In general, you should install apps outside of your phone's app store only if you have a very good reason to.

Need helping installing an APK file on your Android phone? We'll show you how to properly install third-party apps and stores without Google Play.

If you want to know how to sideload apps on your Android phone, here's a handy guide. We'll also explain some safety tips.

If you’ve got a shiny new phone or tablet running Android 14, it’s true that you can’t download and install these older apps on your device itself.