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Business News/ Mint-lounge / Features/  On the Amazon trail
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On the Amazon trail

How to get the Amazon Appstore on your BlackBerry 10 phone

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With the BlackBerry OS 10.2.1 update earlier this year, BlackBerry has added the ability to install APK files directly on phones that are compatible—the Q5, Q10, Z10, Z30 and now, the Z3, basically phones running on the BlackBerry 10, or BB10, operating system. The APK file format is the application set-up package for an Android app (just as EXE is for a Windows application) and is needed to install any app.

This prepares the ground for the Amazon Appstore, the additional application store. Users will be able to access over 200,000 apps from this store once BlackBerry goes ahead with its OS 10.3 update later in the year.

It has yet to announce timelines for this update but if you feel you just cannot wait, you can still access the Amazon Appstore.

You could always download an APK file from third-party sources via the Web browser, or transfer these from the PC to the phone’s memory—but you would risk downloading the Android app installer from a malicious website. Here’s a safer, step-by-step guide to accessing the Amazon Appstore on your BB10 phone right away:

What is the Amazon Appstore?

As part of the entire “experience", Amazon has replaced Google’s Play store with its own application store—the Amazon Appstore. The range of apps available on the Amazon store is as massive. So far, however, only Amazon’s Kindle Fire tablets, which run a heavily skinned version of Android, have had access to this.

Android phone users can also install Android Appstore on their phones, but that will not remove the pre-​installed Google Play store.

Getting the Amazon Appstore on a BB phone

To install the Amazon Appstore, visit www.amazon.com/getappstore on your BB10 device. Tap on the download button and then the install button. If you have restricted your phone to just allow installation of apps from BlackBerry World, you may get a prompt at this point to change the settings. Follow the steps on screen, and the installation begins. The download size is about 5.5 MB.

Time to sign in

Once the installation is complete, you will need to sign in with your Amazon account. Just in case you don’t have one, we would recommend creating one. Once the sign-in process is complete, you can start browsing the application store and download the apps you like. One thing to note here is that all the apps may not show up when browsing the Amazon Appstore on the BB10 phone because of compatibility checks.

Installing the Android APK

Once you select an app to download, the APK of the Android app will be downloaded and the installation will start. We noticed a few extra seconds of “processing" delay with some apps at this stage, but nothing that you should not persist with. Along the way, you will have to accept the device permissions that are required for the app to run, and there will be a prompt for that, where you have the option of accepting or declining.

Finding the installed app on the phone

Once installed, even these Android versions will sit alongside the native BlackBerry apps, in the app drawer. Swipe right or left in the app list to figure out where the latest install sits. You can easily move the app around to a spot you may find more convenient—simply tap and hold an app icon for a couple of seconds, and then drag it around.

Some apps may not work

Yes, BlackBerry says that some Android apps will run on BlackBerry 10. But since the OS isn’t Android, the experience may not always be perfect. Also, certain apps will not run. For example, theme-customization apps will not work on BB10. Some Google apps like Hangouts and Gmail may not work smoothly (or work at all) since they require Google Play services’ access, which BB10 obviously does not have.

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Published: 01 Jul 2014, 08:47 PM IST
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