Where to find apk files on android phone

See my answer to this question for details. Sign up to join this community. The best answers are voted up and rise to the top. Stack Overflow for Teams — Collaborate and share knowledge with a private group. Create a free Team What is Teams? Learn more. Where are the. Asked 10 years, 10 months ago.

Active 3 months ago. Viewed k times. Improve this question. Manually installing apps using APKs is called sideloading. Then use the command prompt while your AVD is running to enter in that directory adb install filename. The app should be added to the app list of your virtual device. In Android you can easily backup all your apps using a free file manager app called File Explorer, a popular app to manage all your files and folders.

Once installed, launch it from the menu. Depending on your device, you might need to give a specific app, such as Chrome, permission to install unofficial APK files. Or, if you see it, enable Install Unknown Apps or Unknown sources. An application is a mini software that can be installed on any platform whether it be Android, Windows or iOS whereas Apk files can be installed only on Android systems. Applications directly install on any device however, Apk files have to be installed as an app after downloading it from any reliable source.

Tap the file. You will be walked through the process of installing the app. Search the web for the name of the APK site you find and "malware" or "reddit" to see if others have mentioned that it's unsafe. Open your Android's file manager app. The name of the file manager app on your Android varies by model.

If you have a Samsung, open My Files. All modern Androids have file managers, so you shouldn't have to download one. If you haven't enabled app installs from unknown sources for your file manager, you'll need to do so before you continue. Some older Android models that don't have file managers have an app called Downloads , which is essentially just a file manager.

Open that app to find your files. Navigate to the APK file. The location will vary depending on how you got the file. If you downloaded it from the web, it'll usually be in a folder called Downloads. Tap the APK file. You'll be asked if you want to install the app. It's at the bottom-right corner of the window. This installs the app on your Android. This is for your protection, and can help you stay safe while sideloading apps.

Tap DONE when prompted. When the file is finished installing, this closes the installer. You will then find your new app in your Android's app list. You can also tap OPEN here to open the installed app. Not Helpful Helpful That's hard to tell. They are just files you download from the internet and install, just like a program on your computer. However, some APK's from shady sites might be bad, so always be careful!

Normally the playstore installs APK files for you, when downloading an app. For example, when an. That's what. They act as a texture pack or can mod a game.

Not Helpful 22 Helpful This populates it with the files needed to run. Not Helpful 28 Helpful APK files are only intended for Android and will not work on an iPhone. Not Helpful 13 Helpful You may eventually be able to get a PS4 emulator, but it's not currently possible. Not Helpful 26 Helpful The APK doesn't work or is corrupt.

This is usually because of this or because you have no storage. You may sometimes have to retry. Not Helpful 12 Helpful 7. Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered. APK files can be used to access a specific version of an app e. Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0. Take caution when installing APK files that prompt for extra permissions. Most malware apps will steal your personal information, which can be used for malicious purposes. If in doubt, don't install the APK file.

Related wikiHows How to. How to. About this article. Written by:. Travis Boylls.