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Play Store Missing From Phone

startac4

startac4

Well-Known Member
In looking at a family member's Samsung J3 Orbit member's phone, I could not find Play Store. I looked in Settings and found that it had been disabled. I enabled it but how do I to get it back to either the Home or APP screen so that I can use it?. And how do I get it to work? I opened it in the Settings -> APPS list then pressed it but nothing happens.

P.S. I just tried holding an empty space on the home screen and brought up the list of widgets, which included apps. Play Store was not there.
 
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How long has it been disabled?
It may be an old version.

Why was it disabled?
Perhaps the owner does not want it to be enabled.
Play Store can be an infuriating piece of crAPP, and it is always one of the first things I disaable on a device.
This prevents Google from downloading tons of undesireable crap in the middle of the night.

Are you looking for apps?
If so, why not try other app stores?

https://www.apkmirror.com/
https://m.apkpure.com/
https://f-droid.org/
https://play.google.com/store?hl=en_US&gl=US
https://en.uptodown.com/

I included the link for Play Store so that you could use it on the web instead of enabling the horrible app.
 
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Thanks everyone. Not a Chinese variant - real Samsung. I'm trying to download Avast Premium onto her phone - she has a license for it - so I have to get to the Play Store.

I'll try to use the URL link. But why doesn't it run when I press the Play Store in the Settings -> Apps list?
 
I used the URL, got a list of areas, keep selecting "Apps" and nothing happens. I press the search bar, type in Avast and still nothing happens. I just have a list of area (entertainment, apps, movies etc.)
 
Avast...
is this the anti-virus thing?

Not useful, and a total waste on Android.
Not to mention that it was Avast (if memory serves) that was involved in some shady crap not very long ago.

Antiviral junk is not needed (no, none of it) on Android.
 
Despite Avast using the information, it is still the anti-virus software of choice of many, if not most, IT professionals, whether on business or personal devices. As Consumer Reports itself says in that article, the protection provided by Avast warrants keeping it, even if one feels uncomfortable with their data collection. And Avast does clearly show what types of data it collects and how to turn that off. As it also does for its AVG subsidiary product.

I use the Premium version on all of my devices (computers/cell phones) and was already aware of the "turn off" options. Good anti-virus software - even if it's only a free version - is always needed as protection on any device that communicates with anything other than itself. The lack of, or circumvention of using, anti-virus software is the first thing looked at when things go strangely wrong on a device as it's the weak link that can allow problems to happen.
 
Nothing changes the dact that any anti virus junk is absolutely worthless on Android.

It does nothing but slow a device down.

In fact,, it is one of the first things I look for when someone tells me that their device is laggy, slow to start, or generally sluggish.

Just because a company claims that the information collection/sharing can 'be turned off', let Google serve as a perfect example as to why this is not to be trusted.

Antivirus apps actually leave your device MORE vulnerable, because of the intimate permissions that you must give away in order for it to 'work'.

At the absolute minimum, if you just cannot stand to be without an app of this sort, then try Sophos.

Not only has it beat all the others in testing, it is also free.

https://security.en.uptodown.com/android
 
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