How to Download and Install the Ghantanew App on Your Android Phone

A plain-English guide that actually works on any modern Android phone — Samsung, Xiaomi, Realme, Oppo, Vivo, OnePlus, Motorola, Pixel and more. No jargon, no skipped steps. Updated for v2.8.5: Spotify-like smart voice search on Android Auto; native Shuffle and Repeat button support; fixed metadata display for the first song in the car; and fixed Share button functionality.

Why we made an app in the first place

A lot of you messaged us saying the mobile site is good, but pop-up ads on the browser, accidental redirects, and the hassle of typing the address every time gets annoying. Fair point. So we built a compact companion app — about 4–5 MB — that wraps the site cleanly, adds a proper in-app music player, remembers your favourites even when you're logged out, and lets you download songs straight into a neat folder. That's it. No background tracking, no data harvesting, no login wall.

If you've used any modern music app before, the listening experience here will feel familiar — a mini-player docked at the bottom, lock-screen and notification controls, playback that keeps going when you switch apps — all of it.

Before you start — 30-second phone check

• Your Android version — anything from Android 5 Lollipop onwards works. If your phone is from 2017 or newer, you're sorted. To check: open Settings > About phone > Android version.
• Free storage — around 10 MB is plenty. The download itself is about 4.5 MB.
• A working internet connection — Wi-Fi or mobile data both work for the download.

Step 1 — Download the APK

Tap the big yellow download button above (or the one on our app page). Your browser will show a quick warning that APKs can harm your device — this is Chrome's default warning for any APK, not a red flag specific to us. Tap Download anyway or OK. The file lands in your Download folder as ghantanew-v2.8.5.apk.

On Samsung Internet or Brave you won't see a warning at all — the download starts immediately.

Step 2 — Open the file

Three ways to open it, pick whichever you find first:

1. Swipe down from the top of the screen. The download sits in your notification tray — tap it.
2. Or, open your phone's Files app (Samsung My Files, Mi File Manager, Google Files), go to Downloads, tap the APK.
3. Or, in Chrome, tap the three dots > Downloads and tap the file name.

Step 3 — Allow install from this source (one-time only)

Because the app isn't coming from Google Play, Android will ask permission the first time. A dialog pops up saying something like "For your security, your phone is not allowed to install unknown apps from this source."

Don't panic — this is routine for every app outside the Play Store (including many sideloaded tools from Microsoft, Amazon, Samsung, etc.). Here's what to do:

1. Tap Settings on that dialog.
2. The "Install unknown apps" screen opens, showing the browser you used (Chrome / Samsung Internet / Brave).
3. Toggle Allow from this source on.
4. Press Back. You'll be taken straight to the install screen.

Step 4 — Install and open

Tap the Install button at the bottom right. The progress bar fills in a few seconds, then you get an Open button. Tap it and the app launches into the home screen.

You'll also see the app icon — a golden bell — added to your app drawer (and home screen on some launchers). You can remove the downloaded APK from your Downloads folder now; the app doesn't need it anymore.

Brand-specific notes

Android is Android, but each manufacturer tweaks the install flow a tiny bit. Here's what to expect on the popular ones:

Getting future updates automatically

Once installed, the app checks for new versions each time you open it. When a new version comes out, you'll see a small card at the top that says "New version available". Tap Update, and the new APK downloads in the background. Android will reuse the permission you granted in Step 3, so there's nothing new to tap after the first time.

Your favourites, playlists and history stay intact across updates.

Common install errors and fixes

"App not installed" or "There was a problem parsing the package"

Usually means the download got corrupted mid-way — more common on 2G/3G. Delete the file from Downloads and download it again on a better connection. If you've previously installed a modded version of the app from another source, uninstall that first; Android won't overwrite an app signed with a different key.

"Blocked by Play Protect"

Play Protect flags any APK it hasn't seen enough times yet. Tap More details > Install anyway. If that button is missing, open the Play Store app, tap your profile picture > Play Protect > gear icon > turn off Scan apps with Play Protect for 10 minutes, install, then turn it back on.

"Install blocked" on Android 14

Android 14 adds a feature called Enhanced Confirmation Mode for apps that ask for accessibility access — we don't use that, but some phones still show the screen. Go to Settings > Apps > Special app access > Install unknown apps, tap your browser, and turn the toggle on. Try again.

"Package conflicts with an existing package"

This only happens if you previously installed the debug version of Ghantanew (from a developer). Uninstall it first (Settings > Apps > Ghantanew > Uninstall) and then install the release APK.

Is it really safe?

Short answer: yes. Longer answer:

• Served over HTTPS from ghantanew.com, the same domain you've been visiting. If the page address in your browser shows a padlock, the download is authentic.
• Signed with our own keystore. Every update uses the same cryptographic key, so Android refuses to install a tampered APK on top of ours. This is the exact same trust model Google Play uses under the hood.
• Minimal permissions. We ask for Internet, Network state, optional Notifications (Android 13+), and optional Media playback permission (for lock-screen controls). We do not ask for contacts, SMS, location, call logs, or device admin.
• No third-party analytics SDKs baked in. The app simply loads ghantanew.com with a few quality-of-life add-ons.
• Open access to the APK. You can run the file through any scanner (VirusTotal, Hybrid-Analysis) before installing. We encourage it.

Quick FAQ

Can I use it without an internet connection?

The app itself is a music streaming and download app, so you need internet to play and download new songs. But anything you've already saved to your phone (songs in Downloads/Ghantanew/Songs, albums in Downloads/Ghantanew/Albums) plays offline through any music player you like.

Does it run in the background?

Yes — that's been available since v1.2.0 and keeps improving; v2.8.4 is the current release. Start a song, switch to WhatsApp or Instagram, and the song keeps playing. Full controls appear in your notification tray and on the lock screen (play/pause, next, previous, seek bar).

Will it drain my battery?

Not noticeably. The app uses the same energy any music app uses while playing, and very little when idle. We don't run hidden services.

I'm on iPhone. Is there an iOS version?

Not yet. For now, bookmark ghantanew.com on your iPhone — Safari will let you save it to the home screen like an app icon, and everything works from there.

I downloaded an older version. Should I update?

Always update to the latest version. v2.8.4 adds Spotify-like smart search for Android Auto voice commands and fixes metadata persistence for the "Now Playing" screen; v2.7.6 tightened sharing and canonical URLs; v2.7.5 brought session shuffle/repeat and share briefs.

I have one more question.

Drop us a line via our contact page or our Telegram channel. We usually reply within a day.