How to install applications on Android from your computer via Google Play, via USB

Owners of Android devices that do not have the ability to connect to a wireless Wi-Fi network often ask themselves how to install applications on Android from a computer that has access to the Internet. This is done quite simply. Let's consider some basic variants.

How to install applications on Android from your computer: basic options for action

Of course, the easiest way to install a favorite application or game on your mobile device is to directly access the gadget to the Google Play service or an online resource with the program, if not available in the official store. But there are situations when there is no wireless network at home. In this case, you can only use a computer with a direct connection.

Here comes the problem: how to install applications on Android from your computer (Google Play is unavailable due to a lack of connection on your mobile device)? There is an exit. As the simplest methods for installing applications, we distinguish the following:

• Use Google Play access through any web browser.
• Install downloaded applications as APK files.
• Installation using control computer utilities.

How to install applications on Android from your computer via Google Play?

The first and most simple method is to use the most common Internet browser. We assume that the mobile device is already connected. If there is no connection via the USB cable, it can be connected in the following steps.

So, first in the browser we go to the official Google Play service page. It looks exactly the same as on a smartphone, except that the size is bigger. First you need to log in by entering your registered Gmail email address (login) and password into the appropriate fields. Next, find the right application or game. To do this, you can use the search bar or select a program by rating popularity, category, type of installation (paid, free), and so on.

After that, connect the device to the computer and go through the identification directly, if the account is not activated by default. When it is synchronized on the computer and the mobile device, the compatibility of the downloaded software with the Android device will be determined automatically.

Now you just need to click on the start button. After that, the service will prompt you to select the device to which you want to install the selected application. There may be several in the list. Perhaps the user has both a tablet and a smartphone. All the devices to which the account was tied earlier will be marked in gray. We select the connected device, press the setup button and wait for the process to finish.

Installing applications downloaded from unofficial resources

Now consider the question of how to install applications on Android from a computer that have been downloaded from third-party Internet resources. But here you need to perform several preliminary actions.

First you need to go to the settings on the device and select the security section. In it, you should check the installation permission point from unknown sources. Otherwise, the system will not install the program from the standard APK-file. Download the desired file to your computer. After that, copy it to removable media of mobile device (SD-card). Next, the installation is done directly from the device. This applies to cases in which there is no software on the computer system for managing a smartphone or tablet.

Installing applications with a cache

Now let's see how to install applications on Android from the computer to HTC-devices or devices of other manufacturers (there is no difference), for which the mandatory condition is to create a cache folder on the mobile gadget and copy necessary content to it (as a rule, at boot the installer and cache are downloaded separately). The principle of installation is the same as in the previous case. The installation APK file is copied to the device, and then the main program files are installed.

After that, using any file manager, the same standard Windows Explorer or the corresponding program on the mobile device, you need to create the obb folder in the data directory of the Android directory. Although usually the cache data downloaded from the Internet, after unpacking the archive are located in such a folder. It remains to just copy it to the right place. If the obb folder on the device already exists, only the contents of the original downloaded directory are copied to it.

Note: do not confuse the sdcard directory with the SD card! In the Android system, the sdcard is an internal drive. The full path to the cache folder is sdcard / Android / data / obb /. Sometimes it can be sdcard / Android / obb / or other variations. A vivid example is the installation of a mobile version of the popular music sequencer FL Studio. However, in addition to copying the cache, you will have to work hard here, since you will need to create a folder of tools. But for most programs, such actions are not required.

Using Control Programs

Finally, one of the universal solutions to the problem of how to install applications on Android from a computer is the use of special programs for managing mobile devices. What will be chosen is not so important. The general principle of installation is that a connection (a USB-cable, Bluetooth or Wi-fi) must be established between the computer and the mobile device. Consider the simplest version of how to install applications on Android from your computer via USB connection using applications like Mobogenie or highly specialized programs such as Sony PC Companion and the like.

There are several options for action. For example, you can specify an installation from a file saved on the computer, as in the case of the Sony PC Companion. And you can select the application directly from the program (Mobogenie) in a special section. Or even use it to go to the Google Play service. Installation is practically no different from the above described methods, which in this case are simply integrated into one whole.

But the advantage of applications like Mobogenie is that they are able to emulate the work of Android in a Windows environment or any other OS. In other words, the game or program installed on the mobile device can be launched via the control application directly on the computer or laptop.

Conclusion

As can be seen from all of the above, the problem of how to install applications on Android from a computer is solved quite simply. What to give preference? Installation via the browser from the official service seems to be the most simple, but here you need authorization. Copying the installation file to the device looks more attractive in this respect, but here you need to install permissions and pre-check the distribution for viruses. The use of control utilities to many will also have to taste, but after all, they must first be installed on a PC. So the question of preferences and choice of type of installation remains with the user.