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How to download apps on Huawei phones without the Play Store
Huawei has been doing without the Google Play Store or Services for a few years now. It’s not set to change in the foreseeable future, so Huawei users have to download their apps via other means. Luckily, there are a handful of options, including Huawei’s App Gallery. Today, we’ll show you how to install applications on your Huawei phone without the Play Store.
Related: The Huawei ban explained: A complete timeline and everything you need to know
QUICK ANSWER
To download apps on your Huawei phone without the Google Play Store, use Huawei's App Gallery that comes pre-installed on your phone. You can also use the Huawei Phone Clone service to port apps from a Google Play-enabled device or install an app using its APK file.
JUMP TO KEY SECTIONS
Use Huawei App Gallery
Huawei App Gallery is already installed on your Huawei device. This is Huawei’s application market and the primary way to download apps on your Huawei smartphone.
Open the phone’s app drawer and look for the red bag logo, which will land you on the Featured page.
Search for the app you want by tapping the search bar at the top.
Tap on the list entry of the app you want, open the app page, and tap the blue Install button at the bottom.
Find apps with Huawei Petal Search
Upon opening Petal Search, you’ll see the For you page. Tap the search bar and type the app’s name you’d like to install.
Go to the Apps tab in the search results to narrow the search to just applications. Tap on the app, and you will be re-directed to the Huawei App Gallery or a third-party option. Install the app using the steps mentioned above.
Using Huawei Phone Clone
Find Phone Clone on your Huawei device in the app drawer and open it.
Accept the file storage permissions to allow the phone to transfer and receive data from another device. Select This is a new device to enable the phone to receive data, and you will see an option to pick which platform your separate device is on. Select Other Android device.
Open the Google Play Store and download the Phone Clone app on the other phone. Accept the required permissions and scan the Huawei phone’s QR code with this device. Match the details and tap on Connect.
You will see a list of apps and tools on the device you want to transfer from. Select the apps you want and begin the transfer.
Download a standalone APK
Installing applications via a standalone APK can be daunting. However, it’s often the most effective way to download precisely what you want. There are two ways of going about this — downloading via your phone’s browser or through a Windows PC.
To download using your phone, open the phone’s browser and go to the APK website of your choice, like APK Mirror.
Find the app you want to install and begin the download. You will find the APK file in the phone’s downloads folder.
You can download the APK file on your Windows PC the same way. Plug the Huawei device into the computer with a USB cable and select File transfer on the pop-up menu.
On the computer, find the phone (it should show up as a storage device) and find the downloads folder. Drag and drop the downloaded APK file on your computer to this folder.
After the APK file is on the phone, open the app drawer and find the Files app. Tap Internal storage and select Download. Tap on the APK file and choose Install at the bottom of the screen.
Read more: The best Huawei phones you can buy right now