What does Bluestacks do?īluestacks lets users download content that isn’t native to their OS. Depending on the content that you’re updating, you may have to use a different process. Unfortunately, updating Bluestacks isn’t as straightforward as it could be and depends on versions.

You should then be able to update your app as needed. If you cannot update your app using the above methods, first update Bluestacks. As you depend on an emulator to provide Android functionality, to provide the update functionality, that emulator has to be up to date. There can be an issue with updating apps in Bluestacks but it is easily overcome. Troubleshooting app updates in Bluestacks

Navigate to a newer version of your APK from a trusted source.Īs you can see, when updating an app via APK, you’re essentially installing a fresh copy over the top of the existing one.As Bluestacks plugs into Google with your login, you can update your apps in the same way you would on your phone. It is exactly the same process in Bluestacks as it is on Android. Select Update All or select the app and Update. You can also right-click the APK file and use Open With… and select Bluestacks if you prefer. Launch Bluestacks and select the APK from the My Apps tab.If you know the source, installing is simple. You have to be sure of your source though as the normal security checks that are carried out by Google won’t happen. The only difference is that they are available outside Google Play and don’t use its ecosystem for checks. They contain all the data necessary to install an app onto a device. Installing apps using the APKĪPKs are like installers for Windows. If you know it already, you’re good to go. The Google Play Store works exactly the same in Bluestacks as it does on mobile. Select Google Play from the launcher by selecting the icon. Most will work but you may occasionally have issues as not every app will work in an emulator. As you have logged into Google Play, it makes sense to use that to load your mainstream apps.Īll of the apps you load onto your phone will be available here. You have two options when installing apps in Bluestacks, use Google Play, or use the APK. There’s nothing wrong with setting up a secondary Google account if you want to keep your primary separate though. Without this, Bluestacks cannot work properly so signing in is mandatory.Įven if you’re planning to sideload apps, you will still need to log in. It is necessary to log in with your Google login to get Google Play up and running. Download and install Bluestacks directly from the source.

Update bluestacks android version