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Third-Party App Access

So just to make sure I've understood, you were trying to use a particular third-party app (such as a file explorer) to install an apk, accidentally denied it that permission, and now you can't use it to install apps.

So when you say it won't let you change the permission, do you mean that it no longer asks (just says it can't do it), or have you gone into the system settings to change it and found you can't? Samsung tend to mess with the menus, but on my Pixel I would go to Settings, Apps, select the app, Advanced, Install Unknown Apps, and that allows me to toggle the setting for those apps with this capability.

If it really won't let you change it that way then you could work around it by using a different app. Personally I only allow one of my file explorers this permission, and even then I turn it off after use (it does give me the option of turning it on next time). But from looking at my apps it seems that all of my file explorers, one of my email clients and all of my browsers can potentially do this, so it shouldn't be hard to find a different app if you can't fix this. I have to say though that I'd never allow an email client to do this, and under no circumstances a browser: with the number of dodgy ad servers that try to download apks, and websites that pay little attention to the ads they are hosting, it seems reckless beyond belief to actually let a browser install an apk as well as download one!
 
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So, I have the setting enables to install apps from unknown sources. When I try to install an outside app, it technically uses the google play installer and when you first attempt to install it, it has a box you have to check to let it install anyways but I was clicking quickly and missed the box and now everytime I try to install the app it instantly fails and I cant install it.
 
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Ah, so the Note 8 still uses the old way of doing this, with a global "allow installation from unknown sources" setting? I'm surprised because the way I described above was used in Oreo as well as Android 9 (sorry, but "Pie" just sounds silly to me for some reason, even compared to the other codenames ;)).

Hmm, I just dug out an older device (a Note 10.1 tablet), but that doesn't have a check box as you describe: turn on unknown sources, try to install an apk and the installer offers "install" or "cancel", but no check box and cancel doesn't do anything except abort that particular install.

All I can suggest is going into the application manager, finding the Package Installer app and seeing whether you can clear the problem from there: seeing whether you can change its permissions, otherwise clearing its cache, its data or clearing defaults - hopefully one of those will reset the check box.
 
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I can't do that unfortunately due to it being the google playstore that managed the install. And I already tried clearing the cache as well. Is there any apps you would recommend that I could use to try and install the app instead of the built in one??

I can't do that unfortunately due to it being the google playstore that managed the install. And I already tried clearing the cache as well. Is there any apps you would recommend that I could use to try and install the app instead of the built in one??
 
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I tried clearing the cache and data for the google play app and it didnt help at all. When I start the install for the application, it opens in the built in application installer and it just says App not installed. The box never popped back up.

Got it! I reset the phones app preferences and it worked after that.
 

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