Where do I get apps? Deprecated

 

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Where do I get apps?

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What's coming up?

Where do you find apps, and how do you get them onto your device? Is the process the same, regardless of the device you use? And are there any apps you should avoid?

In this activity, you'll learn the answer to all those questions.

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The icon for The App Store - the only official source for apps on Apple devices

The App Store (for Apple devices)

On an iPhone or iPad, to get new apps you use the official Apple App Store. The App Store is a computer program itself, or an app, that is already on your iPhone or iPad.

Tapping on the App Store icon (it looks like a large capital A on a blue square) will open the App Store, where you can search for apps by name or category, and see apps recommended by the store.

Google Play (for Android devices)

To get new apps on an Android phone or tablet, you use a program called Play Store which is an app itself, but has already been installed onto your smart device.

Tapping on the Play Store icon (it looks like a very colourful triangle pointing to the right) opens the Play Store app, which connects to Google Play. This is where you can see recommended apps and explore different categories of apps. You can also search for an app by entering its name into a search bar.

The icon for Google Play - the only official source for apps for Android devices

How to search for an iPhone or iPad app

Let's see how to find a game for an iPhone or iPad on the official App Store.

On the next slide, there is a video to show you how to do this.

For Android users, there's another video after this to show you how to do the same thing on an Android phone.

On the next slide, click the play button on the video to watch it. You can also click anywhere on the video to pause or restart it.

Now click Continue to move to the next slide and watch the video.

How to search for an iPhone or iPad app

This demonstration video is approximately 2 minutes and 39 seconds in duration. It demonstrates how to find apps for Apple smart devices. If you don't own an Apple iPhone or iPad, there is an Android version of this video further on in this activity.

Once the video starts, the intro panel fades and we see the screen is split into two parts. On the left-hand side is an animation of a typical iPhone. On the right-hand side, there is text displayed, which is the script for the voiceover track.

Voiceover: "You can get new apps for an iPhone or iPad from the App Store. The App Store is Apple's official online marketplace for apps."

The left-hand panel shows the iPhone's Home screen is displaying an array of colourful app icons. We zoom in to find the App Store icon, and tap on it.

Voiceover: "Tap the App Store icon on the Home screen of your device to get started."

The left-hand panel shows the App Store app open, and we zoom to the bottom of the screen to find the control panel. In the far right corner is the Search icon.

Voiceover: "From the App Store, you can find an app by tapping the Search icon. It looks like a magnifying glass."

The left-hand panel shows the Search icon being tapped, and the onscreen keyboard pops up, ready to start typing in the name of an app. We zoom to the bottom of the keyboard to find the Microphone icon, which is just to the left of the spacebar.

Voiceover: "You can search by tapping the microphone icon on the keyboard and saying the name of the app you want to find. Or, if you prefer, you can search by typing the name of the app into the Search bar using the onscreen keyboard. We are going to search for Spider Solitaire. Tap the Search bar, and start typing in the name of the app."

The left-hand panel shows the first letters of Spider Solitaire being typed into the Search bar. As the letters are typed, helpful suggestions appear underneath the search bar. These suggestions refresh with each letter typed into the Search bar, until a more specific result is presented.

Voiceover: "As you start typing, you will see suggestions appear."

The left-hand panel shows that spider sol has been typed so far, and the right result has appeared in the suggested list. We see the suggested Spider Solitaire link tapped to go to a list of relevant available apps.

Voiceover: "When Spider Solitaire appears in the list, tap it, and it will automatically complete the rest of the typing for you. A list of apps that match your search appears. You will find that there are many different apps of the same type available for you to choose from. The most popular will appear at the top."

The left-hand panel zooms in to get a better look at one of the Spider Solitaire apps available. We see a Download icon next to the name. This means this app is free.

Voiceover: "Most of the apps are free. Free apps have a Get button, or a download icon next to them. The download icon looks like a cloud. Tapping Get or the download icon downloads the app to your iPhone."

The left-hand panel shows the download icon being tapped, and the app starts to download onto the phone.

Voiceover: "A small circle appears, showing the download progress. Once installed, you can tap Open to start the app on your device."

The left-hand panel shows that the free app has been downloaded, and the Open button appears. We then scroll down the list of available apps to find another Spider Solitaire app - this one isn't free however, it costs $7.99.

Voiceover: "Some apps show a dollar amount instead of the cloud icon. This is how much the app costs. To buy the app, tap on the price. A box will appear on the screen, confirming you wish to buy the app and showing your details."

The left-hand panel shows the price being tapped, and a pop-up box appears asking you to confirm you wish to spend $7.99 on the app.

Voiceover: "You will probably have to enter a PIN or use some other type of identification, such as your fingerprint, to authorise the payment and download the app."

Video ends.

How to search for an Android app

Let's see how to find a game on the Google Play and download it onto an Android phone, ready to play.

On the next slide, there is a video to show you how to do this.

On the next slide, click the play button on the video to watch it. You can also click anywhere on the video to pause or restart it.

Now click Continue to move to the next slide and watch the video.

How to search for an Android app

This demonstration video is approximately 2 minutes and 57 seconds in duration. It demonstrates how to find apps for Android smart devices.

Once the video starts, the intro panel fades and we see the screen is split into two parts. On the left-hand side is an animation of a typical Android smartphone, such as a Samsung. On the right-hand side, there is text displayed, which is the script for the voiceover track.

Voiceover: "You can get new apps for an Android phone or tablet from Google Play. Google Play is the official marketplace for Android apps."

The left-hand panel shows the phone's Home screen is displaying an array of colourful app icons. We zoom in to find the Play Store icon, and tap on it.

Voiceover: "Tap the Play Store icon on the Home screen of your device to get started."

The left-hand panel shows Google Play open, and we zoom to the top of the screen to find the Search bar.

Voiceover: "From Google Play, you can find an app by entering its name into the Search bar. To find an app, tap the Search bar."

The left-hand panel shows the Search bar being tapped, and the onscreen keyboard pops up, ready to start typing in the name of an app.

Voiceover: "A keyboard will appear, so you can type in what you are searching for. We are going to start typing Spider Solitaire."

The left-hand panel shows the first letters of Spider Solitaire being typed into the Search bar. As the letters are typed, helpful suggestions appear underneath the search bar. These suggestions refresh with each letter typed into the Search bar, until a more specific result is presented.

Voiceover: "As you start typing, you will see suggestions appear."

The left-hand panel shows that spider sol has been typed so far, and the right result has appeared in the suggested list. We see the suggested Spider Solitaire link tapped to go to a list of relevant available apps.

Voiceover: "When Spider Solitaire appears in the list, tap it, and it will automatically complete the rest of the typing for you. A list of Spider Solitaire apps appears. Scroll down through the list. You will find that there are many different apps of the same type available for you to choose from, the most popular will appear at the top. Tap the Spider Solitaire app that you want."

The left-hand panel shows one of the Spider Solitaire apps being tapped. An app information page opens.

Voiceover: "It will open a product page with more information about the app. If the app is free, tap the Install button to get the app onto your device."

The left-hand panel shows the Install button being tapped, and the app starts to download onto the phone.

Voiceover: "A progress bar will appear, showing the download and installation. Once installed, you can tap Open to start the app on your device. To find more Spider Solitaire apps, tap the Back arrow."

The left-hand panel shows that the free app has been downloaded, and the Open button appears. The Back arrow is tapped, taking us back to the list of available Spider Solitaire apps.

Voiceover: "If the app costs money, the Install button will be replaced with a button showing the price. Tap on it to buy the app. You will need to authorise Google Play to charge your payment method, which might require you to scan your fingerprint or enter a password."

The left-hand panel shows the price being tapped, and a pop-up box appears asking you to confirm you wish to spend $4.19 on the app.

Video ends.

Most apps are free

While most apps are free, some are not. It’s easy to tell which apps you need to pay for, though, and how much they cost.

If an app is free from the App Store or Google Play, it will have an Install, Get or Download button next to it. If an app is not free, the price will display on a button alongside it.

A zoomed-in view of an app that costs money to download
An example of an advertisement that pops up when using free apps

Advertising in apps

Many free apps show advertisements. This is how the app developer earns money from a free app. Some paid apps have the same content as free apps, just without the advertisements.

Ads can appear frequently when you’re using a free app, but it will save you money if you can tolerate them.

To make an ad go away, tap the small cross (x) in the corner. With some apps, the small cross may not appear for a few seconds. To learn more about the ad, you can tap on it.

An icon of a padlock

eSafety tip

The official App Store and Google Play take steps to ensure that apps won’t harm your device or steal your information. However, you still need to be vigilant in checking the publisher details of any app before downloading. For banking apps, you could also visit your bank's own secure website and follow the link to their app from there.

While you can get Android apps from other places, you should not. Those apps could do bad things to your phone and your personal data.

Is it safe to download apps from non-official stores?

Which of the following statements are true? Click on each card to find out!

Yes, all apps are safe, so it doesn't matter where you get them from.

Click to flip

This is false. You should only ever download an app from an official store. Other apps could harm your device or steal your data.

No, it is not. You should only download apps from official stores.

Click to flip

This is correct. Apps downloaded from non-official sources could steal your personal information and/or harm your device.

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Congratulations!

You’ve completed the Where do I get apps? activity. You have learned how to find an app for an Apple and an Android smart device, and to tell which apps are free and which are not. You will also know not to install an app obtained from anywhere other than the two official stores: the App Store or Google Play.

Next up, we'll check out some safety tips in the Being safer with apps activity.