How can I install apps in old Android?

[Lcmv]

I have an old 5.1 Android phone that was kept unused for a long time.

I has two "buttons" at the top of the screen that say, "Account action required." When I click them, some strange, almost empty screen appears that says, "Checking info..." and nothing ever happens.

Now I need to update two applications in it, and when I try to open the Play Store, I get the strange, almost empty screen that says, "Checking info..." and nothing ever happens.

Is there something I can do about that?

I remember a time, a long time ago when I could visit the Play Store with my desktop browser and "send" applications, i.e. install them remotely to any phone I had. But only one phone is showing up this time, and it's not the old phone I need to update.

Is there something I can do to make the Play Store work on this old phone?

 

[rvbfan]

You need a minimum of Android 6 API 23 to access the Play store.
You could try something like apkmirror and see if they have a version of the app you are looking for.