While looking to install an app or game from the Google Play Store, you may have come across a notification (such as in the image) informing that your device isn’t compatible with that app.
While it was the case for the device I was testing on (because it’s an old device), more often it could be because of a restriction employed by the developer. Android developers can restrict their apps to certain devices, countries, and minimum versions of Android.
If you’ve got your mind set on trying it, there’s an app called Market Helper that allows you to spoof your device so that Play Store sees it as as another device entirely. This will allow you to install apps that are marked as compatible with the other device.
Note: Market Helper requires root access, but is safe to use as no permanent changes are made to the device.
How to use Market Helper
Download and install the app. It isn’t available in Google Play for obvious reasons, so you’ll have to grab it from the developer’s website.
Once it’s installed, open the app and choose a device and location to emulate that you know is compatible with the app. After making your selections, click on the Activate button.
To finish the setup you will need to go to Play Store and refresh your devices page. That’s all.
You should now be able to install the app from your device or from the website. After a successful install, the app will become linked to your account, allowing you to install easily again without requiring any tricks in the future, which is handy for country-restricted ones.
When you’re done, simply restart your device or head back into Market Helper to restore original settings.
Tips
- If you don’t see the desired app in the Android app, try clearing the Play Store app’s data to make it detect your device’s new settings. To do so, navigate to Android Settings > Application manager > Swipe over to the All list > Scroll and find Google Play Store app. Then stop the app and clear its data and cache.
- Once your new device information is detected, you can also install the app from Google Play website.