Last updated: July 24, 2026

How to install Android apps without signing up on Play Store?

Description

Installing Play Store apps on corporate devices is a tedious task for Administrators, as they need to setup the device, sign up with a Google account in Play Store and then install the apps. The other alternative of making the device users install apps is equally tedious, as user may add their personal Google accounts, may not have installed the apps etc., MDM solves this issue by ensuring all the apps are automatically installed after the initial setup of fresh devices, without the need to configure Play Store. Another advantage is, the apps can be installed silently on devices without any user intervention/action. Multiple apps can be seamlessly installed on several devices ensuring all the managed devices have the specified set of apps installed.

Steps

• On the MDM Server, navigate to Admin tab and select Configure AfW, under the section Android for Work Settings.
• Select Register without G Suite and follow the on-screen instructions to configure Android for Work in MDM, using a Google Account. Learn more about configuring AfW without using G Suite here. 
• Now, approve the apps as explained here. On the MDM server, navigate to Device Mgmt and select App Repository. Click on Sync Apps and select Sync Play Store Apps from the dropdown. All the approved apps get added to the app repository. Navigate to Groups & Devices and select the group to which you want to associate the apps. Click on Distribute Apps, add the apps and click on Save Changes to associate it to the selected groups.  
• A corporate Google account is automatically added to the Play Store on all managed devices provisioned as Profile Owner/Device Owner. The user can neither remove this account nor add any account to Play Store. 
• If you want the device user to add additional accounts and/or download apps other than the ones distributed, you need to apply a policy to allow adding user accounts. This can be done by navigating to Device Mgmt on the MDM server and clicking on Profiles. Click on Create Profile and select Android profile from the dropdown. Provide the required details and create the profile. Click on Restrictions and select Miscellaneous.
• Enable the option Add User, which allows the user to add additional accounts on the device, which already has an arbitrary Google account already added. Save and publish the profile. Now distribute the profile to the devices, to ensure additional accounts can be added om the device..

NOTE: The apps can also be installed silently without any user intervention. When selecting the apps to be distributed to the devices, there is an option Silent Installation under Distribution Option. Enable it to install the apps silently on the managed devices.

Frequently asked questions

Do users need to sign into Play Store for apps to install automatically on their device?

No — once Android for Work is configured using "Register without G Suite" with a Google account and apps are approved and distributed from the App Repository, a corporate Google account is added automatically and users can't remove it or add their own account to Play Store.

Can users add their own Google account or install other apps beyond what's distributed?

Only if the admin enables the Add User option under Restrictions > Miscellaneous in an Android profile — this allows the device user to add additional accounts alongside the corporate one.

How are apps installed without any action from the device user?

When distributing an app, enabling the Silent Installation option under Distribution Option installs it on managed devices without any user intervention.