🧩 Install an app safely
Add a new app to your phone, tablet, or computer — and how to know it's the real one.
Which device are you using?
Pick one and the steps below will use the right words for you.
📱 A quick heads-up
This guide is written for phone, tablet, and computer. Choose that device above to follow along — or look at the related guides below for your device.
An app (also called a program) adds something new to your phone, tablet, or computer. Getting apps from one trusted place is what keeps you safe.
🧭 New to this? Start here first
These short guides cover what you need before this one — no rush.
✅ What you need
- A phone, tablet, or computer
- Your app store or account password
Step by step
- Open the App Store (on an iPhone/iPad) or the Play Store (on Android). This is the only place you should get apps. On Windows, open the Microsoft Store; on a Mac, open the App Store. If a program isn't there, only get it from the maker's own official website.
- Tap the Search button and type the name of the app you want. Click the Search box and type the name of the app you want.
- Check it is the real one: look for the correct name, the official maker, and plenty of good reviews.
- Tap Get or Install. Click Get, Install, or Download.
- Confirm with your password, fingerprint, or face if asked. Free apps will not charge you. Confirm with your password if asked. Free apps will not charge you.
- When it finishes, tap Open — or find the new app on your home screen. When it finishes, click Open — or find the new app in your Start menu (Windows) or Applications folder (Mac).
💡 Helpful tips
- If an app asks for payment you didn't expect, stop and ask someone you trust.
- You never need to install an app because a pop-up or caller told you to. That's a scam.
Sticking to the official app stores — or, on a computer, the maker’s own website — is the simplest safety habit there is. If an app isn’t there, you probably don’t need it.