Sansung Galaxy S2 - downloading from Android Market (with a USB cable)

[missionimpossible]

I have a Sansung Galaxy S2 and do not have ADSL at home and no acess to Wi-Fi at work. When downloading from Android Market, the only option you have to download app's is via your phone's data. If you surf on the web (using your notebook), it literally does not allow you to download app's to your phone. It almost seems like you're forced to use your phone's 3G to bring down an app.

Has anyone figured out how to download an app using a notebook/PC, then copying the app over to your phone via the USB cable? I see that Android Market does not allow you to download locally.

I'm blonde with this one, I have googled this to death and there does not seem to be definitive answers out there.

 

[Thamza]

It looks like it is impossible to download from Android Market without using your phone's data; unless of course you want to download apk files from a trusted source and then transfer to your phone later. If you do decide to get apk setup files then, remember to scan them with "Virus Total".

 

[Shake&Bake]

It looks like it is impossible to download from Android Market without using your phone's data; unless of course you want to download apk files from a trusted source and then transfer to your phone later. If you do decide to get apk setup files then, remember to scan them with "Virus Total".

That ^

Even when using the PC to install apps to your phone, it goes OTA via 3G.

 

[missionimpossible]

It looks like it is impossible to download from Android Market without using your phone's data; unless of course you want to download apk files from a trusted source and then transfer to your phone later. If you do decide to get apk setup files then, remember to scan them with "Virus Total".

thanks for confirming this, for a few seconds I thought i was either blonde or missing something.

this sounds like some serious collaboration between Android Market and cellphone providers forcing you to use data from your phone rather than 'freely' avaialble bandwidth...

 

[HapticSimian]

thanks for confirming this, for a few seconds I thought i was either blonde or missing something.

this sounds like some serious collaboration between Android Market and cellphone providers forcing you to use data from your phone rather than 'freely' avaialble bandwidth...

Nah, keep 2 things in mind:

1. You can download from the market via WiFi. Well, YOU can't but the option's there.
2. Most of the rest of the world would laugh at our mobile data situation.

 

[Elimentals]

To download to PC and install on the phone afterwords will bypass the piracy check of Android applications as it keeps a record of legal apps in the Android Market Application

So the only way to do it, is to pirate.

Also if they did not use that system and opted for a iOS approach we would not have had the feature I love the most. Browse the Website via a PC and if you see something you like click install, pick phone and done. The app then installs with no action needed on the phone.

So your only options would be,

• Get a wifi or
• Visit friend/internet caffee with Wifi or
• Visit some place like apk top or ipmart and hope for the best.

PS If you pirate dont blame Android if your phone starts having some odd behavior or if it dials/sms some strange numbers in the background, let alone getting more spam than usual

 

[NielJoubert]

http://www.androidpolice.com/2012/02/25/download-apks-directly-from-the-web-market-to-your-computer-with-the-apk-downloader-extension-for-google-chrome/

Stole this from Elimentals' thread

 

[S1ght]

Another option is a program called Connectify. If your work laptop has wifi, connectify turns your laptop into a Wifi hotspot to share the internet...I dunno how your work would feel about that but it's an option

 

[CranialBlaze]

Another option is a program called Connectify. If your work laptop has wifi, connectify turns your laptop into a Wifi hotspot to share the internet...I dunno how your work would feel about that but it's an option

Conectify does not work, it essentially sets up an adhoc which androids do not support.
Pirating or the androidpolice link are the only options if wifi is not an option.

HapticSimian is very rite, the rest f the world would consider this a major joke as wifi hotspots are a plenty in many countries especially America and major European cities. Even stellenbosch has setup wifi that covers the entire city/are (however you refer to it) which is free, also recently posted in one of myBB's articles was the mention of free wifi been rolled out country wide starting with the township areas, I think it was by 2015 they hopped to have the roll-out complete, cant remember.

 

[Vulk]

Honestly, I think your best solution here is simply to buy a WiFi router. You can buy a Wireless N router for around R600 at Makro these days. Every single smartphone, tablet, and laptop on the market these days has WiFi. And many other devices too: e-readers, gaming consoles, desktop PCs, printers, digital photo frames, etc. You will absolutely find many uses for it. And the wireless router will probably pay for itself in six months or so just from the reduced 3G usage on your smartphone alone.