APK What It Is And What It Is For On Android

If you have come this far, it is because you want to install unknown applications on your Smartphone from alternative Google Play stores and you have seen the term APK and you would like to know what it is and what it consists of . Well let me tell you that in our blog you will find everything for Android and obviously we have the answer to your question about what it is and what it is for . That is why I invite you to read this article which will only take 30 seconds of your time.

APK What It Is And What It Is For (In Spanish)

APK stands for Android A plication P ackage . You could say that it is an executable file for Android apps (in the same way that .EXE files are on PC). This file type is a variant of the Java JAR format (remember Android is based on Java) and is used to install and distribute packaged components of the Android operating system.

Thanks to the files with the APK extension, we can install applications and games without having to use the Google Play Store .

Difference Between APP and APK

The term App refers to an application either installed from the Play Store or from an alternative market. While the term APK refers to the extension of the package installation files in Android . For example, WhatsApp is an app in itself, but for example we can download WhatsApp without the Play Store by downloading the WhatsApp APK from alternative stores to Google Play, both will continue to be the same APP , but in the second case we have downloaded its APK to be able to Install the installation package without the need for Google Play .

Why Install APK Files?

Well, because there are times when, for example, our phone has some kind of incompatibility with a specific application and we cannot find said app on Google Play .

How to Download an APK

That is why we can download the application in APK format from other alternative markets to the Play Store. Some examples would be the following:

Don’t always forget that not all APKs are safe, which is why we recommend you always install an Android antivirus or visit this article to find out if an APK is safe with VirusTotal .

How to Install an APK

To install an APK we must follow these steps:

  1. We enter Settings .
  2. Then in «Applications and Notifications» .
  3. We go down until we reach “Special application access” .
  4. We enter «Install unknown applications» .
  5. We enter Google Chrome.
  6. And we click on the tab that says “Authorize downloads from this source” .

Well, I hope you already know what APK files are on Android and what they are for, if you have any questions you can always leave me a comment, I promise to answer. Do not forget to share this article with your social networks, please, that would help me a lot… thank you!