Installing Android apps on Windows Phone - how it works

If you have a Windows Phone, it is not possible to install Android apps directly from the Google Play Store. To still use Android apps on Windows Phone, a detour via PC is required.

Installing Android apps on Windows Phone: The prerequisites

If you own a Windows Phone, the selection of available apps for the device is significantly smaller than for users of an Android or iOS device. In order to still install apps that are only available for Android, but not for Windows, on your Windows Phone, some prerequisites have to be met. For example, you need a connector tool and you have to enable developer mode on your Windows Phone. Additionally, using the Connector tool is currently only possible on some Nokia Lumia models.

How to install Android apps on Windows Phone

To use Android apps on Windows Phone, please download the Connector tool and the ADB tool to your PC. Unzip the Connector tool ZIP file and run the "IpOverUsbInstaller.msi" and "vcredist_x86.exe" files to install it.

1. After that, right-click while holding down the Shift key to open the Windows command prompt in the Connector Tool folder and connect your smartphone to the PC.
2. Now enter the command wconnect.exe usb and the pair code from the developer options in the command prompt.
3. Then go to the installation folder of the ADB tool, open a command prompt window here as well and run the command "adb devices".
4. Your Windows Phone should now be recognized as an Android device and you can copy the APK file of the app into the ADB installation folder and install it in the command prompt with the command "adb install filename.apk".