For some weird reason, Some android phones do not have Gapps [Google Apps] installed on them. Yuh! I am talking about the “Chinese phones”. One can make do with these 3rd party app hosting sites to get your fill of applications [apk’s], including the ones you’ve got to pay for and yet do not want to. I am in no way by this post pointing to you the dark path, always stay in the light, stray NOT into the path of illegal downloads.
I was recently challenged to bring Googlyness [install the google range of products] to an android phone of “Chinese” origins, and being in IT “supposed perception of being the go-to-guy for everything techy” the pressure not to disappoint was high. Eye over shoulder, breath down neck kinda pressure.
So yeah, I weighed my options. Best would have been to format and install a new rom. Luckily this was an OPPO, which had a lot going for it- rom wise, downside this guy had a lot of pictures, numbering in the 12 of 1000’s, yes I mean 12000+ and with no google account baked in to already backup these to photo’s. I had to do this manually…which I was so not inclined to do.
Next option was to install the Gapps packages individually, for which support has come a long way. However, all the packages I could find were just not working. Until …
Until I stumbled on : The Google Installer
As the name suggests, this will literally install Google unto your Chinese phone!
So, for posterity sake, and the fact that post I have written have helped me months after I wrote them, I decided to publish this post as well as host a version of this wonderful application. Find link below! Peace
The Google Installer