violating a section of the Google developer agreement. You can install it from F-droid nonetheless. Adaway requires root access to work, and it’s only available for Android 2.1 devices and above.
All you need to do to try out each app is to download the apk from the links above. Don’t forget to allow installation from unknown sources, and do let us know of any other useful apps not available on the Play Store in the comments section below.
This article was updated in August 2019.
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