How To Install 3rd Party Apps On Android

How to Sideload and Install Apps on Android equally APKs or App Bundles

Apps are the lifeblood of whatever operating system. Without apps, nosotros tin only do so much on platforms like Android on our favorite smartphones. Fortunately, Google Play offers millions of apps, but due to platform restrictions, not every good app tin can be found on the store. Sometimes, app availability is likewise restricted on a geographical basis. So the only way to become such apps is by sideloading them.

Thanks to the openness of Android, you can sideload and install Android apps from third-party stores equally well equally other sources. In this guide, we'll explain how yous tin can sideload Android apps.

Navigate this guide:

• Getting the APKs or app bundles
• Transferring the APKs or app bundles to your device
• Sideloading the APK file
• Sideloading app bundles on Android
  • How to install app bundles using Split up App Installer
  • How to install app bundles using App Bundle Installer
  • Using ADB to install app bundles

Getting the APK files or app bundles

Earlier you tin can sideload an app on Android, you demand to obtain its installation file. Android app installers have the .APK file extension that's short for Android Packet. APK files contain everything that'due south needed to install and run the app. Apart from APKs, yous'll find app bundles, which are as well used to install Android apps.

There are two kinds of app bundles – official and unofficial. The official Android app bundle format is AAB and it was introduced dorsum in 2022 past Google. The visitor is making it mandatory for app developers to publish all new Android apps in AAB in the Google Play store starting August 2022. One can as well covert a standard AAB parcel to an APK set archive, which uses the .apks file extension.

The unofficial app bundles come from sites like APKMirror and APKPure, which take created their own app bundles chosen APKM and XAPK, respectively. The app bundles pack a base of operations APK file and multiple resources bundles meant for different architectures, layouts, and languages.

These APKs and app bundles are shared by the developers and community members on XDA forums, uploaded on third-party resources like APK Mirror, APKPure, or on stores similar F-Droid and Amazon. In one case yous've obtained the APK file or an app package for the app you need to install, we can motility forward to the actual sideloading bit.

Circumspection: Practise not install APK files from random sources. Only install APK files from trusted sources. Otherwise, y'all could end up infecting your device with malware.

Transferring the APK or App Package to your phone

If you haven't downloaded the APK file or the app package straight onto your Android phone, you'll need to transfer it from your computer to the phone. You can transfer it using Bluetooth, a USB cablevision, or a cloud storage service. Using a cloud storage service like Google Bulldoze is normally the easiest mode to get an APK onto your phone. Just upload it onto Google Drive from your reckoner, and download it using the Bulldoze app on your phone. If y'all're looking for more methods for file transfer, check out our guide on How to Transfer Files betwixt Android and Windows PC.

Installing/Sideloading the APK file

Once the APK has been transferred to your phone, you're ready to install information technology.

• Locate the file on your telephone. The downloaded APKs can be constitute in the Downloads app. Or yous can use a file managing director to navigate to the Downloads folder.
• Tap on the file name to outset the installation. If this is the starting time fourth dimension you're installing an APK from that file manager, the Downloads app, or the web browser, Android will throw a warning and ask your permission to continue. Requite the permission and, depending on the app from where you're installing the APK, you may have to tap back to go to the installer. In some apps, you'll automatically exist sent back to the installer.
• Tap on Install, and the application will exist installed successfully unless there are compatibility issues.

If your Android device is running on Nougat or an older version, you'll commencement accept to enable Installation from Unknown Sources by going to Settings > Security, later on which y'all'll exist able to install the APK. Sideloading support is available on all Android versions, and you don't demand root access or any other special privileges.

Sideloading App Bundles on Android

While sideloading an APK is pretty easy, every bit yous tin encounter in the previous department, it can be slightly tricky to install app bundles, whether it is the official Android App Bundle or unofficial bundles. Thankfully, at that place are apps that make it easier to install app bundles. Alternatively, you can employ ADB to install the unofficial app bundles and Google's bundletool to install the official app bundles.

How to install app bundles using Dissever APKs Installer (SAI)

Dissever APKs Installer supports APKM and XAPK app bundles.

1. To install an APKM or XAPK app packet, download and install the SAI app from the Google Play store.
2. Open SAI and tap on the Install APKs icon on the bottom.
3. Y'all can now either utilize the app'south internal file picker or the organization file picker to locate the app package.
4. SAI will now automatically select the correct resources from the packet for your device. In nigh cases, the machine-selected resources will work only fine. If yous think something is incorrect, you tin can also manually select the resources.
5. Tap on install to continue.
6. If this is the first time y'all're installing an app bundle through SAI, y'all'll accept to allow the app to 'install apps from unknown sources'.
7. Tap on Install once again for confirmation, and the app will be installed on your telephone.

How to install app bundles using App Bundle Installer

Apart from the APKM and XAPK formats, the App Bundle Installer app tin can also install the official Android App Bundles (AAB).

1. Download and install the App Packet Installer from Google Play. The app is currently in early access, so y'all might run into some bugs.
2. Open the App Package Installer and select the correct app bundle format from the bottom bar. You can pick from AAB, APKS, XAPK, and APKM. Normal APKs can besides exist installed using the app.
3. In one case yous have selected the format, y'all can either apply Scan or Select options to selection the app bundle.
4. Tap on Install File to proceed with the installation.
5. If this is the first time you're installing an app bundle through App Bundle Installer, you'll have to allow the app to install apps from unknown sources.
6. Tap on Install again for confirmation, and the App Bundle Installer app will install the app. Unlike SAI, the App Package Installer app doesn't requite the option to manually selection the app resources, and automatically selects the right ones for your device.
7. Once the app is installed, you'll encounter a confirmation.

Using ADB to sideload app bundles

If y'all've ADB set up on your reckoner, y'all can use it to sideload app bundles like APKS (converted from AAB), APKM, and XAPK. For help in setting it up, check out our guide on how to install ADB on Windows, Mac, and Linux.

At present, to install an app bundle, we demand to excerpt its contents to a folder. Y'all tin can use an archiver app to extract it. As mentioned earlier, the bundle can include a base APK and various resource APKs for different Awarding Binary Interfaces (ABIs), languages, and screen DPIs. If you're unsure of your device's ABI or screen DPI, you can either download Droid Hardware Info or DevCheck Hardware and System Info app, and cheque the ABI and DPI details. You'll take to pick the right APKs for your device from the extracted APKs, based on the ABI and DPI data.

Once yous've ADB upwardly and running, utilise the post-obit control to install the app bundle. Brand sure y'all put the extracted APK files in the platform-tools or ADB binder for easy access. You can also rename them if y'all desire. Alternatively, if you accept ADB path/ alias prepare up, you can likewise straight run ADB in the folder containing the extracted APKs.

          adb install-multiple 1.apk two.apk three.apk        

This command will install the app on your telephone.

In case the package includes additional opaque binary blobs (commonly referred to every bit OBB files), you need to manually copy them to the device's internal storage/Android/OBB/<package_name_of_the_app> folder.

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This is how you can sideload APK files and app bundles on Android. If you think we missed something, allow us know in the comments department.

Source: https://www.xda-developers.com/how-to-sideload-install-android-app-apk/

Posted by: ortiziggerstoost.blogspot.com

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