Android phones have a great feature that is sadly lacking on the iPhone and this is the ability to browse the app store on the PC or Mac and queue up apps to install. Make the most of it.

The Google Play Store for Android phone users is packed with apps and it is fun to browse the many titles and install them. However, it isn't ideal browsing the store on a small screen, such as with a mobile phone. Although phones are bigger now than they used to be, the screen still provides a limited view of the app store.

Luckily you don't have to browse the store on your phone because it is possible to access it on the computer instead. It makes a tremendous difference and you can see and do so much more.

One of the nice features of Android and something that is missing on iOS is that you can go to the Google Play Store using a web browser on the PC or Mac. Just enter play.google.com into the browser's address box. iPhone users don't know what they are missing!

Browse recommended Android apps

Select the Apps section in the menu on the left and the apps are organised into sections with New & updated games, Recommended for you, Top rated games, New & updated apps, and more.

Explore Android app categories

There are dozens of categories on the Categories drop-down menu and you can go straight to your favorite section. There are also Top charts and New releases sections.

One of the tricks you can do on a computer and not a phone is to search for a type of app, such as 'running apps'. Then hold down the Ctrl key and click first first half dozen apps in the results that look interesting and they open in separate tabs. It is then easy to switch from tab to tab comparing each app and seeing which one is best.

Install Android apps on your computer

At the top of the page is an Install button. Of course, this does not install the app on the PC or Mac and it will not run in Windows or macOS. When the Install button is clicked, you are asked which device you want to install it to.

If you only have one Android device, there isn't much choice and it will be automatically selected, but you could have both an Android phone and a tablet. In this case you will have options to install the app to either of the devices.

Select the device in the list that you want to install the app to and click the Install button.

Nothing immediately happens, but sooner or later the app is automatically downloaded and installed on your phone or tablet. You can do this remotely, so during your lunch hour at work you could browse the app store and install apps on your tablet at home. You can then start using them when you get home. You could, remotely install apps on a child's tablet or phone, provided it uses the same Google account.

As soon as you have clicked Install then OK, the app is queued for installation. You can continue browsing the store and select more apps to install. It is often useful to queue for install three or four apps of a particular type, like meditation apps or action games, and try them all to see which one is best and want to keep.

If your phone has a battery-saving mode, the installation may not start until you wake the device and open Google Play Store. The reason is that battery saver stops background processes from running, like the Store. Installation begins within a few seconds when the phone is in normal mode.

This is a useful facility and apart from being convenient and working remotely, a web browser on a computer screen is much easier to navigate than the store app on a small phone screen.

This is one feature that Apple should definitely copy. There should at least be a way to browse apps and install them from the Mac, if not from the PC. after all, you can browse the Google Play Store on macOS, Windows or Linux.