How to Navigate and Use Google Play in a Web Browser?

Android apps have created a big buzz, big enough that as of July 2013, more than 50 billion apps have got downloaded from Google Play – the online Google app store. As we all know, Google Play is the digital distribution platform from where applications and other content for the Android operating system (OS) can be downloaded. It was initially released on 23rd October 2008 by the name of Android Market, then on March 6, 2012 referring to the merging of Android Market and Google Music, it got renamed as Google Play.

Since its launch, it has been put into constant upgrades to provide the Android fans a better accessibility to the Android apps. The Google Play mobile app is the handiest tool that facilitates the easy viewing of the published apps, its selection and the final downloading. Android apps and other Google content like movies, books, etc can be now deployed to an Android device also from the Google Play website. Therefore, users now have two platforms for accessing their favorite Android apps. If one is not comfortable with the interface of the Play Store mobile app, then he can make use of his regular web browser to navigate into the website, which offers a wonderful and very user friendly interface. Navigating and using Google Play in a web browser is a smooth experience as it facilitates easy scanning of the published apps and also the quick installation or purchasing.

Moreover, even if you are not an Android device owner, yet you can go to the site of Google Play and shop for books, movies and Android devices. All you need is to log-in with a Google Account and get your Google wallet registered.

Understanding the Google Play Website Interface

To use Google Play on a particular Android device, first you need to register your device with a Google account associated with a Gmail address. For registration, perform the following steps:

• Go to your device's main Settings menu
• Under "Accounts", select ‘Add Account’
• From the list, select ‘Google’
• Here, you can add an existing Google Account or create a new Account
• Follow the instructions on your device to get the account added
• Now, go to your web browser and type https://play.google.com/
• Now enter the site
• Once, your device gets registered to a Google Account, you can install or purchase any app, just remember to feed the same Google Account while you do the purchasing of a paid App.

Finding Apps and Contents over Google Play in a Web Browser

Google Play Website can be considered as a shop that showcases the Android apps and other types of content that can be consumed on Android devices. After entering the site, towards the upper left hand side, you can see the following categories through which the apps are made available:

• Store: It includes everything published on the website.
• Apps: This category showcases the applications
• Movies: Here you get the movies that you can download and watch offline as well
• Books: This category includes books that can be read offline as well
• Devices: Here, you can shop for the Google devices like Nexus phones, Chromebook etc.

Except ‘Store,’ if you click into any category viz ‘Apps,’ ‘Books,’ ‘Movies’ and ‘Devices,’ you will see a menu bar that will appear at the top of the page reflecting three tabs: ‘Genres/Categories,’ ‘Home,’ ‘Top Charts’ and ‘New Releases.’ Click on the ‘Categories’ tab, which is specific to the ‘Apps’ section only. To get a drop menu with 42 sub categories under which the wide collection of apps have been categorized for the easy identification by the users.

Some of the sub categories include Photography, Entertainment, Lifestyle, Fitness, Games, etc. Hence, if you are looking for a Photography app, simply click on ‘Photography’ option of the drop menu under ‘Categories.’ If you are interested in knowing what is new in Play store, then click on ‘New releases.’

On the basis of above discussion you can now understand that finding any app or other content in the Play store is not at all clumsy or time consuming. All you need to know is what kind of app you are looking for and then you can simply navigate to it by selecting the right Store and then the right sub category. Moreover, if you already know the name of the App, Movie or book you are looking for, then there is a Search bar for your help. However, if you don’t have any particular app in your mind, then you can simply browse through the ‘Store’ and check out the newly published apps.

Installing Apps from Google Play in a Web Browser

After deciding about which app you want to install (for free apps) or buy (for paid apps), you have to go through some simple clicks and it will be done conveniently.

Click on any app that interests you. This will open the individual page for that app. This individual page is divided into 5 sections.

The first section will have a big green ‘Install’ (for free apps) or ‘Buy’ (for paid apps) button. If it’s paid software, the price will also appear near this green button. Just below that button there is hyperlinked notice statement explaining whether the software is compatible with any of your registered devices. Just click on this sentence and it will bring up the list of your registered devices that support that app. Here you can check if your device will support the software or not.

If it supports, then click on the ‘Install/Buy’ button. If it’s a paid app then you will be prompted to the payment gateway. Before the downloading of the software starts, you will be asked on which device you want the software to get installed. Select the device and then it will automatically get appeared on your device.

The second section gives a brief highlight of the key features of the app. In the third section you can read the rating and reviews of that app, movie, book etc by other users. In the fourth section you get the additional information like when the app got released, how many times it has got installed, etc. The fifth and the final sections, you will be suggested with other similar apps that might interest you.

That is a brief gist on the web interface of Google Play. You can visit the site from a Windows OS also, download the app and then feed it to your Android device. Searching and discovering an app sometimes get easier on a full browser in comparison to a small touch-screen.

About the Author: Hi! I am Brook M. Perry, a prolific blog writer and keen author of articles related to online tablet support and solution for issues related to computers and mobile devices. Being associated with the reputed best pc tuneup service provider Qresolve, I have resolved thousands of tech issues for our customers from worldwide. online laptop supportMy areas of interest are PC security, endpoint security system, router support etc.

Brooke M. Perry is an ardent technician associated with Qresolve computer security, with wide experience of fixing issues with PCs, laptops, tablets and smartphones.