Navigating the Android Market is an important part of owning an Android phone. Finding and installing applications are some of the first things you need to master if you want to use your Android device to its full potential.
To find and install applications from the Android Market, you must be logged into a Gmail account on your Android phone. (Do you need help to set up a new Gmail account?) Follow the steps below to navigate to and install an application from the Android Market.
Start by clicking on the Market application icon.
If you have not signed into or created a Gmail account, you will need to create one before you can access the Market. Once you are in the Market, you will see some featured applications, a navigation bar and a magnifying glass.
If you know what application or have a keyword you want to search for, press the magnifying glass.
Tap the text input area then type what you want to search for.
If it is easier, you can use voice search to search the Market.
If you have searched for any applications before, the Market app will show past searches. As you type, possible choices are from the search history.
When you see the displayed results, scroll to the desired application. You may need to try several similar apps to find one that works really well.
In the task killer example, there are over 200 different choices. If you type in cars, there is over 2400.
Second search method
The other way to search is using the navigation tabs. If you search this way you can narrow down applications by category and type. It is a little more exact than searching for a keyword. You will be able to select either Apps or Games by clicking on the appropriate tab.
Apps
Applications in this tab are divided into categories such as Utilities,Comics, Communication, etc. Once you select the category you are looking for you can choose if you want to search applications that cost money, free applications or what has just arrived to the market.
Games
When you select the game tab, you have another navigation bar similar to the application tab. Much like the applications, the games are also separated by category.
Choose if you are looking for free, paid or the newest applications available. Scroll through the list and find something appealing and click on it.
That is a basic run through of navigating the Android Market from your phone. If you need it, here is a walk through on how to install an application.
You will be able to select either Apps or Games
Thank you for your article. I would like to see something on permissions. Some apps like Evernote seems to ask for info which people are not comfortable sharing with, especially after the recent Sony hacks. I wonder if there is a site that screens apps that seem to ask for unnecessary permissions?
I will dig around and see what kind of info I can find. I have had people complain about certain apps that do exactly what they want, but ask for access to parts of the OS that it doesn’t seem like it should need to access.