Installing apps & app stores¶
Immortal's own App Store is the easiest way to add apps — a curated, on-device catalog that installs with a tap. But a Portal is a normal (if unusual) Android device, so you have several ways to get software onto it.
First-gen Portals: read this first
On the original Portal+ and Portal TV the built-in installer dialog is broken until the provisioning kit's overlay fix is applied. Everything below assumes that's done — see First-gen Portals.
1. The Immortal App Store (recommended)¶
Open the App Store tile. The catalog includes media apps (VLC, Jellyfin, AntennaPod), smart -home apps (Home Assistant, Snapcast), utilities (Material Files, Termux), and more. F-Droid entries resolve the latest APK at install time, so they never go stale. Installed apps get an Updates section.
If something you want isn't listed, anyone can submit it.
2. Play-Store apps via Aurora Store¶
Aurora Store installs Play-Store apps (Spotify, etc.) without a Google account. Install Aurora Store from the Immortal App Store, then pick an installer mode:
- First-gen Portal: use Aurora's Shizuku installer (the kit installs Shizuku for you), or its Session installer through the overlay-fixed system dialog. Full walkthrough: First-gen Portals → Play-Store apps via Aurora.
- Newer Portals: the system installer works out of the box — Session is fine; use Shizuku for apps that ship as split APKs.
No Google Play Services
Aurora installs the apps, but the Portal has no Google Play Services and can't get them — apps that depend on Google for sign-in, push, or DRM may be limited or won't run. See Hardware limitations.
3. F-Droid apps¶
Most open-source apps in the Immortal catalog are sourced from F-Droid and install directly — you don't need a separate client. If you want to browse F-Droid yourself, you can sideload the F-Droid client APK (below) like any other app.
4. Sideloading an APK¶
Two built-in entry points handle loose APKs:
- Install with Immortal (
ApkInstallActivity) — open any.apkfrom Chrome or a file manager (e.g. Material Files, in the store) and choose Install with Immortal. - Install an APK (
ApkBrowserActivity) — lists APKs already in your Downloads folder so you can install them without hunting through a file manager.
On a first-gen Portal these go through the now-readable system installer dialog (thanks to the overlay fix). On newer Portals they use the standard dialog directly.
What to expect¶
| Path | Best for | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Immortal App Store | Most apps | Curated, auto-updating, one tap |
| Aurora Store | Play-Store-only apps | No Google account; Shizuku for split APKs |
| F-Droid | Open-source apps | Already resolved by the store |
| Sideload | One-off / your own builds | "Install with Immortal" or the Downloads browser |