With app developers making money in big numbers, more and more are bursting on the scene. In the past, people used very few apps such as Facebook and some gaming apps to their liking. However, as the years have passed by, many organizing and scheduling apps were developed and introduced to the consumers who were a big success. More social networking apps came forward, and today app developers are no longer limited to a particular niche. We can witness that a single developer has introduced both social and gaming apps which have brought them success and profitability. However, it is really important to make sure that you are downloading a quality app and are not buying an app if its alternative exists for free.
There are many other things that you need to consider while downloading apps from the app store. First, it is important that you download the app from a trusted source. Downloading the game from the untrusted source may be a big risk. You can welcome a malware attack; viruses, and it can affect your operating system. Secondly, don’t end up spending your money for an app if the alternative for the same app is available for free. One can give an argument that the paid apps come with more features and privileges; most of the times the developers have overpriced their apps. Hence, if you do want an app that has many features; it would be better to get recommendations from friends or from discussion forums. This would definitely minimize the risk of you spending a lot.
To avoid any risk, here’s how you can download quality and reliable apps from Android:
Read reviews
One of the good ways of downloading an app from the app store is to read reviews of other downloaders. Especially when you plan on buying a paid version of an app and are unsure whether what features would it provide, reading the reviews under the app description or over the internet can help you make your decision. For instance, by reading positive AirG reviews, one might be persuaded in buying or downloading their apps. One argument of reading reviews is that they can’t be fully reliable. Most people say that the reviews are paid to comment good things about an app, and thus one can not rely on them. However, it is more like that all the reviews would be five starts; If they are, it means that the reviews are fake. More often than not, the reviews would be more sizeable in numbers.
Avoiding third-party sources
If you are fine apps that are not in the google play store, then you might be inviting trouble. The biggest risk is being infected with malware. App stores like GetJar and Amazon Appstore might catch the attention of many users, but at the end of the day, they can’t be trusted. You would come across many smartphone users that their devices are infected with viruses, and the device has slowed down as well. The primary reason that they face such an issue is that either the phone is affected by viruses or malware attack. It is more advised to download apps from Google Play Store because these app stores have placed security measures through which spammers and hackers, etc. can’t infiltrate your device. By default, Android and iOS operating systems block apps from third-party sources. If you still receive app recommendations from the third party, you can go to the settings and tap off the unknown sources. In this way, you would not be confused if the app is from a third-party source or not. Mostly, new smartphone users tend to make this mistake.
Learn about the app developer
Instead of acting hastily and downloading the app from any developer, it would take 5-10 minutes of your time to learn about the developer. It is always preferable to download apps from a well-renowned developer. You can find the developer’s name under the app’s name. You can search more about the developer through google and check to see if they have developed other apps before too. If they have, it’s more likely that the developer can be trustworthy. You can also find much other useful information about the developer. For example, what kind of market testing did the developer adopt? The test procedures used, if the security parameters are fulfilled (user’s personal data and the information is handled securely), and if the app does well on the functionality aspect, etc. If you can even find 2-3 quality checks regarding the developer; you would be less likely to download an app that has low quality.
App publishing date
By making sure that you check on the publishing date, you can avoid downloading a fake app. Mostly, the trusted apps come up with regular updates with fixes for app crashes or any errors. You can check on the ‘updated on’ date and will be able to learn that this is a trusted and frequently used app. You can find this information by tapping ‘Read More’ on any app page. If you come across an app that was published only a few months back, it is a high possibility that it’s a fake one.
Check App permissions
Checking and setting app permissions would solve all your reliability concerns about apps. Very often, apps ask you for access to media files, contacts, and other personal information post-installation. Always check on suspicious permissions from apps. For example, ‘Instagram’ would obviously need your permission to access your photos, but if some gaming app such as ‘Subway Surfers’ asks for similar permission, then it might be a malware attack, virus attack or even a hacker trying to use your personal data. If you want to check app permissions before you install an app, you can easily follow the simple method. Simply go to the bottom of the Google Play page and tap permission details which fall under the developer section.
