Does an add-on need the official Minecraft app?
Short answer: our download isn't locked to one specific app. Here's exactly what that means, what we actually check before calling a file "verified," and what we honestly don't know.
What actually happens: on Android, opening a downloaded pack goes through the system's standard "Open with" chooser — not a hard-coded link to one app's package name. Whatever app on your phone claims to handle that file type can show up there.
What we verify — and what we don't
When a page here shows a "Verified by MCModsHub" panel, that's the result of us opening the archive ourselves: does it unzip, is there a valid manifest, what does the manifest ask for. That is a check of the file.
We do not have a signal for whether the pack was actually loaded and run inside any particular game — official Minecraft or otherwise. No field in our catalog says "confirmed working in-game," because we don't have a way to measure that honestly.
So will it work in a free Minecraft-like game?
We can't promise it will, and we won't tell you it can't either — both would be guesses dressed up as facts. What we can say:
- The file format (.mcpack / .mcaddon) isn't exclusive to the official game by design — it's a packaging format, and other apps can choose to support it.
- Whether a specific alternative app actually reads that format, and how completely, is up to that app — we have no visibility into it and don't test against every Minecraft-like game that exists.
- If the app you're using doesn't appear in the "Open with" list at all, that means it isn't registered to handle this file type on your device — not that our file is broken. See installing on Android for what a missing option usually means.
If a pack imports fine but nothing changes in your game, that's almost always the separate, much more common issue of the pack not being activated yet — not a compatibility problem with the app you're using. Check Addon not showing up or won't import first.
Why we're not more specific about which apps work
There are many Minecraft-like Android games, they change independently of us, and a claim like "works in App X" would go stale the moment that app updates. Rather than publish a list we can't keep accurate, we say plainly what we check (the file) and what we don't (any particular game's behavior) — the same standard we hold every other fact on this site to.
Get MC Bedrock Mods
Every download is opened and checked by us before it's listed — file integrity, not gameplay. Free on Android.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need the official Minecraft app installed to download from MC Bedrock Mods?
You need some app installed that's registered to open .mcpack/.mcaddon files, or the "Open with" step has nothing to hand the file to. The official app is the one we test against and support directly.
What does "Verified by MCModsHub" actually check?
The file itself — that the archive opens, the manifest is valid, and what the manifest declares (pack type, minimum Minecraft version, whether it needs Beta APIs). It does not check in-game behavior in any app.
The download says it's installed but I don't see it in my game
Importing and activating are separate steps in Minecraft's own UI. Walk through this checklist before assuming the file or the app is at fault.