How to fix the “App not installed” error on Android

Android is an open and highly customizable operating system. Therefore we can install any application available on Google Play or other repositories. Now we will teach you how to solve the “Application not installed” error that sometimes appears with APKs external to the official store.

And it is that the error error “Application not installed” will normally appear when we download an app from an external source , either the creator’s website or one of the alternative stores to Google Play .

It is also possible that it appears when we install an app from Google Play, although it is something that does not usually happen, but Google Play Protect may be interfering with the installation of said app and will not let us install it on our mobile.

What is Android Open Source Project or AOSP?

That is, we will have to have activated “unknown origins” in Android to be able to open the external APK, and when we think that everything is ready, we will see the message that indicates “Application not installed”, without giving us any alternative or explanation for the error.

This error is very typical and has been dragging on from previous versions of Android . We will not always be able to solve it, but we will know all the alternatives to achieve it.

Review some basic details

This error may be due to somewhat “obvious” causes that we have overlooked, some easy to avoid, and others more complex. The most common causes are these:

  • The installation APK file could be corrupted, download it again, preferably from another source.
  • Check that you have enough space to install the application (with some extra margin).
  • Install the app on the internal memory and not on the microSD.
  • If your version of Android is old, the application may not support it.
  • If you are updating an app you already have, uninstall the app, restart your device, and try again.

Check the compatibility of your mobile with the app

There are many applications that have different versions , and we must bear in mind that our mobile may have an older or more updated version of Android than the compatibility of the app, also that we may have to update our Android mobile.

This may be affecting us in such a way that the base version of the app is programmed for a different version and our mobile is not able to install it, in this case we will have to wait for the developer to update the application to the Android version of our device .

Install a file explorer

Most Android phones come with a small file explorer, but they are not as effective as ES File Explorer or the Xiaomi My Files app that can be downloaded from Google Play. The objective will be to eliminate the remains of old installations of the app that we are trying to install.

To eliminate the residual files of the app, we will have to follow these steps:

  • Access the file explorer.
  • Find the application folder.
  • In it you will see a folder called “Data” .
  • Delete all the data that you will see in it.

Now you just have to try to reinstall the application again, to see if we have been able to eliminate the “Application not installed” error from our Android mobile.

  • Download File Manager by Xiaomi for Android

Reset app preferences

There is no single solution when the “Application not installed” error appears, but resetting the app preferences can help with this error:

  • Go to Settings on your Android, choose the “Applications” section , and enter the submenu also called “Applications” :
  • You will see the list of installed apps, but you must click on the three points in the upper right and choose “Reset app preferences” in the menu that has been displayed:
  • Keep in mind that this step will remove settings from your apps, including their notifications or energy consumption. You will not lose personal data, but you will have to configure these aspects to your liking again.
  • The final step is to click on “Reset” :
  • Try again with the problematic app, as the “Application not installed” error may no longer appear .

Review the security options of Google Play Protect

Very recently, Google added Google Play Protect to our Android phones, a security system that analyzes each application that we install or that we have installed on our mobile, we must emphasize that it will only analyze those apps that we have installed from Google Play.

The error “Application not installed” may appear when we try to install an app from Google Play, although we have mentioned that it does not usually happen, but it is something we must take into account, then follow these steps to review the privacy settings of Play Protect :

  • Access the system settings.
  • Look for the “Security” option .
  • Now search for “Google Play Protect” .
  • Click on the gear icon .
  • Disable both options and try reinstalling the app again.

Other alternatives

If all this fails, it would be necessary to think that the APK or the operating system could have an error . Neither of the two options are good, but we must consider them:

  • Reset Android: if you really need the app, you can factory reset the device , always making a copy of your data before, which will be lost. Of course, think about whether it is worth it, because it is not guaranteed that the “Application not installed” error will disappear later.
  • Avoid that app: one of the possible reasons for the failure of “Application not installed” is that it has a programming error, and the system rejects it. So look on the Internet if there are complaints from more users, because it may not be convenient for you to use that app.

Now you know how to fix the “Application not installed” error that sometimes occurs on Android . It will always be possible for us, but at least we have exhausted all the possibilities of achieving it.

 

by Abdullah Sam
I’m a teacher, researcher and writer. I write about study subjects to improve the learning of college and university students. I write top Quality study notes Mostly, Tech, Games, Education, And Solutions/Tips and Tricks. I am a person who helps students to acquire knowledge, competence or virtue.

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