Last updated: October 13, 2022
You want to download an application from Google Play and you have seen this message: " Your device is not compatible with this version". Nothing more frustrating !.
In fact, this is a limitation imposed by the editors which prevents applications from crashing or malfunctioning on certain devices.
For the proper functioning of applications, publishers develop for specific versions of Android and sometimes screen sizes. And in most cases it's a hardware incompatibility (processor, graphics chip, …) and not an Android version problem.
But if you want to bypass this limitation and install the prohibited application on your supposedly incompatible phone, there is a solution.
3 solutions to install an incompatible Android application
Update your Android mobile
The easiest solution is to start by checking that your Android phone is up to date. This is because if you are using an outdated version of Android, you will have problems installing the latest trendy apps.
If you are not on the latest version of Android, just go to the settings and click the button About the phone.
You will then click on Software update.
Now your phone will check if your Android system is up to date. If it is not, it will suggest that you download the latest version. Otherwise, it shows you that your Android system is up to date.
Once updated, you may be able to access the desired app or game.
Directly download APKs with a Chrome extension
The second solution to download APKs that are not compatible with your phone is to use APK.Tools Downloader
It is an extension for Chrome, which when you go to the Play Store with your computer, you will notice that a download button has been added to the interface of an application.
You can then download the apk then transfer it to your phone.
Note that this is not about hacking apps from the Play Store. It only works with applications that are already available for free.
If APK.Tools Downloader does not work, you can always try to recover the APK file you want from APK Mirror.
Manually change your Android version in the build.prop file
This solution is simple, on the other hand it is necessary that your phone be rooted and you have a file manager like ES File Manager.
- We will first delete the data from the Google play Store by going to Settings -> Apps.
- Choose Google Play Store and click on "Clear data".
- Now open the ES File Manager app and navigate to the directory /system/.
- Edit the build.prop file that is there, remembering to make a backup of this file beforehand.
- Look for the following line: ro.bluid.version.release = Write the version you want.
- Finally, save build.prop and restart your phone.
Congratulation ! You can now install the incompatible application!