How to download paid apps for free
Creating a smartphone application is not easy at all. Creating an application that is pleasing to the eye, useful and perhaps able to simplify users’ lives is even more difficult. The moral is: the work of the developers must always be supported and you must not turn up your nose in front of apps that cost 5 euros, 10 euros or even more.
However, there is nothing wrong with taking advantage of those official promotions that allow you to get access to applications without shelling out a penny. For this reason, I am going to explain how to download paid apps for free. Obviously, I will rely solely and exclusively on methods that developers look favorably on: in fact, I can assure you that the possibilities out there are not lacking, you just need to know how to find them.
If you don’t believe what I just told you, try following the quick instructions below. You will discover the existence of many official promotions, which can allow you to reach your goal without problems, while making the developers “happy” (of course, the purchase at full price would further please the developers, but there are also other methods to monetize ). That said, there is nothing left for me to do, except wish you good reading and good download!
Index
- How to download paid apps for free: Android
- Google Play Pass
- AppSales
- Free paid apps for a limited time
- Amazon AppStore
- HUAWEI AppGallery
- How to download paid apps for free: iOS
- App Store and Apple Store initiatives
- Apple Arcade
- Apps Gone Free
- Sliced app
- How to download paid apps for free on Windows
- How to download paid apps for free on Mac
How to download paid apps for free: Android
Before going into the details of the procedure on how to download paid apps for free on Android, I would like to reiterate that the procedures in this tutorial are based on official methods. To be clear, developers can choose of their own free will to temporarily offer their applications at a discounted price or totally free of charge through the Play Store digital store, as you can read on the official Google support site.
What do they gain from it? Potential visibility and the possibility that users decide to buy other apps, perhaps after seeing the skills of the developers. Furthermore, I remind you that some apps also use ads and in-app purchases to monetize, so you understand that, if carried out in a well-thought-out way, this type of promotion can potentially be “winning” for both developers and end users.
In this context, the solutions that I am going to list for you only serve to help you find which apps have become free. In fact, the Play Store is teeming with applications and therefore finding this type of promotion “by yourself” can be complex. Alternatively, there will also be a way to deal with the possibilities offered by Google itself, for example the Play Pass.
Google Play Pass
The first solution that I want to deal with, even if it cannot be properly defined as a solution for having free apps, is Google Play Pass.
It is in fact a subscription service proposed by Google itself, which costs 4.99 euros/month (29.99 euros/year). Why am I treating this service? Simple: it allows you to download and use hundreds of video games and applications without ads or in-app purchases, among other things supporting the developers properly.
There are games in this subscription that would generally have a single cost. The catalog is constantly updated and there is also the possibility for family group managers to share access with other group members, up to a maximum of 5. To find out more, you can refer to the official Google website.
Either way, you need to know that a one-month free trial is available. The latter potentially allows you to test, without shelling out a penny, the goodness of the Google Play Pass catalog. To activate the free period, just open the Play Store (via the bag icon), press the account icon located at the top right, select the Play Pass option and tap the Start button. After that, you will have to press the Continue button and possibly set a valid payment method (if you have not already done so).
If the service does not convince you during the trial period, you can cancel your subscription at any time. Upon signing up, Google says a reminder will be sent 7 days before the trial ends. In any case, you can proceed with the deactivation from the Subscriptions section of Google Play. For any doubts about it, you can refer to the official Google support portal.
AppSales
If, on the other hand, you intend to go in search of promotions that allow you to download previously paid apps for free, an interesting solution is AppSales.
It is a very simple tool: the app does nothing but keep the Play Store monitored, allowing you to understand what promotions are launched by the developers. In other words, you will no longer have to search “manually” for applications that have become free, but just rely on AppSales. In case you were wondering, the service is free (but contains ads), does not require registration and can be safely used both through the application and through the appropriate official portal (therefore via browser ).
To install the app, just open the Play Store, search for “app sales” , press the app icon (a white sign on a red background) and tap the Install button. Once you have started AppSales, you will have to choose whether or not to allow the processing of data for usage statistics, reports on crashes or advertisements (you can press on Yes, I accept or on No, Thanks: in the latter case the app will continue to work and advertising will also remain, but the latter will not be based on your interests).
At this point, you will access the main screen of the app. Reaching your goal is very simple: just press the Now Free button, present at the bottom left, to monitor the promotions available on the Play Store. To download an app that interests you, just tap on the appropriate box and you will be “taken” directly to the appropriate page of the Play Store. From here you just have to press the Install button.
For the rest, AppSales also allows you to create a sort of watch list through which to monitor the prices of the apps. You can do this by pressing on the List item at the bottom right and tapping the + button. In this way, it is possible to search and select the apps to monitor by pressing on the bookmark icon, in order to promptly take advantage of any price drops or free promotions.
As for the aforementioned official website, in this case you just need to choose the country you want to monitor and reach the page dedicated to applications that have become free. From the latter you can simply press the VIEW ON GOOGLE PLAY button, associated with the app you are interested in, to take a look at the Play Store and proceed with the installation.
Free paid apps for a limited time
A free application (albeit with ads), easy to use and designed solely to achieve the goal you set for yourself is Free paid apps for a limited time (self-explanatory name). Among other things, it is an app created by the same developers of the aforementioned AppSales.
You can download the latter from the Play Store: once opened, the operation is very simple. Just choose whether or not to allow the processing of data (for personalized advertising) and then you will find yourself in front of a screen that “groups” the paid apps that have become free.
To download an app that you consider valid, just tap on the appropriate box: you will then access the relevant page on the Play Store and all you have to do is press the Install button. In short, it’s all very simple and now you know how to download free paid apps for Android.
Amazon AppStore
I know: the main solutions available to download paid apps for free on Android are linked to the Play Store. This means that, if you have a device without Google services, it is unfortunately not possible to take advantage of those promotions. However, you don’t have to give up: in fact, there are third-party stores that sometimes allow you to do this. I refer, for example, to the Amazon AppStore.
In case you didn’t know, the latter is the digital store officially implemented by Amazon on the Fire tablet range. However, it is potentially possible to install and access the store from essentially any Android device. In fact, just connect to the official Amazon portal and press the Download Amazon AppStore button, in order to obtain the appropriate Amazon_App.apk file (you may be asked to press the OK button to complete the download).
After that, just open the APK file and press the INSTALL button (possibly, you may be asked to enable the ability to install apps from unknown sources ). For any doubts about it, you can in any case refer to my tutorial on how to install APK.
Once the app is launched, login with your Amazon account (if you have already done so, just press the Continue button ). In this way, you will access the main screen of the store: from here you can take a look at the available possibilities.
As far as your goal is concerned, you can simply search for promotions manually: sometimes in this digital store you can find good deals, even for free.
HUAWEI AppGallery
Dwelling further on Android devices that do not have the Play Store, another interesting solution is HUAWEI AppGallery, the digital store pre-installed on the devices of the well-known brand.
Android is an operating system that offers a myriad of opportunities and in fact this store can potentially be installed on almost any device. On HUAWEI devices you can therefore already find the appropriate icon on the Home screen or in the app drawer (the page that shows all the apps installed on the device), but on the others you can easily install the store. In fact, just connect to the official Huawei website and press the Download now button, in order to obtain the com.Huawei.app market. [Version] .apk file (you may have to tap on the OK item to continue).
Then just start the APK file and tap on the INSTALL option (possibly enabling the installation from unknown sources ). Once this is done, open the app, first press the NEXT button and then the ACCEPT button and grant all the appropriate permissions by tapping the ALLOW option. This will take you to the main store screen.
Huawei obviously has every interest in “pushing” its store and in fact there are several promotional initiatives available. In this context, you may also find usually paid apps offered for free. In short, you might be interested in keeping an eye on this store too. For more details, you may want to check out my tutorial on how to install apps on HUAWEI.
How to download paid apps for free: iOS
How do you say? Are you looking for paid apps that are now free on your iPhone or iPad? No problem, I’ll explain immediately what you can do. Clearly, also in this case what has already been said above for Android is valid: I will only consider official solutions, well viewed by developers. In fact, I will focus on proposals made by Apple itself, for example Arcade, as well as on apps and services that can allow you to find the available promotions. In fact, you should know that even on the App Store in some cases paid apps are offered totally free.
App Store and Apple Store initiatives
As for the promotions launched by the developers and Apple, you can refer directly to the App Store.
The official digital store pre-installed on the devices of the “bitten apple” often offers apps that are usually paid for free. You can simply search for promotions manually, but in reality, it is good to follow a simple trick.
In fact, in addition to the free promotions launched through the App Store (which later in the guide I will explain how to find without too many problems), you must know that Apple usually gives away applications through the official Apple Store app (and not the App Store ).
Yes, you got it right: the aforementioned app not only allows you to buy brand products, but often also offers free applications that previously were paid. To proceed, all you have to do is start the App Store, search for “apple store”, press the app icon (a blue bag with the Apple logo in white) and tap the GET button, then check your identity via Face ID, Touch ID or Apple ID password.
Once the download and installation are finished, which will take place automatically, open the Apple Store app, press the Continue item, choose whether or not to activate notifications and scroll the main screen to the bottom.
In case there are any free apps or games, you will find them there. Then just follow the instructions that appear on the screen to proceed: generally just press the Free Download button, verify your identity and, if necessary, press the item Use the code (since the apps are redeemed using a special promotional code).
Apple Arcade
Are you particularly interested in games? Then you should know that a solution that allows you to support developers properly and access a vast catalog of high-quality titles at the same time is Apple Arcade.
It is, in fact, a subscription that allows you to access over 180 games that would usually have a single price. Obviously there are no advertisements or in-app purchases, as is the case with Google Play Pass. Of course, even in this case it is not exactly a solution to get apps for free, given that the price is equal to 4.99 euros per month (family use for up to 6 users), but certainly it is a official solution that may interest you to learn more.
In particular, if you are a video game enthusiast, you may want to activate the one-month free trial, so as to try to understand if it is a subscription that is right for you or not. To proceed with the activation of the free period, simply open the App Store (using the appropriate icon on the Home screen ), press the Arcade tab at the bottom right and tap the Try for free button.
Then, just press the Subscribe button and possibly set a valid payment method (if you have not already done so). In any case, Apple itself makes it known that there is no commitment: in case you no longer want to use the service at the end of the trial, you can deactivate the subscription at any time, or rather up to one day before the renewal date. , from Settings> Apple ID.
The service is also included in the Apple One subscription, which with prices starting from 14.95 euros/month with a 30-day free trial allows you to have not only Apple Arcade, but also Apple TV +, Apple Music and 50Gb of iCloud space. Drive.
Apps Gone Free
Can’t find previously paid apps that became free on the App Store? No problem, you can rely on a solution like Apps Gone Free to find them quickly.
Put simply, this app does nothing but find the free promotions available on the App Store for you, avoiding you long manual searches. You can install Apps Gone Free directly from the App Store (it is totally free): once the app is started, choose whether or not to allow the sending of notifications, press the Skip intro item at the bottom right to skip the tutorial and press on the Italy item or on that Manually Select the Store (to change the App Store country).
Then press on English (the only language currently available) and you will access the main screen of the app. At this point, using Apps Gone Free is very simple: just scroll down and take a look at the applications available for free. When you find something that might be right for you, click on the appropriate box and tap on Download from the App Store. By doing so, you will be “sent back” to the appropriate page and just press the GET button, verifying your identity, to proceed with the installation.
For the rest, in case you were wondering, yes: this method works even if you are trying to understand how to download paid apps for free on iPad.
Sliced app
If you don’t want to install anything and are trying to figure out how to download free paid apps on Apple or better how to download free paid apps from the App Store, a service that you might find interesting is App Sliced.
In fact, instead of going for an app capable of finding the free promotions available on Apple’s official digital store (such as the previously described Apps Gone Free ), in this case it is simply a browser. In fact, you just need to connect to the official App Sliced website to quickly find multiple paid apps that have become free.
To download an app, just click on the appropriate box (possibly avoiding the advertisements present) and click on the Download on the App Store button. In this way, you will be “taken” to the appropriate page and just press the GET button and verify your identity. In short, nothing is easier.
How to download paid apps for free on Windows
If you are looking for solutions to download paid apps for free on Windows, I can only advise you to keep an eye on the Microsoft Store promotions.
In fact, I remind you that the latter is accessible, on Windows 10 and later, simply by pressing on the shopping bag icon in the taskbar or in the Start menu. You might therefore think of looking for free promotions manually, as there may be some occasions of that type.
Alternatively, if you are interested in games, I recommend that you consult my tutorials on how to download games for free, as often well-known digital stores such as Steam and the Epic Games Store are used to give away previously paid titles.
In short, there are also interesting possibilities for what concerns Windows.
How to download paid apps for free on Mac
Are you interested in finding previously paid apps that went free for Mac? No problem, I’ll explain immediately what you can do.
In this context, the main advice I can give you is to keep an eye on the Mac App Store, as you may sometimes find from free promotions. However, you may actually want to take a look at the guidance I’ve provided regarding iOS as well. For example, the use of the aforementioned App Sliced could prove to be interesting.
In fact, reaching this page, you can find paid apps that have become free. To download them, just click the Download on the App Store button. You will therefore be “redirected” to the appropriate page of the Mac App Store and just press the GET button first and then the INSTALL button (you may need to verify your identity via the Apple ID password or Touch ID).
In short, now you know a little about all the possibilities available to achieve your goal. As you may have noticed, the official possibilities are certainly not lacking.