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by JoshTriplett 4438 days ago
This is a bit of a tangent, but does anyone know a reliable way to download and install Android APKs from the Play store for a device that does not have Google Play itself installed (and intentionally does not have a Google account associated with it)?
2 comments
kryptiskt 4438 days ago
If you have access to a rooted Android device with Play, you can pull the APKs out of the /data/app directory with adb. Not all apps are usable this way, they could be locked to a Play account, but I don't think many free apps bother with that.
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parondea 4438 days ago
Is this what you are looking for:

http://apps.evozi.com/apk-downloader/

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JoshTriplett 4438 days ago
That's a web-based version of https://lekensteyn.nl/apk-downloader/ , and according to that site it adds spyware. Considering that the site you linked has pop-up ads for dubious downloads, that seems likely.

In any case, both of those still require having the Android device registered with a Google account.

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footpath 4437 days ago
Thank you for the information. According to the linked XDA discussion:

"Evozi's fork is based on opensource 1.4.x, with tracking code and removes validation for undownloadable APKs as a fix for new play store. Besides this, it also removes the copyright header of background.js, adds more tracking and some textual changes (adding links to his own apps and social accounts)."

http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=44032616&post...

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rahimnathwani 4437 days ago
"In any case, both of those still require having the Android device registered with a Google account."

Not exactly. They require having _an_ Android device registered. As long as you've once registered a device, it will stay associated with your account. It doesn't have to be the same device as the one onto which you want to install the downloaded APK.

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rahimnathwani 4437 days ago
Wow, I had no idea about the spyware. I learned about Evozi from: http://www.labnol.org/internet/download-apk-from-google-play...

That labnol site has some great tips, and is well written, so I trust things I find there.

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unicornporn 4437 days ago
I'm trying to understand what this means. Does it mean that evozi has added spyware to the apks I've downloaded? I've used this to get all the apps that were not in F-droid, so I'm quite concerned.
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