This app is an open-source application store similar to Play Store. Its name came from the words ‘APT’ (the Debian package manager) and ‘oide’ (the last syllable of Android). It’s a store of stores where users can create and build their own app store that offers every single APK file such as HD wallpapers, your favorite games, and apps you need for your everyday life. The good news is you can install this app to your Android devices for free. Here’s everything you need to know about the app.
Easy-to-grab apps
Aside from its typical data theft and cybersecurity issues, the app is still a reliable marketplace for all Android users.
The app is the third biggest marketplace for Android users with over hundreds of thousands of applications available for download. After installing it, a few slides of the tutorial will appear which will teach you on how to navigate the app and use its unique features. Unlike other similar apps, you aren’t required to sign up to anything before using the app. In fact, if you’re already familiar with Google Play Store, you can just skip right through the tutorial and immediately start browsing your favorite apps (since it is designed to have a similar interface). You can scroll through featured apps displayed as banners, sponsored apps, and categories of specific apps to your heart’s content. You may also want to visit the app reviews by the developers and check out various publishers. If you’re still unable to find what you’re looking for by merely browsing the app, then use the Search Bar and type keywords of the specific app such as its title, publisher, year of publishing, or category.
If you’ve already found the app you’re most interested in or just checking out the latest release, you can read all its specifications by merely clicking the app’s icon. Just below the app’s title, you will see the app’s version and a little green check with the word ‘trusted’ (only if it’s been tested and approved by the management). Trusted stamps are given to the apps that followed the rules and regulations given by the creators. If the app you would like to download doesn’t have a trusted stamp, then it may contain malware and malicious contents and installing it may risk your identity and privacy. It is recommended to install only the apps with trusted stamps.
To know more about the app, you may check the available teaser videos and screenshots and read through the description thoroughly. Although, some of the apps’ descriptions are badly written and/or just copied from other similar marketplaces. Stats such as the number of downloads, app’s size, publisher’s details, likes, and ratings are also displayed. Slide through comments to know the app users’ verdicts, or check out related apps you may also want to try, and read through the advanced technical information about the app to determine if it's compatible to your devices. Just click the Install button then your download manager will pop-up and your preferred app will be downloaded quickly depending on your Internet connection.
More than a copycat
Overall the app is very similar to the Google Play Store, so you probably wouldn't have any issues navigating it. But the app is more than a copycat, it also offers a whole set of unique features for you to explore. You can subscribe to different independent stores that upload different contents that may interest you or not. Update tabs are the pending updates to your already installed apps. You can also choose to downgrade the version of your installed app if you’re not quite happy with the updated one. The app is also integrated with the Facebook app which allows you to scroll through the timeline of applications you haven’t yet installed to your Android device. Although, liking and commenting through this app will not affect your FB account since it works independently and created especially for the app’s user community.
Where can you run this program?
Get the app for free by visiting its official website. You can download the app instantly to your Android devices by clicking the ‘install for free now’ button. Aptoide TV and Aptoide Lite are also available for free installation to your set-top box/smart TVs and low-end devices (with slow Internet connection), respectively. Just go to your Settings menu, and select Security where you can choose to tick Unknown sources, then click Install.
Is there a better alternative?
There are a lot of other available Android marketplaces which you can download and try on your mobile devices for free. The most popular contender of Aptoide is F-Droid. This app compiles and arranges all the file packages available within the app ensuring a high level of security. By doing the selection themselves, malicious and unreliable contents are stopped immediately before it reaches the app users. Although, this process only benefits the well-established apps making the app’s marketplace more restricted compared to its counterparts. While all the titles within the app are free of charge, the app doesn’t allow ad displays and online trackers which is beneficial to your cybersecurity and privacy, as well as, your device’s battery life. However, the app presents all the available apps within its market equally. Since you can’t see ratings, comments, screenshots, and the number of downloads for each app, it may be hard for you to determine whether or not the app/game/software is good or just trash.
The upside is the descriptions are fairly-written by the app’s maintainers showing the lowest possible bias for each app. Overall, Aptoide and F-Droid are very similar to each other. You’ll just have to consider your top priority in selecting the best Google Play Store alternative for your Android phone: is it cybersecurity or wide-scale selection of apps? Your choice.
Our take
Aptoide may not be the safest alternative for Google Play Store, but it has one of the largest user bases up-to-date with more than 120 Million developers and publishers engaging and generating millions of apps available for you to download. The immediate running of a 3-step malware detection process on every APK file submitted by the app’s community is one of the app’s initiatives in addressing online threats and security issues. Although, not all malicious apps are detected and some may still be available in the app’s market. For a more secure transaction, choose only the apps with trusted stamps on its descriptions. Aside from its typical data theft and cybersecurity issues, the app is still a reliable marketplace for all Android users. It still offers premium quality features which you can’t find in similar apps such as its downgrade option and open-partnership program for all aspiring and established e-store owners.
Should you download it?
Download it at your own risk. Google Play Store is still sitting at the top spot and will not go down for another couple of years. It’s not only the best in terms of its service but also with its offered security and reliability to its millions of users around the globe. If Play is available in your Android phone, then you don’t have to risk your online privacy by downloading alternative apps. On the other hand, if your phone doesn’t support Play, you may also check out F-Droid.
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