The Google Play Store is one of those applications basic, that we all use regularly to download Android apps and games that interest us. But the reality is that it has many options, which most of us are not aware of and which can be of great help, for daily use.
For this reason, we are going to teach you some tricks, so that you can get the most out of the Google app store.
Useful tricks for the Google Play Store
The application to access the Android application and game store is the door to endless tools and apps that have become essential on our Android phones.
However, the Google play application will not only give us access to those applications and games, but we will also be able to configure it and carry out actions that will help us to use it more advanced.
Configure the name and visibility of your devices
When you want to install an application from your PC, you need to indicate the name of the device on which you want the download to take place. But the reality is that, although this name is usually the model of the device, it is easy for you to not remember what it is, especially if you have several associated with your Google account.
Fortunately, you can change it and put a name more in keeping with your device and above all that you can quickly identify. To do this, you simply have to go to settings and assign it a name so that your list is much more organized.
To access that device configuration page, either with our computer or mobile, we must have the session open with our Google / gmail account. Otherwise, the devices that we have assigned will not be shown.
Install apps not available in your country
There are applications that do not come out at the same time in all countries, or even that are not even published in any specific one. If you want to install one of them on your smartphone, you can change the country of your Google account in its settings. The problem is that you will have to add a credit card from the country in which you want to “locate”.
Of course, the easiest way to do it is from an unofficial source like APK Mirrorwhich is a much easier process.
Install applications from the computer
We are used to accessing the Google Play Store application on our smartphone or tablet and downloading directly from there. But what many do not know is that if you find an interesting application when you are browsing from your computer, you can start the installation directly from the PC.
To do this, you simply have to access the versión web from Google Play and choose the app you want. Once you click on install, a list will appear with all the devices associated with your Google account.
You will simply have to select the device on which you want to enjoy the application you want to download and the download will begin quickly and easily. It will be a deferred and unattended download, since you will not touch your mobile device, but when you go to use it, the app that you have installed from your computer will be there.
It will not even be necessary for you to have your mobile next to the computer or anything like that, although it is essential that it be turned on and it is recommended that it be connected to a WiFi network.
Prevent apps from being added to the home screen
Normally, when we install an android application, it automatically adds a direct access to the home screen of our smartphone or tablet. In principle, this is quite comfortable since it will be easier for us to access it when we want to use it. And if we don't want it to be there, we can simply remove the shortcut or move it to another part of the desktop.
But if those new "automagic" shortcuts bother you, you'll just have to configure Google Play to not do them. To do this, you will have to go to the Settings menu of the Google Play Store and deselect the option Add icon to home screen, which is selected by default on any smartphone.
Remember that even if you have this option deactivated, you can create a shortcut for any app simply by leaving your finger pressed on its icon in the applications menu and dragging it to the desktop, so it will be quite simple.
Check that we have the latest version installed
As in all applications, it is recommended that we have the latest available version installed in the Play Store. But you may have no idea if your app is really up to date or not.
To find out, we only have to access the application and press the button Play Store version, where we can see the version we have installed.
In the event that said version is not the latest, it will give us the option to force the update. Although the normal thing is that if you do not do it, it will update itself in a few days, it is recommended that you do it manually.
Prevent an app from updating automatically
By default, all android applications that you install from the Play Store, will update automatically. It is the way that you do not have to be aware of whether or not you have the latest version on your mobile. But it is possible that for some reason, you do not want any of your applications to install these updates.
To do this, you will only have to look for its file in Google Play, access its menu, and deselect the option Update automatically.
Prevent app updates from consuming data
In relation to the previous advice, you can also go a little further and prevent application updates from consuming data from your mobile internet contract.
In that case we will go to Google play settings and in “update applications automatically” we will select “update applications automatically only through Wi-Fi”.
With this simple step, we are going to save megabytes and megabytes of our normally limited contract.
Ask for authentication to make purchases
This is a delicate point, a setting that we should all have on our Android mobile or tablet. Even more necessary, if we lend our mobile to the little ones in the house, children, cousins, brothers, nephews, etc.
With this simple but effective step, no one will be able to buy apps or games from Google play, nor make the dreaded in-app purchases, of which you surely know someone who has received a large bill, to the bank account, without Nobody knows how it happened.
Therefore, we go to settings of the google play app and in the option ask for authentication to make purchases, we select “for all purchases made through Google play on this device”. With this action, we will not have shocks in the bank account, due to purchases of “unwanted” games or apps.
Download the APK file of an app
In principle, the Play Store only allows us to directly install the applications on our smartphone. But it is possible that what you want is not to install the application, but simply download the APK file to later install it on another site, for example a mobile without access to the official Google store.
The process to do it is quite simple, but we will need an external tool. With apps like APK Mirror or APK Downloaders, we can do it quickly and comfortably, without it being too much trouble. Once we have the file downloaded, we can do whatever we want with it.
It is recommended that we save these downloaded files on the SD card, to avoid losing them or transferring them to other devices in a more comfortable way.
Do you know any other interesting trick for google play – play store that can help us get a little more out of the official store of android applications and games?
We invite you to go through our comments section, which you will find at the end of this article, and tell us about it.