Streaming media is the online sea in which we swim, and more people every year turn to streaming for all of their entertainment media needs. Enter Vidmate, a video capture and download app for the Android operating system that can allow you to pluck any video that suits your fancy off of Youtube; we’re here with a guide that will show you how to make Vidmate available on your Windows PC, even without a native version of the Vidmate software. If you’re an Android OS veteran, you very well might be a couple of steps ahead of this guide, but read on anyway for the details on how to complete this rather simple process.
Even if you prefer to get your video media elsewhere, Youtube is practically inescapable. The media giant was bought by a larger giant in 2006 when Google purchased Youtube and its streaming services outright. Though it still maintains its popular brand, the two are cozy bedfellows that live under the same umbrella. How appropriate, then, that we’re going to need to use Google’s own operating system to get Vidmate up and running on your Windows PC.
As of right now, Vidmate only available on Android OS. Apple’s App store maintains too strict of standards over both software and hardware to allow a video downloading service to be available there, and there’s currently not a version available for Mac, Windows, or even as a browser extension, yet (though, there are browser-based alternatives.) You also won’t be finding Vidmate on the Google Play store. Considering that Android and Youtube are owned by the same parent company, it only makes sense that one wouldn’t necessarily approve of you taking advantage of the other, and there’s a reason that the normal Youtube platform doesn’t feature a “download” button. Legality can quickly enter the picture when you’re dealing with apps like this, which is another issue that we’ll discuss in this guide.
Vidmate, however, is not illegal to download. We’ll start with this fact and then get into the nitty-gritty details.
Downloading Vidmate
As said above, you’re not going to find a native version of the Vidmate app that runs on Windows. Therefore, we’re going to have to rely upon emulation in order to succeed at our task. This is the third-party software route, but there’s no reason for caution; Android emulation is perfectly legal, and there are quite a few software applications online that will see the job done for you.
If “emulation” is a new term for you, here’s the skinny on how it works: the emulating software will use your computer’s resources to “mimic” another, different operating system. In this case, we’ll be emulating Android, which is a much more common practice than you might otherwise think. There is no official Android emulator from Google, so we’ll be using third-party software. Don’t fret, however; many Android emulations kits have a very professional development front, and you may well find yourself using your Android emulator for a lot more than Vidmate.
Android Emulators
Though there are dozens of Android emulators available for you to download–many of them free–but I’ll try to provide some of the top suggestions below. This will save you quite a lot of searching time, and allow you to select between fewer options than you might see in your search engine results.
- Andyroid: This is my go-to Android emulator, and will remain so until something better comes along. Andy is free and has a minimalistic aesthetic to its interface that I find clean, intuitive, and unintrusive. After all, we’re emulating Android in order to enjoy the apps, right? Not the Android interface itself.Andy boasts a professional development team that’s constantly keeping their software up-to-date, so you’ll always have the most recent version of the Android OS. Additionally, you can connect your phone to your Windows PC via Bluetooth and use it as a controller for the app that you run in Andy. Nifty, eh?
- Bluestacks: While the above emulator is my preferred option, Bluestacks is far and away the most popular choice that people often rely upon. If you bounce over to the emulator’s website, you’ll see that it’s very heavily marketed towards media-holics and gamers, primarily. Don’t let this turn you away; Bluestacks will readily tackle any Android app that you throw its way, and it has the same level of professional development that Andyroid does.Its design is the number one factor that you might choose one or the other of these apps, so pick what suits you. Be aware that Bluestacks does include third-party software advertising in its free version. If you’re willing to shell out $2 per month, you can circumvent the advertising and use the “pro” version of Bluestacks.
- Manymo: Though I don’t use Manymo, I’d be remiss in not including it in my list of recommended emulators, sheerly for its unique accessibility for certain types of users. If you’re not in a position to download and install software on your Windows computer, Manymo provides a browser-based alternative that only requires you to have a handy copy of the .apk (application file) for apps that you’d like to run.The free version of Manymo is only going to allow you ten limited-duration uses per month, but upgrading to a $9 per month subscription will greatly amplify its accessibility. If you’d rather not be downloading third-party emulation software, Manymo is about the only direction that you can turn.
While any of these emulators will work just fine, you’ll want to pick one and get familiar with it before proceeding with this guide. Using the provided links, navigate your way to the website of your emulator of choice, and complete the installation process.
Vidmate .apk
Once you have your emulator installed, it’s time to get Vidmate up and running. As I said before, there’s no way that you can access it through the Google Play store (which you’ll have handy access to within your emulator, in case you didn’t notice.)
Instead, we’re going to have to download the Vidmate .apk form a separate side, and then sideload it into your emulator. This is also an easy process, but it’s important to make sure that you’re acquiring the file from a legitimate source. As you always should, run anti-virus and anti-malware software when you’re going on this particular hunt. As of right now, this download link will provide you with a functioning copy of Vidmate, but like any other application that isn’t officially hosted on Google Play, whether or not the link works could change at any time. If you need to use your search engine, simply search for “Vidmate .apk.”
Once you’ve downloaded the application file, simply use your emulator of choice to load it up! You’ll be ready to rock and roll, but you will have to use the browser within your Android emulator if you want to download videos. Since this is the Android version of Vidmate (and there’s no Windows version), it only makes sense that you’ll have to use a browser in the same Android environment, right?
Is Vidmate Legal?
Here’s where things can get tricky, but it’s a very necessary conversation. Many assume that since a video can be viewed freely, without any cost, on Youtube, it’s also not a problem to download those videos and store or share them to their hearts’ content.
This could not be further from the truth.
Copyright law may be a muddy water, but it’s a well-known fact that downloading and distributing music and music videos without paying any fee are instances of blatant copyright infringement, and the law doesn’t stop with music. Quite a few videos hosted on Youtube are protected by copyright law and allowed to remain there because there is no officially supported way to download Youtube content. In short, you’re not supposed to be able to.
Therefore, we certainly can’t condone you downloading anything that is copyrighted property, so be mindful of how you use Vidmate. While the app itself is not legal, it can certainly open you up to illicit activity.
We hope that the above guide has been educational and helpful, providing information about one of Android’s most prolifically used video capture services while also showing you how to get it up and running on your Windows PC. Though there are certainly a few hoops to jump through–there’s no way to avoid having to download an emulator as well as the Vidmate .apk–they’re relatively painless steps that can be completed by anyone, no matter what version of Windows you’re running.
As I said before, you may well find that your Android emulator sees a use for a lot more than Vidmate. Emulators can help you to enjoy Android games from the comfort of a larger screen, and also help you to bring all of your productivity and messaging apps over to your desktop. Such is the case with Vidmate for your Windows PC, so long as you remember to use your new app responsibly! If you have any questions about the above tips, leave them in the comments below!