I have an android phone. I am looking to install a bitcoin wallet. What are my options and which bitcoin wallet is the best one.
I only need non-custodial wallets which are decentralized.
Sometimes a country like ours has a custodial wallet where we can use to convert our crypto into fiat and send it to our bank accounts and the platform is coins.ph. So if you live here, it's the walllet I recommend since it's trusted but the value of crypto in there isn't real-time. In other countries, they use blockchain or coinbase, good crypto wallets and already trusted by many users.
Why should not i download from google play store ? Is there any problem with it ? What's different between .APK file and the one available in google playstore ?
There are copycats on the Google Playstore that have not been removed or monitored by Google itself. That's why if you're going to download an APK, make sure that you're getting it from the official website. They have their own link on their website and that's to help you avoid downloading the fake ones. Many have been victimized by those fake wallet apps because they clearly look similar to the official one and that's why if you're going to download through the play store, be careful and do it with diligence.
I open the electurm website and then click on the Play store link and it directly took me to the right wallet. Also i saw high number of downloads. So by doing so, i landed at the right wallet ?
Just to be safe, go to the official website of Electrum which is
https://electrum.org/#download, and download the android version there.
In Google Play, just to avoid the potential scam apps, some of them also have a high number of downloads. See in the official website if the link is the same as what it's indicated, there's the link for google play there.
Even the number of downloads can be fake and mislead to the wrong app. Use an APK installer and get the file direct from official website using the browser and not the app store.
Best way ever is to use the right url for the official Electrum and verify the PGP signature. It requires a little bit knowledge on how to do this but this is the safest way to check that you are about to install the official release.
As long as the app isn't verified like for example, Google Play Store verified those applications that is legit and have Verified protect on the page where you'll install the app. If there's no verified protect then be hesitant to download that app and check the official website first to make sure of the real apk.