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Pixette for Android devices without Google Play

Some Android devices have no app store: digital photo frames and commercial displays without Google services. For those, I publish Pixette as an APK file you install yourself.

Download the APK

Newest version · Android 7.0 or later · about 120 MB

One file for every device: arm64, armv7 and x86_64. Open this page on the device itself, or copy the file over from a computer.

Every version on GitHub

Is the APK the right choice?

No Google Play: use the APK

Digital photo frames such as the Lenovo Smart Frame, and commercial all-in-one Android displays that ship without Google services. If the device lets you install apps but has no app store, this page is for you.

Download the APK

Google Play: install from Play

Phones, tablets, Android TV and Google TV with the Play Store should install Pixette from Google Play. That copy updates itself.

Get it on Google Play

Fire TV: Amazon Appstore

On Fire TV, install Pixette from the Amazon Appstore.

Get it on Amazon Appstore

Install it in four steps

The usual way: download the APK with the device's own browser.

Uninstall any other copy first

If Pixette is already installed from Google Play or from an APK mirror site, uninstall it before you install this APK. Android refuses to install one over the other, because they are signed differently. Uninstall it in the device's Settings > Apps > Pixette > Uninstall. Uninstalling removes that copy's settings.

  1. On the device, open the web browser and go to pixette.app/apk. The download starts by itself. If the browser warns about the file type, confirm the download.

  2. Open the downloaded file, from the browser's downloads or from the file manager.

  3. If Android blocks the install, allow installing from that app.

  4. Choose Install, then Open. Pixette starts like any other app, and you connect it to your NAS or photo server.

Can't find the setting?

On Android 8 and later, the prompt has a Settings button that opens the switch directly: turn on Allow from this source (Install unknown apps, under Special app access in the Apps settings). On Android 7, turn on Unknown sources under Settings > Security.

Menus and their names differ between devices and firmware versions: on Android 12 and later, Special app access is under Settings > Apps; on Android 8 to 11 it is usually under Apps & notifications > Advanced. If you can't find the setting, search Settings for "unknown apps" or "unknown sources".

No browser on the device?

From a USB stick or SD card

Download the APK on a computer, copy it to a USB stick or SD card, plug that into the device and open the file with its file manager. Then continue with steps 3 and 4.

From a computer with adb

For advanced users

For frames with no browser and no file manager, this is the way. Turn on USB debugging on the device: in Settings > About, tap Build number seven times, then turn on USB debugging in Developer options (menus vary). Get adb from Android SDK Platform-Tools (developer.android.com/tools/releases/platform-tools), connect the device and run: 

adb install -r pixette.apk

Updating

The APK does not update itself. For a new version, download it again from pixette.app/apk and install it over the one you have. Your settings and connections stay.

To see which version you have, open Settings in Pixette: the version is shown at the bottom. Every version is listed on GitHub, and each release page shows the SHA-256 checksum of its file.

Download the newest APK Every version on GitHub

Premium without an app store

The free version works as usual. Without Google Play there is no store to pay through, so the app offers Premium on the web instead, paid on your phone: 7.99 USD per year, renewed every year until you cancel. Taxes may apply at checkout. Cancelling stops the renewal, and Premium stays active until the end of the year you paid for.

  • 7.99 USD per year
  • Paid on your phone
  • Cancel anytime

  1. In Pixette, open the Premium screen in Settings and choose Buy on the web.

  2. The device shows a QR code and a purchase code like PX-7K3M-Q9TB-2WHD. Scan the QR code with your phone and pay there.

  3. Within seconds, the device unlocks Premium by itself.

Keep the purchase code. After reinstalling Pixette, choose Already bought? Enter your purchase code, and Premium comes back. While Premium is active, the code is shown on the Premium screen.

Payment and cancelling

Payment is handled by Paddle.com, the merchant of record: Paddle sends the receipt and the invoice and takes care of VAT. To cancel, use the link in Paddle's receipt email, or go to paddle.net.

What Premium includes Terms for web purchases Refunds and cancelling

What is different

  • Face-aware cropping (face centering) needs Google Play services, so it is off on these devices. Everything else works.

  • No automatic updates: download new versions yourself.

Questions about the APK

Pixette closes after a few seconds with "Something went wrong. Please ensure Google Play is enabled on your device". Why?
That copy came from Google Play or from an APK mirror site, and it checks that Google Play installed it. Uninstall it, then install the APK from pixette.app/apk, which works without Google Play.
Android says the app is not installed, or that it conflicts with an existing package.
Another copy of Pixette is already installed, from Google Play or a mirror site, and it is signed differently. Uninstall it first, then install the APK again. Uninstalling removes that copy's settings.
I lost my purchase code. What now?
Email [email protected] with the email address you paid with, and I'll look it up for you. While Premium is active on a device, the code is also shown on its Premium screen.
Is the APK safe? Where does it come from?
I build and sign it myself and publish it on GitHub, at github.com/Pixette/pixette-android. It is the same app as on Google Play. GitHub shows the SHA-256 checksum of each file on the release page, so you can check that your download matches.
Can I use the APK on a phone or TV that has Google Play?
Install from Google Play there. The APK installs, but on a device with the Play Store, Premium cannot be bought in it: the app then bills through Google Play, which refuses this differently signed copy. The Play copy also updates itself. On Fire TV, use the Amazon Appstore.

Questions about installing?

Email me at [email protected]. Looking for hardware? These guides list Android displays and frames that run Pixette.

[email protected] Android displays as photo frames Photo frame guide