As most of you know by now, Huawei has been banned by the US quite some time ago. The company cannot include Google services on its smartphone, which basically means that they ship without the Google Play Store as well. Huawei does pre-installed its very own HMS services, but you’re getting a different experience. In this article, we’ll show you how to download apps on Huawei phones which ship without the Play Store.
Before we get down to it, do note that there are two ways to get apps. First, you can access ‘AppGallery’, Huawei’s very own app store, and a replacement for the Google Play Store. If you can’t find the app you’re looking for, there’s an alternative way to grab it. You can navigate to the ‘Petal Search’ app, which is also Huawei’s app. There, simply type in the app you’re searching for, and Petal Search will locate it on one of the Android app repositories. That being said, read on to see how to do all this.
How to download apps on Huawei phones via AppGallery
The very first thing you’ll need to do is launch the ‘AppGallery’ application. Once you do that, you’ll notice a search bar in it, at the very top. You can either search for the app you’re interested in, or browse available apps via the options at the bottom. We’ll search for the app in this instance.
Simply tap on the search bar, and a keyboard will appear. Type in the name of the app you’re interested in.
This time around, I opted for “Send Anywhere”, which is a great app for transferring files from and on your Huawei phone. Huawei smartphones without Google Play Services don’t support Nearby Share, and this is a great alternative. As you can see, the app was found in the AppGallery, and you can tap the ‘Install’ button next to it.
Once the app installs, the ‘Install’ button will be replaced with the ‘Open’ button. That’s basically it.
How to download apps on Huawei phones via Petal Search
If an app is not available in the AppGallery, there’s always Petal Search. Locate the app on your phone, and launch it. At the very top, you’ll see the search bar, while in the bottom portion some apps are suggested for you. Let’s search for an app, shall we?
Simply tap the search bar at the top, and the keyboard will appear. Type in the name of the app.
I opted for ‘Slack’, as I know that it’s not available in the AppGallery. Do note that Petal Search can find apps that are available in the AppGallery as well, more on that later. Slack, as you can see, was found in the ‘APK Pure’ repository. You’ll see the ‘Install’ button next to ‘Slack’, tap it.
You will be re-routed to the APK Pure website, though Petal Search will automatically launch app installation if you’ve tapped ‘Install’. All you have to do at this point is tap the ‘Download’ button.
Once the app downloads, you’ll be able to install it manually, as soon as you enable some permissions. APK Pure is a verified app repository, but always be careful when downloading apps.
You don’t have to use both AppGallery & Petal Search
We’ve shown you how to search for apps via both of these applications. The thing is, you don’t have to. You can choose one of them, and be done with it. Why? Well, if you’re searching for an app via AppGallery, and it’s not available, it will suggest apps from Petal Search. If you search for an app via Petal Search, it will show you which apps are available via AppGallery, and which are not. So, you can basically just rely on one of these and you’ll be good to go.
Source: https://www.androidheadlines.com/how-to-download-apps-huawei