Have you started receiving gifts for this Easter holidays? Many people are waking up to the great convenience of virtual gift cards to help show appreciation to loved ones.Google Play cards, essentially meant to be used in purchasing items on Google Play app store are especially thoughtful gifts for a host of special occasions.
But the gift idea can be a spectacular failure if the person who is awarded the gift card does not own an Android smartphone or tablet. It would be such an amazing turn of events if such a Google Play card can be redeemed on Amazon.com as well, can’t it?
Can Google Play Card be Used to Purchase Items on Amazon.com?
The simple answer is NO. Amazon does not allow a buyer the option of redeeming Google Play cards for any sort of virtual or tangible consumer products on the online store. But there may be a way to round about this as will be discussed below:
Using Google Play Card Discounts for Amazon Kindle Apps
The only way you can enjoy your Google Play card on some Amazon product is if you get to install some Google Play apps on your Amazon Kindle. For this to happen, you have to enable your Amazon Kindle device to install applications from sources other than the official Amazon App Store. This is known in technical jargon as ‘sideloading’.
Sideloading your Kindle to Accept Google Play Store Apps
Swipe down from the top of the home/ main screen and then choose MORE> DEVICE> ALLOW INSTALLATION of APPLICATIONS – From Unknown Sources. Now turn this option ON. This done, you can now navigate to the location from which you want to install the third party app in question. Specifically for Google Play items you will have to go to the URL www.play.google.com as the Google Play app is not compatible.
Sideloading your Amazon Kindle device does not necessarily put your data at risk provided you only install apps from sources you trust. As a general principle, if the app you are downloading on Google Play has plenty of positive reviews, you can be pretty certain it will not cause any security concerns. Moreover, if you require a gift card to download an app, it is then obvious that the app is not available for free download.
Almost invariably, malicious code is usually attached to apps offered for free.
If you are concerned about the safety of your Kindle device and data, you need to consider only momentary sideloading. As such, it makes sense to offset the permission to install third party apps as soon as you are done. The process of doing this is the same as illustrated except (of course) you turn the option of installing apps from unknown sources off.
Have you recently received a Google Play Card and cannot decide what to do with it. This happens a lot to people who do not have Android devices. It would be an enormous help if you could use the gift card to buy items from Amazon.com but this is not the case. As we have illustrated above, all is not lost if you have no compunctions about sideloading your Amazon Kindle device to accept Google Play store items.
- ordoh
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