An Android application file is commonly referred to as an ‘APK’. These files can easily be identified by their extension ‘.apk’, for example ‘SoloStorm.apk’.

While most APKs are downloaded and installed automatically via the Google Play Store, 3rd party APKs (ones that are not available through the store, such as SoloStorm) must be manually downloaded and installed.

CircuitStorm Installation

CircuitStorm can be automatically installed and updated via the Google Play store.

SoloStorm Installation Options

Installing SoloStorm on your Android device should be a simple process, however security or email issues may require you to take additional steps.

Install from Google Mail Client

If you have a Google Mail (@gmail.com) account configured on your device, then you can tap on the download link in either your purchase or recovery emails to download the SoloStorm APK. Once it has downloaded, you will then be prompted to install the application.

Copy and Install

If your email client does not let you download or install APK files, you can first download the APK to a separate computer and transfer it to your Android device using either a USB cable or a SD card.

Once the APK is copied to your device, use the default file browser application (‘Files’ or ‘My Files’, etc.) to find and open the APK for installation.

Installing on Kindle Fire HD Devices

While SoloStorm will run on a Kindle Fire HD device, installation requires a couple of additional steps.

Installing Google Play Services

In order for SoloStorm to find an email address registered on a Kindle, you must install Google Play Services on the device and then add a Gmail account.

You can follow the instructions on this HowToGeek blog post, but here’s the quick version.

  1. Install the Google Chrome browser on your device. The default browser (silk) will not recognize Android APK files.
  2. Enable the installation of 3rd party apps.
  3. Open this web page using the web browser on your Kindle device.
  4. Download and install the Google Account Manager APK.
  5. Download and install the Google Services Framework APK.
  6. Download and install the Google Play Services APK.
  7. Install the Google Play Store APK.
  8. Open the Google Play Store App and register your Google account on your Kindle. It can take some time for the Play Store to update and become usable, so please be patient.
  9.  Open SoloStorm and enter your unlock code.

You will need to install a modified version of Google Play Services. A quick search online will find what you need to do this.

I Can’t Install the SoloStorm APK!

Android contains some additional security features to ensure that you do not accidentally install 3rd party APKs that have not been verified by Google.

Allow APKs from Unknown Sources

When you attempt to install SoloStorm, Android will prompt you to allow installation of applications from unknown sources (3rd parties). You must allow this in order to install SoloStorm.

Disabled ‘Install’ Button

Newer versions of Android have a security feature that disables the Install button when selection an APK file when the OS detects that an application is installed that filters the image on the screen. This is because developers of these types of applications have been known to change the contents of the screen in order to trick users into downloading malware.

In order to resolve this, you need to uninstall all applications that use the display filtering permission. These are usually blue light filters such as:

  • F.Lux
  • Twilight
  • Blue Shade (default on Kindle Fire devices)

Make sure that you uninstall all such applications before attempting to install SoloStorm.

Please note: It may not be possible to uninstall all blue light filtering applications from your device, given that one may be installed by default from your device manufacturer and can not be removed. If so, please see the installation option below that uses the Android SDK.

If All Else Fails – Use the Android SDK.

If nothing else works, you can use a PC or Mac to install applications using the Android SDK.

Sorry, but this does get technical.

Download the Android SDK

First, download and install Android Studio which will also install the Android SDK on your PC or Mac from the official Android Studio site.

You can verify the SDK installation by opening the application, and selecting Configure->SDK Manager.

Configure Your Android Device

You must enable the Developer Options settings on your device. This is commonly done by opening the Android ‘About Device’ settings and tapping on ‘Build Number’ 5 times. If you have a Kindle Fire, instead tap Serial Number (under Device Options in Settings) 7 times.

Next, make sure that your device does not have a USB cable plugged in to it, then open the Developer Options menu (under general settings) and enable the ‘USB debugging’ option. This will allow the Android SDK on your PC or Mac to communicate with your device.

Lastly, update the Security settings to allow APKs from unknown sources to be installed (see above).

Use ADB to Install SoloStorm

  • Download the SoloStorm APK to a directory on your computer.
  • Plug your Android device into your computer.
  • Unlock your device screen.
  • Open a shell or command prompt on your computer.

Using the shell, navigate to the Downloads directory (or wherever you downloaded the SoloStorm APK to). On a Mac, this is usually:

cd ~/Downloads

Install the APK using the command:

adb install -r SoloStorm-[version_number].apk

Replace [version_number] above with the version that you downloaded.

Note that if you receive an error stating ‘adb: not found’, or something similar, then try (Mac specific):

~/Library/Android/sdk/platform-tools/adb install -r SoloStorm-[version_number].apk

SoloStorm should now be installed on your device and can be found under the ‘Apps’ icon.