9. Working with Android Apps
In this chapter, you find out how to purchase and use Android apps on your Android phone. Topics include the following:
→ Finding apps with Google Play
→ Purchasing apps
→ Keeping apps up to date
Your Android phone comes with enough apps to make it a worthy phone. However, wouldn’t it be great to use it to play games, update your Facebook and Twitter statuses, or even keep a grocery list? Well, you can use the Google Play Store to find these types of apps. Read on to discover how to find, purchase, and maintain apps.
Configuring Google Wallet
Before you start buying apps in the Google Play Store, you must first set up your Google Wallet account. If you plan to download only free apps, you do not need a Google Wallet account.
1. From a desktop computer or your Android phone, open the web browser and go to http://wallet.google.com. Sign in using the same Google account you used to set up your phone.
2. Click or tap Payment Methods.
3. Click or tap Add a Payment Method, and select either Add a Credit or Debit Card or Link a Bank Account.
4. Enter the required information to add your payment method (not shown).
Finding and Installing Apps
The Google Play Store is the place where you can search for and buy Android apps for your phone.
Navigate Google Play
1. Tap the Play Store icon.
2. Swipe in from the left of the screen to see Google Play Store actions.
3. Tap to see any apps you have already purchased or downloaded.
4. Tap to select which Google account you want to use when you use the Google Play Store (if you have multiple Google accounts).
5. Tap to see your Wishlist. This list shows all apps, music, books, and movies that you have placed on your Wishlist.
6. Tap to see people you know on Google+ and see the apps they like.
7. Tap to redeem a Google Play Store gift card.
8. Tap to change the settings for the app. See the “Adjust Google Play Store Settings” section later in this chapter for more information.
9. Tap to manage payment methods and see your order history.
10. Tap anywhere outside the menu to return to the main screen.
11. Tap Apps to see only Android apps.
12. Swipe left and right to move between different top app lists, including Top Paid apps, Top Free apps, Top New apps, and so on.
13. Tap to search the Google Play Store. This searches everything available in the store, including apps, music, movies, and books.
14. Tap Categories to see apps organized by category.
Install Free Apps
You don’t have to spend money to get quality apps. Some of the best apps are free.
1. Tap the free app you want to install.
2. Scroll down to read about the app’s features, reviews by other people who installed it, and information on the person or company who wrote it. Scrolling down also enables you to share a link to the app with friends.
3. Swipe left and right on the app screenshots to see all of them.
4. Tap Install to download and install the app.
5. Tap to accept the app permissions and proceed with the installation.
Beware of Permissions
Each time you download a free app or purchase an app from Google Play, you are prompted to accept the app permissions. App permissions are permissions the app wants to have to use features and functions on your Android phone, such as access to the wireless network or access to your phone log. Pay close attention to the kinds of permissions each app is requesting, and make sure they are appropriate for the type of functionality that the app provides. For example, an app that tests network speed will likely ask for permission to access your wireless network, but if it also asks to access your list of contacts, it might mean that the app is malware and just wants to steal your contacts.
Buy Apps
If an app is not free, the price displays next to the app icon. If you want to buy the app, remember that you need to have a Google Wallet account. See the “Configuring Google Wallet” section earlier in the chapter for more information.
1. Tap the app you want to buy.
What If the Currency Is Different?
When you browse apps in the Google Play Store, you might see apps that have prices in foreign currencies, such as in Euros. When you purchase an app, the currency is simply converted into your local currency using the exchange rate at the time of purchase.
2. Scroll down to read the app’s features, reviews by other people who installed it, and information on the person or company who wrote it. Scrolling down also enables you to share a link to the app with friends.
3. Swipe left and right on the app screenshots to see all of them.
4. Tap the price to purchase the app.
5. Tap to accept the app’s requested permissions and proceed to the payment screen.
6. Tap Buy to purchase the app. You receive an email from the Google Play Store after you purchase an app. The email serves as your invoice.
What Are In-App Purchases?
An app you install that is either free or costs little may offer extra features that you need to pay for later if you want to take advantage of them. For example, an app might provide ways to edit photos and add effects to them, but some effects are not available until you pay extra for them. This is considered an in-app purchase.
Manage Apps
Use the My Apps section of the Google Play Store to update apps, delete them, or install apps that you have previously purchased.
1. Swipe in from the left of the screen.
2. Tap My Apps.
3. Tap All to see all apps that are currently installed or previously were installed on all your Android devices.
4. The word Free indicates a free app that you previously installed, but that is not installed on this phone. Tapping the app enables you to install it again for free.
5. The word Purchased indicates an app you previously purchased and installed, but that is no longer installed on this phone. Tapping the app enables you to install it again for free.
Allowing an App to Be Automatically Updated
When the developer of an app you have installed updates it to fix bugs or add new functionality, you are normally notified of this in the Notification panel so that you can manually update the app. However, you can choose to have the app automatically updated without your intervention. To do this, open the My Apps screen and tap the app you want to update automatically. Tap the Menu icon and make sure that Auto-Update is checked. Automatic updating is suspended if the developer of the app changes the permissions that the app requires to function. This enables you to review them and manually update the app.
When you uninstall an app, you remove the app and its data from your Android phone. Although the app no longer resides on your Android phone, you can reinstall it as described in steps 4 and 5 because the app remains tied to your Google account.
Adjust Google Play Store Settings
1. Swipe in from the left of the screen.
2. Tap Settings.
3. Check the box to enable notifications of app or game updates.
4. Tap to choose whether apps update themselves automatically, and if they do, over what networks. For example, you can set your apps to update automatically at any time, which means they will update over the cellular data network or Wi-Fi. Because cellular data charges apply, you may choose to have your apps only update over Wi-Fi.
5. Check the box to create an app shortcut icon to appear on your Home screen for each app that you install.
6. Tap to clear the Google Play search history. This removes the log of searches you have made in the Google Play Store on this device only.
7. Tap to adjust or set your content filtering level (for example, apps for everyone, or apps with medium maturity content, and so on). Use this to filter out apps, movies, music, or books that you deem to be inappropriate.
8. Tap to choose whether you want to enter your Google password for every Google Play Store purchase, or only every 30 minutes. If you choose 30 minutes, you can purchase content in the store for 30 minutes without retyping your password. After 30 minutes have elapsed, you are prompted to enter your password for your next purchase.
9. Tap the Back button to return to the main screen.
What Happens If I Accidentally Uninstall an App?
What if you accidentally uninstall an app or you uninstalled an app in the past but now decide you’d like to use it again? To get the app back, go to the My Apps view. Tap All, scroll to that app, and tap it. Tap Install to reinstall it.
Installing Apps Not from the Google Play Store
Although it is not recommended that you install Android apps not found in the Google Play Store, there is a way to do it. Open Settings, tap Security, and tap the switch next to Unknown Sources. If you use your phone for work, your company’s Mobile Device Management (MDM) system will likely require this setting to be enabled so that it can push down the MDM Agent app and enable you to install your company’s internal apps. Outside the requirement to install non-Google Play Store apps for your company, it is dangerous to install nonapproved apps. You open yourself up to apps that may contain malware, spyware, or viruses.
