If you own an Android device you will likely have heard of an APK file at some point, and possibly wondered what it even is. Understanding this is essential if you want to start downloading leaked apps or customizing your Android experience further than would be possible using the Play Store alone. In our guide, you'll learn what APK files are, how to download them, and finally, how to install them.
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What is an APK File?
An Android Package Kit (APK for short) is the package file format used by the Android operating system for distribution and installation of mobile apps. Just like Windows (PC) systems use an .exe file for installing software, the APK does the same for Android.
When you download an APK online, you're essentially getting an app. Most users get apps from the Google Play Store, without ever seeing the word APK. But there are occasions when you would want to do otherwise.
Why would I want to install an APK File?
APK files of new Android builds are often leaked ahead of time, giving you early access to all the exciting new features that otherwise wouldn't be available to you. Also, some apps are restricted to regions outside of your own.
App updates can take a frustrating amount of time to arrive automatically over the air. Getting the latest APK for your favorite apps will let you jump the queue. Or you might even not like a particular app after an update, and want to install an older version instead.
And if your Android device lacks access to the Google Play Store, APK files may be your only option for installing apps on your device.
Be careful though, you don't want to download stolen apps. Some APK services let you download pirated apps. This is illegal and should be avoided. Worse still, sketchy APK files may contain malware, as many who thought they were getting early versions of Fortnite for Android discovered to their dismay. Do some research before you download so you don't do anything against the law or contaminate your device.
How to install an APK from your Android device
You can also install APK files from your browser on your Android smartphone or tablet.
- Just open your browser, find the APK file you want to download, and tap it – you should then be able to see it downloading on the top bar of your device.
- Once it's downloaded, open Downloads, tap on the APK file, and tap Yes when prompted.
- The app will begin installing on your device. Simple.
How to install APK Files from your computer
There are many sources of APK files across the web, but be sure to choose a site you trust. Some APK files may contain malicious software (malware) which could compromise your phone's security. It is best to be cautious before downloading or installing any app from outside of the Play Store.
Generally speaking, APK files found on APK Mirror should be safer to download than from elsewhere, but read some reviews and user comments before downloading or installing an APK.
- First, you must find an APK file you want. Search online for an APK file and download it to an easy-to-find location on your computer (like your desktop).
- Before you can install it on your phone you will need to make sure that third-party apps are allowed on your device.
- Go to Menu > Settings > Security > and check Unknown Sources to allow your phone to install apps from sources other than the Google Play Store.
- Android 8 Oreo and 9 Pie do things a little differently. Rather than check a global setting to allow installation from unknown sources, you'll be you'll be prompted to allow your browser or file manager to install APKs the first time you attempt to do so.
- If you like, you can also download a file manager app so you can easily find files on your Android device. We recommend our favorite file managers in our list of the best file explorers for Android.
- Once you've downloaded the APK file on your computer, connect your Android device to it.
- At this point, you may be asked if you want to charge your phone or connect it as a 'media device.' Choose Media device.
- Then, find your phone's folder on your computer. It will be in 'My Computer' or 'Computer' on Windows (PC).
- Copy the APK file into a folder of your choice in your Android smartphone.
- You will now be able to search for the file location in the My files folder of your device.
- Find the APK file, tap it, then hit Install.
And now you're done, congratulations, you have your app. Just open it up from your smartphone and make sure it works properly. If it doesn't, repeat the process with a different APK file. You may have to try a different APK site.
Do you download APK files? Which do you recommend? Let us know in the comments!
As an Android user, you might have wondered if there was any way you could download the APK files from the Google Play Store on your computer rather than installing them directly on the device. Well if you did wish for it, today is your lucky day. We are going to check out a simple Windows tool which can download APK files of any app from the Play Store. This feature can be really helpful when you need to install country or device restricted apps on your Android smartphone.
Real APK Leecher
To get started, download and extract Real APK Leecher files to a folder in your computer and launch the executable file Real APK Leecher. When the app is launched for the first time, it will ask your Google login information which is linked to Android along with the device ID information. The easiest way to find the device ID is by opening the dialer and entering *#*#8255#*#*.
In some phones, like HTC, this method might not work and in such cases you will have to install an app called Device ID from the Play Store. When launched the app presents your device ID without any additional effort.
Note: The app directly asks for your Google password which is something that might concern many.Having done that, select the folder where you wish to download the APK files along with the default file name format to download them. Once you are done with the configuration click on the OK button to open the main window. To download an app, search it using the search box provided at the top-right corner of the screen.
After you make the search, the app will try to log in to your Google Play Store account and list all the apps that match the searched term. If you don’t get any results, click on the Edit button—>Option and recheck the Google login credentials along with the device ID you entered while configuring the app. You can also filter the results that are returned by the app or vendor name.
Software To Open Apk Files In Windows 10
Now to download an APK, simply right-click on the app icon in the list of apps and select the option Download this App. The APK file of the app will be downloaded to the folder saved in the app configuration. Advanced users can fake their SIM Operator Numeric while configuring the app and download country restricted apps to the PC and then later export it to Android and install it manually.
The app also lists premium apps but their APK can only be downloaded if you have purchased them on the Play Store. Premium apps attempted to download without purchasing will give you an error.
Another amazing feature of the app is that you can keep track of the version of the APK files that you have downloaded from the Play Store and get notified when an app receives an update. You can then download the new APK file to replace the existing one.
Conclusion
The tool does a pretty decent job but there’s a catch: to use the app, you require Java Runtime Environment installed on your computer. And if you follow this blog, you know we recently warned you against using Java due to the recent hacking incidents where its vulnerabilities played a role. So, your call. Just make sure you disable the Java add-ons installed in your browsers if you decide to go ahead with this.
Also See#How-to/GuidesDid You Know
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A file with the IPA file extension is an iOS App file. They function as containers (like ZIP) for holding the various pieces of data that make up an iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch app; like for games, utilities, weather, social networking, news, and others.
The structure of an IPA file is the same for every app; an iTunesArtwork file is a PNG file (sometimes a JPEG) used as the icon for the app, the Payload folder contains all of the app's data, and information about the developer and application are stored in the file called iTunesMetadata.plist.
iTunes stores IPA files on the computer after you've downloaded apps through iTunes as well as after iTunes makes a backup of the iOS device.
How to Open an IPA File
IPA files are used by Apple's iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch devices. They're downloaded either through the App Store (which takes place on the device) or iTunes (via a computer).
When iTunes is used to download IPA files on a computer, the files are saved to this specific location so that the iOS device can access them the next time it syncs with iTunes:
- Windows: C:Users<username>MusiciTunesiTunes MediaMobile Applications
- Mac: ~/Music/iTunes/iTunes Media/Mobile Applications/
These locations are also used as a storage for IPA files that were downloaded from the iOS device. They're copied from the device to the iTunes folder above when the device syncs with iTunes.
Open Apk Files Windows 10
While it's true that IPA files hold the contents of an iOS app, you can not use iTunes to open the app on your computer. They're just used by iTunes for backup purposes and so that the device can understand which apps you've already purchased/downloaded.
![Open Apk Files Windows 10 Open Apk Files Windows 10](https://www.windowscentral.com/sites/wpcentral.com/files/styles/xlarge/public/field/image/2016/11/sideloadapps-windows-10.jpg?itok=HyyXb0hS)
You can open an IPA file outside of iTunes using the free iFunbox program for Windows and Mac. Again, this doesn't let you use the app on your computer, but instead just lets you transfer the IPA file to your iPhone or another iOS device, without using iTunes. The program supports lots of other features too, like importing and exporting ringtones, music, videos, and photos.
iFunbox opens IPA files through the Managing App Data tab, with the Install App button.
iTunes probably still needs to be installed so that the proper drivers exist for iFunbox to connect to the device.
You can also open an IPA file with a free file zip/unzip program like 7-Zip, but doing so will just decompress the IPA file to show you its contents; you can't actually use or run the app by doing this.
You cannot open an IPA file on an Android device because that system is functionally different than iOS, and as such requires its own format for apps.
However, you can open and use an IPA file on your computer using iOS emulation software that can trick the app into thinking it's running on an iPad, iPod touch, or iPhone. iPadian is one example but it is not free.
How to Convert an IPA File
It's not possible to convert an IPA file to another format and have it still be usable in iTunes or on your iOS device.
For example, you cannot convert an IPA to APK for use on an Android device because not only are the file formats for these applications different, but Android and iOS devices run on two entirely different operating systems.
In the same way, even if an iPhone app has, say, a bunch of videos, music, or even document files, that you want to keep for yourself on your computer, you can not convert the IPA to MP3, PDF, AVI, or any other format like that. The IPA file is just an archive full of program files that the device uses as software.
You can, however, rename an IPA to ZIP for opening it as an archive. With the file unzip tools, doing this just lets you see the files inside, so most people probably won't find that useful.
Debian Software Packages (.DEB files) are archives that are normally used to store software installation files. Jailbroken or hacked iOS devices use the DEB format in the Cydia app store in the same way that Apple's App Store uses IPA files. K2DesignLab has some instructions on converting IPA to DEB if that's something you want to do.
Apple's Xcode software is one-way iOS apps are created. While IPA files are built out of Xcode projects, doing the reverse - converting an IPA to Xcode project, isn't possible. The source code can't be extracted from the IPA file, even if you convert it to a ZIP file and open its contents.
IPA also stands for International Phonetic Alphabet. If you're not interested in the IPA file format, but instead want to convert English to IPA symbols, you can use a website like Upodn.com.
As an Android user, you might have wondered if there was any way you could download the APK files from the Google Play Store on your computer rather than installing them directly on the device. Well if you did wish for it, today is your lucky day. We are going to check out a simple Windows tool which can download APK files of any app from the Play Store. This feature can be really helpful when you need to install country or device restricted apps on your Android smartphone.
Real APK Leecher
To get started, download and extract Real APK Leecher files to a folder in your computer and launch the executable file Real APK Leecher. When the app is launched for the first time, it will ask your Google login information which is linked to Android along with the device ID information. The easiest way to find the device ID is by opening the dialer and entering *#*#8255#*#*.
In some phones, like HTC, this method might not work and in such cases you will have to install an app called Device ID from the Play Store. When launched the app presents your device ID without any additional effort.
Note: The app directly asks for your Google password which is something that might concern many.Having done that, select the folder where you wish to download the APK files along with the default file name format to download them. Once you are done with the configuration click on the OK button to open the main window. To download an app, search it using the search box provided at the top-right corner of the screen.
After you make the search, the app will try to log in to your Google Play Store account and list all the apps that match the searched term. If you don’t get any results, click on the Edit button—>Option and recheck the Google login credentials along with the device ID you entered while configuring the app. You can also filter the results that are returned by the app or vendor name.
Now to download an APK, simply right-click on the app icon in the list of apps and select the option Download this App. The APK file of the app will be downloaded to the folder saved in the app configuration. Advanced users can fake their SIM Operator Numeric while configuring the app and download country restricted apps to the PC and then later export it to Android and install it manually.
The app also lists premium apps but their APK can only be downloaded if you have purchased them on the Play Store. Premium apps attempted to download without purchasing will give you an error.
Another amazing feature of the app is that you can keep track of the version of the APK files that you have downloaded from the Play Store and get notified when an app receives an update. You can then download the new APK file to replace the existing one.
Conclusion
The tool does a pretty decent job but there’s a catch: to use the app, you require Java Runtime Environment installed on your computer. And if you follow this blog, you know we recently warned you against using Java due to the recent hacking incidents where its vulnerabilities played a role. So, your call. Just make sure you disable the Java add-ons installed in your browsers if you decide to go ahead with this.
Also SeeDid You Know
One of the most followed brands on Instagram is National Geographic.
More in Android
![Installing apk on windows 10 Installing apk on windows 10](https://i2.wp.com/www.techjunkie.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/How-to-run-Android-run-apk-in-Windows-10-3.png?w=690)