How to install, sideload, and use the Amazon Appstore for Android on non-rooted Atrix

[Ap0c]

How to install, sideload, and use the Amazon Appstore for Android on non-rooted Atrix


[UPDATED WORKING LINKS on 7/17 - sorry the forum I was using to host some files seemed to croak out. The links work now.]

I was inspired to write this because 1) I love the Amazon Appstore and I just got Plants vs. Zombies and Pacman for free and 2) although these instructions are scattered around various threads, they aren't clearly marked anywhere that I could see in their own dedicated thread. All Atrix users should and can use the Amazon Appstore NOW, rooted or not, and nobody should be missing these great app deals.

This post is for first-time Atrix users who haven't set up the Appstore yet. For rooted users and experienced users, you already know this stuff, hopefully.

First, AT&T is currently stopping the Atrix from installing the Amazon Appstore directly from your phone. They are *hopefully* going to lift this restriction soon with an update, but it hasn't been removed yet. It may be too late for getting awesome apps, though, so everyone needs to get the Appstore now. Despite AT&T, you can install the Appstore now and it won't hurt anything - you just need to use your computer. Here's how.

THINGS YOU NEED
1. You will need your data cable. This is just your power cable with the power brick pulled off. The usb cord plugs into your computer and allows your computer to talk to the phone.

2. You need to install drivers. These are special software, installed on your computer so that your computer knows how to talk the phone's language. These are on the disk that came in the phone's box, but so is a lot of other crappy bloatware programs you don't want to install. Instead, install just the driver. Download the Windows Motorola drivers directly from Motorola here: USB and PC Charging Drivers - Motorola Mobility, Inc. USA Double-click to install. Simple.

3. Get a sideloader program. This is a program for your computer, made by the Android community, that installs apps to your phone. These programs all, under the hood, are using Google's own Android developer tools, specifically a program called adb.exe, to install the programs to your phone. They aren't doing anything dangerous. They just make it simpler and easier and more graphical than doing the installs manually by downloading Google's 90 meg+ whole developer kit and typing commands in the command line. I wrote my own simple program called the Primitive Sideloader, which you can download here, but it is only for Windows. The link for the installer is here:


DOWNLOAD Primitive Sideloader


Download, double-click to install.

There are lots of other options, if that doesn't work, or if you are on Mac OSX or Linux. The Sideload Wonder Machine from AndroidCentral is the most famous probably and has Windows, Mac and Linux versions, get it here: Android Sideload Wonder Machine - Android Forums. Other good options are our own Mikec007's Airsideload with Mac and Windows versions from these forums, which you can get here: Airsideload - Sideload Android Applications on OSX, as well as Android Injector and probably others. Each has a slightly different style of operation and installation requirements, but they all should do about the same thing. Whatever works for you is fine, as long as it installs an .apk file (which is an Android application file, like .exe for Windows). Just ignore any internet instructions you may have read for downloading the SDK or Java JDK or anything else; those are outdated - you don't need to do that anymore, the sideloader program should do it all for you without the massive downloads.

Once these three steps are done...

HOW TO INSTALL THE AMAZON APPSTORE
1. Set up your phone (part 1). Nothing will work until you make these setting changes on your phone. You have to put your phone into a 'debug' mode, which doesn't hurt or change anything other than allowing the sideloader to talk to the phone. On your phone, tap your menu button, tap Settings, tap Applications, tap Development, then tap to check the box next to "USB debugging".

2. Set up your phone (part 2). This is optional, but recommended. It sets your phone so that the internal storage looks like a flash drive to your computer and lets you install programs directly from it. When you are plugged in, pull down the white menubar. Tap USB connection. In the pop up box, tap USB Mass Storage, then 'ok'. If you go into My Computer (windows), after a bit of time, you should see a new removable disk pop up called "MB860" or something like that. If you double-click it, you should see your internal storage area, just as if you had gone into it using the Files app on your phone.

3. Get the Appstore apk. To do this, unplug. It's a good idea to always be UNPLUGGED when downloading apps, because plugging in as a flash drive makes problems for the phone in saving to its own internal storage (because Windows is using it). Always unplug.

To get the Appstore on your phone, click Browser, hit the menu button then type "amazon.com/appstore" as the address. When the page loads, in the top right, you'll see "Get Started" and a place to put in your phone number to request a link. You'll get a text with a link to download. Tap it. If you pull down your menu, you should see a download of "Amazon_Appstore-release.apk". If you click it, it will tell you that it cannot be installed. No problems. Now it's sideloading time!

4. Sideload and install the Appstore apk. This app lets you get other Amazon apps, similar to the regular Market app. But you must install it first. Plug your phone back in to your computer. Open the sideloading program. If you are using Primitive Sideloader, you should see a device serial number pop up, meaning that the phone was detected. Select the .apk file by clicking the open file button, going to the removable drive labeled MB860, then open the "download" folder. You should see the Amazon_Appstore-release.apk file. Select it. Then hit "Install". It will tell you when it worked. You should go into the App Drawer, the center circle button, and see an app called Appstore. This is what you'll hit to get apps from Amazon from now on. That's all the harder sideloading is. See? Easy.

5. Get Appstore Apps! UNPLUG YOUR PHONE BEFORE DOWNLOADING AMAZON APPS. You almost certainly will get errors otherwise, usually saying the SD card is required and isn't available. It isn't talking about a removable SD card. Your internal storage is actually a built-in SD card and if it's plugged into the computer, it isn't available for the phone to use. So unplug first.

So, to get apps, click and launch the Appstore app on your phone. Pick an app, tap it, tap "Get App". This will show an "Install" button, which will download the app, then the black box will come up again telling you it can't install. Don't worry, the app is still downloaded to your phone, and now we have to sideload it. Every app you download you will have to then sideload. It doesn't take long usually, but it is an extra step each time.

6. Sideload your Amazon Apps. Plug the Atrix back into your computer. Open the sideloader program on your computer. Click the select button to explore for apps. Go to the MB860 drive, but this time, you'll need to go to where the Appstore saves these downloads. It is buried kind of deep. From the main MB860 drive, go to and into the following folders. Android / data / com.amazon.venezia / cache. Inside the cache folder, you'll see one or more files representing the apps you downloaded, each named something unhelpful like 'vnz57510.apk' or something. Select one. The Primitive Sideloader reads the apk and tells you what their real name is so you can know what you're installing. Click "Install". If it worked, you are all done!!

Once you get used to it, it isn't too difficult, although as you newbies get braver, you'll want to root, which will let you have the option to sideload without going through the sideloading computer process. Until then, though, enjoy playing pacman for free from the Appstore!!

Final thoughts:

This process shouldn't be necessary. AT&T should never have blocked sideloading. If you aren't on AT&T, you probably can use the Amazon Appstore without trouble, so this post isn't for you. We AT&T customers are the only lucky ones, and hopefully a future update will bring us the option to sideload. Then I'll get this post erased/locked/destroyed, or keep it as evidence of AT&T's unfriendliness. The great thing about Android, though, is that all this sideloading is only possible because of Google's own developer tools, the ability to set the phone to 'debug' mode, and the platform's openness. AT&T can only put up obstacles, but they can't stop you from using your own phone, which is why I love this platform. Freedom FTW.

[Im A Monsta]

Thank you for doing this for the community! Very much appreciated, sir!

The Amazon Appstore is actually pretty cool, and the last two free apps (Plants vs. Zombies & Pac-man) have been freakin' suh'weet.

[Logan.]

Thanks Hopefully we won't need this after the GB update!

[Im A Monsta]

I hope the GB update is tomorrow....

[Logan.]

I hope the GB update is tomorrow....

We can hope! I heard it would be around the end of June and beginning of July.

[Im A Monsta]

Well, it'll probably be at least a few weeks... So I'd say installing Amazon Appstore now, would be beneficial! I mean, that's at least 21 days of free apps you'd be missing out on!

[das8nt]

Awesome guide, Ap0c!

Thanks!

[thekooliest]

I hope the GB update is tomorrow....

Or tonight (and there is onlly 20 minutes left in my tonight)

[Bajjah]

This works great! Excellent job! +1 to you

[DJ Alborz]

thanks for the headsup!