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Install HOLDSHOT on Android

The app comes as an APK you install yourself rather than from the Play Store. That is a few extra taps the first time and nothing after — this page walks through every one of them, including the security prompts Android shows along the way.

HOLDSHOT is not on the Google Play Store

The Android app is distributed directly from this page as an APK — the installer file Android uses. Searching Play for “HOLDSHOT” will not find it, and any listing there claiming to be this app is not ours.

  • You install it yourself from a file, not from the Play Store.
  • Android has to be told to allow that — step 3 below covers exactly where.
  • There are no automatic updates. New builds are installed the same way.

The Android build is not published yet

The download appears here the moment the current build is released. Nothing else on this page changes — the steps below are the ones you'll follow.

Back to HOLDSHOT

Installing it, step by step

Five minutes, once. Nothing here has to be undone afterwards, though step 3 is worth reversing if you only ever install from Play.

  1. 1

    Check your phone

    HOLDSHOT needs Android 10 or later and Bluetooth LE, which every phone of that vintage has. Around 60 MB of free space covers the app and a few weeks of session history.

  2. 2

    Download the APK

    Tap the download button above. Chrome warns that this type of file can harm your device — it says that for every APK regardless of source. Choose “Download anyway”. The file lands in your Downloads folder.

  3. 3

    Allow your browser to install apps

    This is the step people get stuck on. Android refuses to install anything from outside Google Play until you grant permission to the specific app doing the installing — normally the browser you just downloaded with.

    Settings → Apps → Special app access → Install unknown apps → Chrome → Allow from this source

    • Quicker route: open the downloaded file first. Android shows a “not allowed to install unknown apps from this source” prompt with a Settings button that jumps straight to the right toggle. Turn it on, press Back, and the install continues.
    • Samsung: Settings → Apps → ⋮ → Special access → Install unknown apps. Xiaomi and MIUI: Settings → Privacy protection → Special permissions → Install unknown apps.
    • If you open the .apk from Files or My Files instead of the browser, it is that app which needs the permission.
  4. 4

    Install it

    Open the file from the download notification, or go to Files → Downloads and tap the .apk. Confirm with Install, and give it a few seconds.

  5. 5

    Get past Play Protect

    Google Play Protect scans anything installed from outside the Play Store, and may show “unsafe app blocked” or offer to scan first. Tap More details → Install anyway, or let the scan run. Every app distributed outside Play triggers this — it is a statement about where the file came from, not about what is in it.

  6. 6

    Open it and pair your sensor

    Launch HOLDSHOT and allow the Nearby devices permission — Android will not let the app discover the sensor over Bluetooth without it. Enter the license key from your order email or your dashboard, then pair by serial number.

If something goes wrong

“App not installed”
Almost always an older copy signed with a different key. Uninstall the existing HOLDSHOT and install again — export any sessions you need first, because uninstalling clears local data.
“There was a problem parsing the package”
The download was cut short. Delete the file and download it again on a stable connection, then check the SHA-256 if one is published.
The Install button is greyed out
The install-unknown-apps permission is off for whichever app you opened the file from. Step 3 has the exact path.
Nothing happens when you tap the download notification
The notification has expired. Open Files → Downloads and tap the .apk there instead.
The sensor never appears when pairing
The Nearby devices permission was declined — check Settings → Apps → HOLDSHOT → Permissions. On Android 11 and earlier, Bluetooth scanning also needs Location switched on, not just permitted.

Afterwards

Keeping it updated

There is no automatic update outside the Play Store. Come back to this page, download the newer APK and install it straight over the top — the signing key does not change, so your settings and session history survive. Do not uninstall first.

Hearing about new builds

New releases are announced in Range notes, the newsletter you can subscribe to at the bottom of any page. The version number on this page is always the current one.

Removing it

Settings → Apps → HOLDSHOT → Uninstall. Local sessions are deleted with the app, so export anything you want to keep first. Your license key is unaffected and can be used again on a reinstall.

You need a license key to use the app

The app is free to download, but it pairs to one instrument. Your key arrives by email when your order ships and lives under My devices in your account, alongside the serial number and warranty expiry. If you don't have an instrument yet, HOLDSHOT is here.

Installing on iPhone, iPad or Mac? Those builds are distributed separately — get in touch and we'll send you the right link.