While the Chinese market offers some great devices at quite affordable prices, you’ll often find that these phones don’t come with all the software you would expect from an Android device. More often than not, this means that the phone won’t have Google Play Store installed, as well as a few other Google services, due to China’s restrictive policies.
However, that doesn’t mean that you can’t enjoy all the benefits and advantages that come with owning an Android phone. You can still install Google Play and download your favorite apps, simply by following one of these three methods:
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Method 1: Installing Google Play via APK file
- Firstly, you will need to go to your device’s Settings, and then tap Advanced settings > Privacy > Enable Download from Unknown Sources. On, some devices, you might only need to go to Settings > Security/Privacy > Enable Download from Unknown Sources by pressing its button.
- In case a notification pops up saying “This type of file can harm your device,” then tap OK. This process is completely safe.
- Next, you need to download the following three files to your device’s internal storage:
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- Google Play Store – For this APK file, it’s important to download the latest version available for smartphones.
- Google Play Services – Here, you will need to take into account both the Android version of your device, as well as the processor (32 or 64 bit) in order to find the most compatible file.
- Google Services Framework – For this APK, it’s advised to find a file compatible with the Android version on your device. If it’s not available, download the file compatible with the previous version.
- Once the files are downloaded, locate them in your device’s File Manager. Then, install the files one after another.
- After the installation has finished, restart your device.
- You will now be able to see the Google Play Store icon among your applications.
Note: In order to use Google Play and its services, you will need to log into your Google account first. If you don’t already have a Google account, you can easily create one now, and start downloading apps from the Play Store.
Method 2: Installing Google Play via GSM installer
- Go to your device’s Settings, and then tap Advanced settings > Privacy > Enable Download from Unknown Sources.
- Then, download and install the GSM Installer on your device.
- Now, find the attest version of the Google Play Store here, and download it.
- Once the APK file has finished downloading, locate it in your device’s File Manager, and then install following the on-screen instructions.
- After successful installation, simply log in with your Google Account, and start downloading apps.
Method 3: Installing Google Play via Google Installer
- Firstly, to your device’s Settings, and then tap Advanced settings > Privacy > Enable Download from Unknown Sources.
- Now, download the Google Installer APK and the Google Play Store APK to your device’s internal storage.
- Once Google Installer file has downloaded, locate it in your device’s File Manager. Then, install following the on-screen instructions.
- After successful installation, open the Google Installer
- On the main screen, you will see a big blue circle. Tap it.
- Next, tap on the yellow circle, and then on Install, to begin installing the Google Play service framework.
- Then, the setup will ask you to install Google Play Store. Tap Install, and then OK to confirm.
- After that, press the red button at the bottom of the screen, to accept the terms and conditions.
- Once done, Google Play Store will appear in your application menu, and you can start downloading your favorite apps.
Note: In some cases, you will need to download the GSM Installer first, in order for this method to work on your device.
If you want to check whether the Google Play services are operating well, your best option is the Play Services Info application. In case a problem arises while checking the status, this app will give you solutions, as well as applicable download links, to resolve the issues.
