The app in three install paths
There are three ways to install Fantasy Cricket NOW: Play Store, iOS TestFlight, and direct APK. The Play Store is the recommended path for most users because it handles updates automatically. The iOS TestFlight path is for iPhone users who want early access to new features before the App Store release. The direct APK is for users on older Android phones that aren't compatible with the latest Play Store requirements, or for users who want to install without a Google account.
The Play Store APK is 38MB. The direct APK is also 38MB — there's no size difference. The iOS TestFlight build is 42MB because iOS bundles the WebKit runtime differently. All three builds have feature parity. We ship features to all three platforms on the same day.
The app works on Android 7.0 and above, iOS 14.0 and above, and any modern browser via the web version. The web version is built with the same React Native Web stack as the mobile app, so the experience is identical. The web version doesn't support push notifications, but everything else works.
What 38MB buys you
The Fantasy Cricket NOW app is 38MB on Android. That's small for a sports app. Dream11 is 124MB. My11Circle is 98MB. MPL Fantasy Cricket is 156MB. We got to 38MB by cutting three things: video autoplay on the homepage, animated splash screens, and bundled fonts (we use the system font instead).
We don't autoplay video on the homepage because video is a battery killer. We don't have animated splash screens because splash screens are dead time. We use the system font because bundling fonts adds 4-8MB and the system font is already optimized for the device.
The 38MB also includes the captain pick model weights, the wagon wheel data for the last 30 days, and the pitch map data for the last 14 days. We download new data on demand. We don't pre-fetch match data for matches that haven't been scheduled yet.
Works on a ₹7,000 phone
We test the app on a Redmi 9A, which sells for ₹7,000 in India. The app loads the homepage in 2.4 seconds on the Redmi 9A over a 4G connection. Captain pick card renders in 0.6 seconds. Live scorecard refreshes in 1.2 seconds. Wagon wheel loads in 2.8 seconds. These are all acceptable numbers on a budget phone.
We also test on a JioPhone with KaiOS 2.5. The native Android app doesn't run on KaiOS, but the web version does. The web version on KaiOS 2.5 loads the homepage in 4.8 seconds, captain pick card in 1.2 seconds, and live scorecard in 2.6 seconds. Slow but usable.
We don't test on iPhone because iPhones don't have budget variants in India. The iPhone SE 2020 (the cheapest current iPhone at ₹29,900) handles the app without any issues. The app is GPU-light and CPU-light. The main bottleneck is the network, not the device.
Install path 1: Play Store
Open the Play Store on your Android phone. Search for 'Fantasy Cricket NOW'. Tap Install. Wait 30-45 seconds depending on your network. Tap Open. Grant the notification permission when prompted. Enter your phone number. Type the 6-digit OTP. Set a 4-digit PIN. Done. Total time: 60-90 seconds.
The Play Store install handles updates automatically. You'll get a notification when a new version is available. The app checks for updates on launch and downloads them in the background. You can use the app while updates are downloading.
If the Play Store install fails — usually due to a network issue or storage shortage — clear the Play Store cache, restart your phone, and try again. If it still fails, use the direct APK path below.
Install path 2: iOS TestFlight
Open TestFlight on your iPhone. If you don't have TestFlight, install it from the App Store first. Tap the link in the email we sent you after you signed up for early access. Tap Accept. Tap Install. Wait 30-60 seconds. Tap Open. The TestFlight build has the same features as the Play Store build.
TestFlight builds expire after 90 days. When a build expires, you'll get a notification to install the next build. The next build is always available in TestFlight. We push a new TestFlight build every 2-4 weeks during IPL season.
The iOS TestFlight path is for early access. Once the App Store version ships, we'll send you a notification to migrate. The migration is automatic — your account, picks, and contests transfer without any action from you.
Install path 3: Direct APK
Scan the QR code on the homepage or in the app to install — works on Android 7.0+, iOS 14.0+, or any modern browser.
Install path 3: Direct APK
Open your phone's browser. Go to fantasycricketnow.com/dl. Tap the 'Download APK' button. Wait 20-40 seconds for the APK to download. Tap the downloaded APK file. You'll get a security warning about installing from unknown sources. Tap Settings. Toggle 'Allow from this source'. Tap Install. Wait 10-15 seconds. Tap Open. Done.
The direct APK is signed with our release key, so Android can verify that it's authentic. We publish the SHA-256 hash of the APK on the download page so you can verify it manually if you want. We rotate the release key every 12 months for security.
Updates via the direct APK are manual. We push a notification when a new version is available, and you have to download and install it yourself. If you want automatic updates, use the Play Store path.
Permissions the app asks for
The app asks for four permissions on first launch: notifications, location, contacts (optional), and storage (optional). Notifications are required for captain pick alerts. Location is required to verify that you're in a state where fantasy cricket is legal. Contacts and storage are optional — they power the referral feature (share the app with friends) and the screenshot share feature.
We don't ask for camera, microphone, or phone state permissions. We don't ask for SMS permissions (the OTP is auto-read on Android 8.0+ with the user's explicit consent, but we don't auto-read on iOS). We don't ask for calendar permissions. We don't ask for health data.
If you deny any of the optional permissions, the app still works. The only permission that's strictly required is notifications, because the captain pick alerts are the core feature. If you deny notifications, the app still loads and you can still make picks, but you won't get alerts when the captain pick changes.
After install: the 11-second signup
Once the app is installed, the signup flow takes 11 seconds. Here's the exact sequence: open app (3 sec), enter phone number (2 sec), type 6-digit OTP (3 sec), set 4-digit PIN (2 sec), tap 'Pick a match' (1 sec). The captain pick suggestion appears immediately.
We removed email from the signup flow because email is an extra step that most users abandon. We removed password because OTP is more secure and faster. We removed the welcome modal because it doesn't help users pick their first team. We removed the email verification because phone verification is sufficient for the legal requirements.
If you ever forget your 4-digit PIN, tap 'Forgot PIN' on the login screen. We'll send a new OTP to your phone number. You can set a new PIN and you're back in. We don't allow PIN resets via email because we don't store your email. Phone number is the only identity we use.