How to Enable Install Unknown Apps on Android (Every Version, 4 Steps)

What changed in Android 8

Before Android 8 the permission was device-wide: one switch under Settings, then Security, called Unknown sources. Android 8 replaced it with a per-app permission called Install unknown apps, granted to whichever application does the installing. The change was a security improvement, because it means a messaging app cannot install software even if a browser is permitted to. It also created the most common support question on any sideloaded install, since a device with an obviously enabled setting can still refuse a file opened from a different app.

Where the setting lives on each platform

The four steps to switch it on

1. 1.Identify the app that will open the file

   Decide in advance whether you will tap the APK from Chrome, from Firefox, or from a file manager. That app, not the phone, is what needs the permission.

2. 2.Open the permission screen

   Use the path for your Android version from the table above. On Android 8 and later the quickest route is to type Install unknown apps into the settings search box.

3. 3.Allow it for that one app

   Turn on the switch for that app only. Leaving other apps disallowed keeps the permission narrow, which is the whole point of the per-app model.

4. 4.Retry the install, then turn it back off

   Install the file, then return to the same screen and switch the permission off. It is only needed while an install is pending.

What this permission does not do

• It does not disable Google Play Protect, which continues to scan sideloaded installs and may still warn you.
• It does not grant an app any runtime permission such as storage or location; those are requested separately at first launch.
• It does not root the device, unlock the bootloader or change the system partition.
• It does not let anyone else install software remotely, because the switch is local to the device and to that app.

Turning it back off afterwards