From Newsgroup: comp.mobile.android

PSA: Getting apps from Google Play Store that do not show for your device

There are lots of ways to install an APK that doesn't show up on Google
because your phone is not listed as compatible with the app on the Play
Store, but this is NOT about these well-known methods of installing an app
that the Google Play Store won't even SHOW you because of your device
hardware or software level.

1. It's not about APK mirrors or alternative app stores
(Amazon, F-Droid, Galaxy, APK Mirror, etc.)
2. It's not about sideloading APKs from another phone
(although remember, the APK on Android is NEVER deleted!)
3. It's not about sideloading with ADB with the APK on a PC
(although that allows you to install 'incompatible' APKs)
4. It's not about finding and using an older version either
5. It's not about modifying your device's build.prop
(which needs root to spoof another phone hardware/software)
etc.

It is about getting Google Play to show you the app in the first place!

It is about using Aurora Store to spoof any common device so that the
Google Play Store will think you have a compatible device instead.

Aurora Store is unique for this purpose because...
A. It is a full Google Play Store client
B. Which is open source and widely trusted.
C. It ignores your device's Play Store profile.
D. It queries Google Play repository directly.
E. It logs in anonymously to the Google Play repository
F. It shows you the actual Play Store listing, including apps
hidden from your device.
G. It downloads the official APKs directly from Google.
H. It reveals exactly why an app is not shown (missing features,
device profile, etc.).

In short, Aurora Store lets you see the same Play Store catalog that a different, fully supported device would see. If an app is hidden from your phone because your device profile says "not compatible", Aurora can pretend
to be a Pixel, a Samsung flagship, or another common model. It can pretend
to be any common level of Android API too. You can spoof galore.

Once you spoof your phone & API level, the Play Store listing appears
for that spoofed device, and you can download & install the official APK directly from Google.

Aurora does client-side spoofing, meaning:
a. It tells Google Play "pretend I am a Pixel 7" (for example)
b. Pretend I have API version 33 & ARM64-v8a & a language of Dutch
c. Google Play responds with the catalog that the spoofed phone would see

i. Your phone itself is unchanged
ii. No system files are touched
iii. No root is needed

Download:
<https://gitlab.com/AuroraOSS/AuroraStore/-/releases>
<https://f-droid.org/packages/com.aurora.store/>
Project:
<https://aurorastore.org/>
<https://auroraoss.com/>
Documentation:
<https://auroraoss.gitbook.io/wiki/troubleshooting-and-faqs/faqs/aurora-store>

Note the PC version allows you to browse Google Play from a PC & to
download the APK onto your PC but you need adb to install them from the PC.
<https://aurorastore.org/aurora-store-pc/>
The PC version identifies itself as a generic "no-device" client.

Google Play then responds with whatever catalog it gives to a client that
has no device profile attached, so spoofing with Aurora Store is better.

A quirk of the process is that for older Androids, the PC version may
actually show more APKs than what is shown on the Google Play Store client.

Once the APK is on the PC, you can install on Android many ways.
1. Copy the APK to Android (and install from Android)
2. Use adb to install from the PC to Android over USB or Wi-Fi
C:\> adb install myapp.apk
3. Use scrcpy to slide the file from the PC to the mirror image of Android
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