57
votes
Why can't I install this downloaded APK?
Disable your screen dimming app. :)
Some screen dimming apps work by overlaying the whole screen with a translucent window, and letting touch events pass through to the activity below, but for ...
- 581
52
votes
Accepted
Is apkmirror.com safe?
Apkmirror.com is run by the same people behind AndroidPolice.com, one of the biggest Android news websites. All uploads are manually vetted and approved, and only free apps are allowed so you won't ...
- 8,699
44
votes
Accepted
Why does Android keep APK files of installed apps?
An Android APK usually contains these things.
assets/
lib/
META-INF/
res/
AndroidManifest.xml
classes.dex
Upon installation, the APK file is copied to /data/app, and classes.dex is extracted and "...
- 7,324
26
votes
Is it possible to backup and restore an app with data via ADB?
The answer is: It depends. It's the way supposed to work:
adb backup -f myapp.ab -apk com.myapp # backup on one device
adb restore myapp.ab # restore to the same or any other device
...
Izzy♦
- 89.1k
20
votes
Accepted
How to tell what architecture an APK is intended for?
One (rather crude) way to see what architecture an APK's native libraries are built for is to unzip it (it's only a zip file) and take a look at the libs folder - if the application contains any ...
- 475
16
votes
How can I verify the authenticity of an APK file I downloaded?
The correct way to verify an APK file is to use apksigner.
apksigner is part of the Android build tools, therefore you may find multiple versions installed, one for each build-tools version installed.
...
- 15.8k
10
votes
Accepted
What is the APK (and package) name of the Google App?
Answering my own question, thanks to the method found on this View app's full package name? thread and the hint provided by Google App's URL in Google play.
I typed:
adb shell 'pm list packages -f ...
- 261
10
votes
Accepted
Download purchased APK from play store
There are multiple possibilities for this. One is using the appropriate counter-parts from the µg project (pronounced "micro-G"; formerly known as NOGAPPS) – in this case Phonesky (the inofficial ...
Izzy♦
- 89.1k
10
votes
Apk file not installing in android says "You may not have proper app for viewing this content"
Such Issues generally occur when you try to open the file from within an Application (Messenger, Whatsapp etc.) other than File Manager (any such application with similar privileges) or Play Store.
...
- 201
10
votes
Accepted
APK signature verified but warns file "not protected by signature"?
Summary
The warning you have encountered only applies to the APK signature v1, but as the APK file is signed with additional signatures of the newer signature schemes you can safely ignore this ...
- 15.8k
9
votes
How can I download an APK file from the Play Store?
You can e.g. use Raccoon for that – a phantastic Java app I'm using:
Raccoon (source: Tutonaut; click image for larger variant)
The app requires credentials of a Google account (you can either use ...
Izzy♦
- 89.1k
9
votes
Accepted
No download link for Adblock Plus
Adblock forums says
this product is outdated (not maintained anymore), eventually use adblock browser for android
Also, see this post
see what said an eyeo moderator:
"Unfortunately at the ...
- 37.9k
8
votes
Accepted
How are "ShareIt","Xender" etc able to install APK without requiring "unknown source" permission?
I did a bit of digging and it is possible without System permissions from API 21 onwards https://developer.android.com/reference/android/content/pm/PackageInstaller.html.
In fact, there is a code ...
- 271
7
votes
Accepted
Minimal .apks for play store
Well... finding an old package, looking at those files I discovered the answer. Sometimes it takes very long to find it and the solution is simple.
Short Answer
You should also move "Phonesky.apk&...
- 331
7
votes
How can I verify the authenticity of an APK file I downloaded?
There is (now) an apksigner tool in build-tools that does what you want. From the docs:
Check whether the APK's signatures are expected to be confirmed as valid on all Android platforms that the ...
- 171
7
votes
Accepted
Is it possible to repack an .apk to install it in an incompatible Android version? ('there is a problem parsing the package'/have 4.0.4-requires 4.1)
Short answer: No.
Simple repacking cannot solve the compatibility problem. If an app requires "at least Android XX", that usually means it needs some conditions not met before it. There are new OS ...
Izzy♦
- 89.1k
7
votes
Discrepancy between sizes of apps listed in Play Store vs. actual installed app size
Apk and zip files are essentially the same, compressed. Before the system can use the file it needs to decompressed. So the file is one size when downloaded and another size when installed.
Also note ...
- 2,440
7
votes
Discrepancy between sizes of apps listed in Play Store vs. actual installed app size
The Google play store, and other app stores, only list the main application (APK) size, not the total app size, which includes the OBB (Opaque Binary Blob) expansion files. OBBs are the extra files ...
- 723
7
votes
Accepted
Uninstall apps installed from their APK
It won't be shown in Google Play Store because you have not uploaded it to the store. To uninstall the app go to
Settings -> Apps -> find your app -> Uninstall
- 1,123
7
votes
Accepted
What process happens when there is a system optimization?
What is Android doing when it says “optimizing apps/system”?
Basically the android system will be creating an optimised version of each application. This process makes each app start as fast as ...
- 9,672
7
votes
Creating universal APK form multiple APKs without having *.aab (Android App Bundle) file
Split APK file formats
Various app download sites were confronted with the same problem. They solved by defining custom file formats and installer for apps that consist of multiple APKs files:
There ...
- 15.8k
6
votes
How do I properly install a system app given its .apk?
Carl Parker writes about it on Android Authority:
(partly reproduced here in case the original post goes down)
For Apps Installed on the Device
Assuming you have installed the app on your ...
- 1,115
6
votes
Is it possible to install Chromium on Android?
As mentioned on Eldarerathis' comment, no matter what, you are going to need a newer version of Android, which probably means (CyanogenMod will only get you to 2.3.7) that you'll need a newer phone.
...
- 606
6
votes
Cannot install unsigned APK file on my phone
Android does not allow installing unsigned applications.
You will need to sign you APK (with a debug or release key). Don't use Android tools->Export unsigned application package, but rather the ...
- 161
6
votes
Accepted
How do I convert ASEC files to APK?
According to this question/answer, the .asec files are actually dm-crypt containers which can be mounted, and contain the unencrypted .apk. The keys are stored in /data/misc/systemkeys/AppsOnSD.sks.
...
- 16.1k
6
votes
Accepted
How to run an .APK without installing it on the device with adb?
Running an APK without installing it?
No matter if you won't accept the answer, running an APK is not possible.
It's not an executable, it's an archive containing the application and instructions on ...
- 220
6
votes
How to install apk in 2nd user of android 5.0 without playstore
Using the command,
adb install -r whatever.apk
will install the application in 2nd user of android 5.0.2 .
Source
- 682
6
votes
Accepted
Can I make a flashable ZIP containing one or more APKs
This simplified example is inspired by this xda-developers thread.
It is handy to use adb but you don't need to.
Get a Java signing tool and keys
Your packaged ZIP needs to be signed. If you have a ...
- 395
6
votes
Accepted
Paid app accidentally deleted and now can't re-download: says I "already own" the app
Well, I figured it out ...
Go to https://play.google.com/apps
Log in with the same credentials that are used on my device
A list of all my installed apps is shown. Find the deleted app and click on ...
- 391
Only top scored, non community-wiki answers of a minimum length are eligible