[Android Apps and Games] GalaxyA325G:
{Mod edit: Quoted post has been deleted. Oswald Boelcke, Senior Moderator}

I disagree with this user's premise that there are many apps like Skyica App Finder because - in this thread - we're not talking about getting any old Android APK off anywhere we can find it anywhere on the Internet...

In addition, I think, based on what you wrote, that you're confused by the word "Store" in the term "Aurora Store" as it's NOT a store, per se, but simply a "skin" (or a GUI) that searches the official Google Play Store app repository and then it downloads the chosen APK, installs it, and then has the option to not delete that APK after installation (for automatic APK archival).

In other words, the Aurora Store is just a "skin" (or GUI) to the official Google Play Store repository.

The Aurora Store app and the App Finder app are both like web browsers in that they're just a skin (GUI) that interacts with the official Google Play Store repository of apps.

Much like the Firefox & Chrome web browsers are skins (GUIs) that can interact with the official New York Times repository of articles.

Of course, oversimplifying that they're "just a skin" isn't doing them justice as there are good & bad GUIs to the official Google Play Store repository.

The Google Play Store skin is atrocious

The Aurora Store skin is pretty good

The App Finder skin is fantastic!

Given that the important thing is that the apps being searched and installed are coming from the Google Play Store repository, I think we MUST all be clear that there are fundamentally only two types of Android apps and hence there are only two basic types of search engines.

Apps found on the Google Play Store repository

Apps NOT found on the Google Play Store repository

OK. OK.. OK... I know, there are plenty of apps which are found on both of those - but the important point here is the SEARCH ENGINE that is described on this thread finds apps directly off the Google Play Store repository.

I don't know how many search engines search the Google Play Store repository, but the main three that are maintained (AFAIK) are only these (to my knowledge)...

App Finder skin (search engine is great!)

Aurora Store skin (search engine is pretty good)

Google Play Store skin (search engine sucks)

{Mod edit: Quoted post has been deleted. Oswald Boelcke, Senior Moderator}

I doubt I need to stress the fact on this web site that the search capability of the Google Play Store search engine is atrociously barely functional.

To put it bluntly, the Google Play Store search is worse than kindergarten level.

An example that is near and dear to my heart because I strive to install apps that are free of the Google Services Framework (GSF) set of privacy-robbing APIs, is the Google Play Store skin doesn't even tell you if an app has those GSF privacy-robbing APIs built into it - nor can you filter them out of your final search results.

{Mod edit: Quoted post has been deleted. Oswald Boelcke, Senior Moderator}

As far as I know, that App Brain search engine doesn't belong on the list since this thread isn't about searching third-party repositories (as far as I'm aware); nor is it about installing apps from 3rd-party repos.

{Mod edit: Quoted post has been deleted. Oswald Boelcke, Senior Moderator}

Again, this thread (as far as I'm aware) isn't about searching third-party repositories; so the F-Droid search engine doesn't belong in this thread.

Neither does Aurora Droid, which is just a skin that searches the F-Droid app repository.

Note the Aurora Store GUI has a settings checkbox (off by default I think) to search the F-Droid repo at the same time you're searching the Google Play Store repository...

{Mod edit: Quoted post has been deleted. Oswald Boelcke, Senior Moderator}

Again, the Amazon app store search engine is a completely disassociated separate third-party app store, just like the Samsung Galaxy app store is a 3rd-party repo.

If we wanted to list all the third-party repositories, we'd go bonkers as there are billions of them - but this thread (as far as I'm aware) is about searching the Google Play Store repository (and the part I wrote about is a special case regarding installing apps off that Google Play Store repository WITHOUT having a Google Play Store account set up on the phone.

{Mod edit: Quoted post has been deleted. Oswald Boelcke, Senior Moderator}

The developer has been very kind in writing to me on the DM system where I don't wish to bog him down in my issues as my non-rooted T-Mobile Android 12 Galaxy A32-5G phone is set up for privacy so it may be DIFFERENT from most phones out there which have a Google Account set up on them.

Given my phone is set up for privacy, I ask anyone else out there who also has no Google Account set up on their phone if they can simply do this test for me and for everyone?

EDIT ONE DAY LATER... (it's all fixed now! See post #183)...

Install the Aurora Store skin of the Google Play Store repo

You don't need to do this on Android - so you don't need a Google Account to do it as you can download the Aurora Store skin from your PC or phone web browser

GitLab: Releases

AuroraOSS: Downloads

AuroraOSS: Stable

F-Droid: Link

Telegram: Channel

XDA Forum: Thread

Install the App Finder skin of the Google Play Store repo

Again, the developer has been kind enough to allow you to install his app without a Google Account set up on your phone so you can install the App Finder skin using your PC or phone web browser.

(Temporarily?) remove your Google Account on Android (if you have one)

Then... without any Google Account on your phone, please run a search for an app in App Finder to test if you can install the app from the Aurora Store skin from the App Finder skin.