If you have an Android device that Netflix doesn’t support, you can check out the Play Store and it just won’t be there. But just because you can’t download it through official means doesn’t mean you have to live without Netflix because there is a way to load it manually.
Netflix supports a wide variety of Android devices, but not all, because there are too many to give the official green light. So what they do is check if your phone is Play Store certified, and if not for some reason, they will hide it from you on the official Android App Store. Fortunately for you, however, the side loading process of the Netflix app is quite simple and can be done on virtually any Android device that supports Android 5 and above.
Step 1: Download APKMirror Installer
Without going into the bloody details, suffice it to say that Netflix is not quite like other apps. It’s a split APK, or set of apps, so you can’t just download it, open it, then hit “Install” like other downloaded apps.
Instead, you’ll first need to install an app called APKMirror Installer from the Play Store. APKMirror has created a specific file format (.apkm) to manage application bundles, which is why side loading of Netflix was not possible in the past. It merges the basic APK and the separate resources required for the application into one file. Click on the link below when you are ready.
You should note that the application is still in “early access”, which means that it is an ongoing project as we speak. As such, they’re pretty heavy on the ads right now, so it’s something to be aware of when you’re using them. Hopefully this will change or decrease in the future once the final version is released.
Step 2: Download the Netflix app
Now that the APKMirror Installer is installed on your device, you need to download the Netflix app for Android. As mentioned above, bundled versions of applications using this method have a new file extension “.apkm”. You should note that all .apkm files have the basic APK file that most of us are familiar with as well as its application resources merged into one file. It makes things a lot easier in the long run.
Step 3: install the Netflix app
Open APKMirror Installer on the main screen, tap “Browse Files”, then tap “Allow” to grant the required storage permission. Now you should be seated on the main file selection screen, which should display all the default APK and APKM files via your “Download” folder. Locate the .apkm file for the Netflix app, tap it once, then tap the “Install Package” button to continue.
He will open the file to prepare it; you will then be able to see a preview of what will be installed. If desired, you can even choose specific files or language packs to install. However, it will automatically generate everything you need based on information from your device. It’s best to leave everything alone and press the “Watch the ad and install the application” button to start installing Netflix.
Before starting, it will ask you to grant the required authorization for the installation of “Unknown sources”, which is a common feature implemented for security measures. Toggle the “Allow from this source” switch to the on position, and then press the back arrow to return to the installation screen.
If necessary, press the “Watch the ad and install the application” button again. Now prepare to watch a 30-second non-skippable video ad before continuing from here. Once the video has finished playing, press the “X” button in the upper corner to continue.
Now it will start preparing the files, and when prompted, press “Install” to start. Once done, you can either press “Open Application” to open Netflix immediately, or “Close” to return to the previous installation screen. Everything is ready! Now you can use the Netflix Android app like everyone else with a supported device. Who needs restrictions, right?
You should note that you’ll have to do this side loading method every time there is an app update, but it’s not that bad considering what you gain from it all. You couldn’t use Netflix before, but now you can, which is definitely worth it.
Final note
When you use APKMirror Installer to install APKM files, you can also open the files directly after downloading them from your browser. Once you open the file from the browser with APKMirror Installer, it will immediately go to the “Watch the ad and install the application” section, so it’s handy to keep apps up to date with minimal effort.