GetApps 39.8.5.0: Xiaomi's App Store for Android

GetApps 39.8.5.0 is Xiaomi's application distribution service for Android: an app store that ships on many Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO phones and sits next to Google Play. If it was removed or you want the current build, you can download GetApps for Android from Xiaomi's own sites at no cost.

Specifications

What GetApps does

On a Xiaomi phone GetApps is the manufacturer's storefront. You can browse categories, search for an app, install it and receive updates, much as you would in Google Play. Xiaomi also uses it to deliver updates for its own system apps, which is why removing it completely is not always possible and why the phone may occasionally ask you to update GetApps itself. Many people keep both stores: Google Play for most apps and GetApps for Xiaomi's own tools, themes and regional apps. The store also shows recommendations and promotional banners; some users like the discovery aspect, others find the notifications excessive and turn them down in the settings. On phones from other brands GetApps plays no special role, and Google Play or the maker's own store is the more natural choice.

How to install or update it

1. On a Xiaomi device, look for GetApps in the app drawer first; it is often preinstalled.
2. If an update is offered, run it from inside the app or from the system settings.
3. For help with getting the store back, Xiaomi keeps a support article on GetApps.
4. Avoid APK files of GetApps from random mirrors: a store app has broad install rights, so a modified copy is especially dangerous.

Keeping it under control

• Open GetApps settings and switch off promotional notifications if they bother you.
• Decide which store handles updates for each app; installing the same app from two stores can lead to update conflicts.
• Check app permissions after installing anything new, whichever store it came from.

Xiaomi posts store news in its community; one example is the GetApps update post in the Xiaomi Community.

Is GetApps safe?

GetApps is an official Xiaomi app, and the store checks what it publishes, but no store catches everything. Read reviews, look at the developer name and be careful with apps that ask for SMS, accessibility or device-admin rights without an obvious reason.

Pros and cons

• Pro: official store from the phone's manufacturer.
• Pro: keeps Xiaomi system apps up to date.
• Pro: free.
• Con: promotional notifications and banners.
• Con: of little use on phones from other brands.

Alternatives

The obvious alternative is the Google Play Store. Our listings also include Huawei AppGallery, APKPure, Aptoide, Uptodown App Store and Aurora Store, an open-source client for Google Play.