Downloading
Android apps to PC from Google Play Store has never been an easy process.
Google has pretty strict policies in place to prevent users from downloading
apps to any other device or computer that isn’t an Android device. Android does
allow you to sideload an app’s APK file and install from there, but these APKs
are usually hosted on third party site. Raccoon is
a similar application that lets you do the same directly from your desktop. The
Java based application requires your Google Account credentials, and allows you
to download all non-paid apps to your PC without any hassle
Don’t let Raccoon’s simple interface fool you. The program is
fairly powerful at what it does. In order to use this program, you will need
the latest Java Run time version on your computer which you can download from
Java’s official site. Afterwards, you can download Raccoon directly from the
developer’s website. It’s a portable application that’s available in JAR and
EXE variants.
After launching Raccoon,
you’re presented with its barebones window which carries three input fields at
the center: Username, Password and Android ID. You will need a valid Google
Play account and (optionally) an Android ID to get Raccoon up and running. If
you don’t have Android ID you can simply leave this field blank and Raccoon
will automatically create a pseudo ID for you.
After signing in, Raccoon
will enable you to download any kind of app from Play Store that’s linked to
your account region. It doesn’t let you download any paid apps though. To get
started, the first thing you need to do is copy the Play Store link of the app
that you wish to download. For instance, if you want to download Facebook’s
app, open its Play Store page, and then copy the link from the URL bar and
paste it in the Search field of Raccoon. Alternatively, you can also simply
type Facebook and the tool will display relevant suggestions, although the URL
option can be much more convenient.
Raccoon downloads each app to the archive it
creates to a folder from where you run the app. The archive is basically a
download folder that can contain multiple versions of downloaded apps and that
is able to automatically update all contained apps according to the developer.
Here’s a screenshot demonstrating the Facebook app being downloaded to the
archive.
In a nutshell, if you need to download APKS
from Google Play to your computer, then Raccoon is certainly one of the better
options that you have for that.
Disclaimer: Download apps from Google Play at your own risk. Google does not authorize downloading apps from their services other than their own interface. Here is what Google has placed in their terms and conditions online: “You agree not to access Google services by any means other than through the interface that is provided by Google for use in accessing Google services except as specifically authorized in a separate written agreement.”
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