Exploiting the Best of Google Play from your PC

Today's article is dedicated to those who are not well versed with the powers of Google Play. We intend to brief you on some of the basic and advanced options which are available at your disposal and will help you exploit the best of Google Play using your personal computer.Cellular data connectivity can sometimes prove to be a luxury, when you are on the run or when enjoying your vacation in a remote riverside bed & breakfast. With the advancements in technology, even waiting for a few seconds for the download and installation of an app can prove frustrating! Here, we will show you an alternative way to manage your Android device applications and your Google Play account using your personal computer. At times, this may prove to be a more convenient and user friendly option than adjusting your coordinates to search for better cellular connectivity.Using the Internet browser on your PC, go to https://play.google.com/ or just type www.google.com and hit the “Play” Option on the top of the page.

“Play” brings you to the home page of Google Play.

You could either “Sign In” or click on “My Android Apps”. Both the options will take you to your Google Play Login Page. Ensure you login using the same account you had used while registering your Android Device for the first time.

Once you have logged in, it will take you back to Google Play Home page, select “My Android Apps”. The Page shows the Device(s) that is / are registered against the account you have logged in with. You could have multiple Devices configured with the same account, in which case multiple tabs will appear for the different devices along with the apps installed on them. The following screenshot shows 2 Tabs, corresponding to the Micromax & LG Handsets we used for this article. 

The Page shows Apps of 2 different categories -

•       System Apps – These are pre-installed and are required, no changes can be done with these apps, except updating them whenever an update is available.

•             Installed Apps – These are the apps which you have downloaded on the device. These apps can be updated if an update is available or can be uninstalled by clicking the “Bin” Icon next to “Installed” or “Update” button.

If you further scroll down, you can look at Other Apps in my Library. These are apps which you had shown interest in earlier by installing them on your current or a previous device and later uninstalled.

The best part of Google Play is that it keeps a track of all your apps activity. Say, you had an entry level Android Phone with less memory and you recently upgraded to a High End Android Phone, there were few apps that you had installed on the previous device but had to uninstall due to space crunch. On your new device, you can now install those apps. Just browse through “Other Apps in my Library”, select the desired App and Click Install.Another impressive point to note is that you don’t have to worry about how good a cellular connectivity you have at the time of taking this action. Just give a command by choosing the desired action on your PC (like install/uninstall/update) for forget about the rest. The apps will be automatically uninstalled / installed / updated when there is adequate bandwidth available on your cellular network.
If you scroll down further on this page, you will see “My Order & Settings” & “Redeem” Options.

My Order – Shows your installed apps History with details like when was the app installed, if it was free or paid, the status. Should you feel there was an issue related to the installation of an app, especially a paid app select “Report A Problem” and send your feedback.

Settings – Choosing this option will show you the list of devices configured with your current Google Play user account. You can choose to make them visible in the main menu of your “My Android Apps”. The Screen shows the make and model of the device, the Service Provider Carrier Registered and last used on, and option to change the Nick Name of the Device for your understanding.

Redeem - If you ever received Gift Vouchers from Google, you could redeem the points by selecting Redeem, entering the Voucher Code & your postal address. Points cannot be redeemed for a Hardware Purchase.Finally, coming back to Google Play Home page. Select 'Shop' Tab on far top left to browse Google Market for Books or Apps

Let’s Select “Shop Android Apps”

Browse for Top Free, Top Paid, Staff Picked etc…. Once you find something interesting and would like to know more about the app, click on the app icon. For our example, lets select WhatsApp Messenger, one of the commonly used apps.

Google Play checks the compatibility of your device with the policy of the Apps. We have noticed that Google Play will usually not show you Apps in the 'Shop Android Apps' section if they are not compatible with your device. However, to be on a safe side, you can check if the App you are planning to download is compatible with the device you are trying to install it on.
You can go through the Overview tab to have brief understanding of the App, or click “More” for detailed version of the App understanding. User Reviews will give you first hand usage feedback of other users that have downloaded the app and used it. What’s New shows you the initial to current state versions and what changes the app went through during the version upgrades.Finally it’s important to know and understand what features of your device are going to be accessed by the app. Some App explore your “Contacts” to gather user names, email addresses and Phone numbers for their benefits. Some may use your Bluetooth or Camera or may require internet access. Ensure you read the Permissions and Terms & Condition before hitting the “Install” Button.The Left and Right navigation menus of the app page are equally informative.

• On the Left – Google Play provides you feedback on what other apps were explored by users that installed the app you are currently browsing, you could check those out and evaluate the best product for your usage.

• On the Right – Google Play provides you feedback of the App you are exploring. User satisfaction  rating, the Last Update date, No of Installs, Current Version, minimum Android Version are things you will find information on in this section. You can even share the app on Google Plus or Twitter with your friends.

Well, that wraps up our this week's edition on Google Play. Hope you liked the article. Please do let us know how we are doing by posting your comments or joining us on Facebook. Visit us on www.facebook.com/blogadroid