Your Android device is missing out on a whole world of new features if you only install apps from the Google Play Store. Android allows you to sideload apps from anywhere, unlike Apple’s iOS. No matter how experienced you are with Android, sideloading is a useful tool to know. You’ll learn how to sideload third-party apps on Android and some safety concerns you should be aware of.
What is sideloading?
You can sideload apps and other files from sources other than the Google Play Store on your Android device. Most people use the term “sideloading” to refer to apps, but other media can also be sideloaded. Also, the process of sideloading apps involves downloading an APK file (in Android’s installer package format) and manually installing it.
Since Android is an open platform, you’re generally free to install apps from wherever you want. An alternative Android app store to Google Play, such as F-Droid or the Amazon Appstore, can be installed if you don’t like Google Play. These app stores cannot be downloaded from Google Play, so you’ll need to find them elsewhere.
Downloading the APK files or app bundles
Official and unofficial app bundles exist. AAB is the official Android app bundle format, introduced by Google in 2018. From August 2021, all new Android apps must be published in AAB in the Google Play Store. An AAB package can also be converted to an APK set archive, which uses the.apk file extension.
APKPure and APKMirror have created their app bundles called APKM and XAPK, respectively, which are unofficial app bundles. Each bundle contains a base APK file and multiple resource bundles for different architectures, layouts, and languages.
How to Sideload or Install the APK
Sideloading apps is a pretty simple process. Below are the three most popular methods: In most cases, apps installed outside of Google Play will not receive automatic updates. Alternatively, you can manually download the latest version from a third-party app store.
Installing APKs directly on Android
Android allows you to sideload apps directly from your browser. You can download APKs by visiting a page that offers them. You’ll see a warning that the APK could harm your device. Upon downloading, you’ll see a banner with a shortcut to open it. Once you tap Open, the app will be installed. Further, you can reach it by tapping the Download notification or opening your Downloads app. The app can be opened like any other app once it has been installed.
Install app bundles, split APKs, and APKM files.
You need to download and install the APKMirror Installer on your device to install the split APK. You can download and install it here.
- Once APKMirror Installer is launched, tap on the Browse File button.
- Select the APKM file.
- At the bottom right, tap the Install Package button.
- It will now load the APKM file and display all the corresponding APK files within that bundle. Make sure none of the APK files are unchecked (until the developer explicitly states so).
- Tap the Install app button at the bottom.
- The APKMirror Installer will now take you to the Install Unknown App page. Hit the back button once after enabling the toggle next to Allow from this source.
- You will now see a popup box. Click Install to begin the installation process.
- You will be notified once the installation has been completed. Launch the newly installed app by tapping the Open App button.
Installing app bundles with Split APK Installer (SAI)
You can install the APKM and XAPK app bundles by using Split APK Installer.
- Download and install the SAI app from the Google Play store to install an APKM or XAPK app bundle.
- At the bottom of SAI, tap the Install APK icon.
- To locate the app bundle, you can use either the app’s internal file picker or the system’s file picker.
- Your device will now be automatically selected from the bundle based on the resources in the bundle. The auto-selected resources will work in most cases. The resources can also be manually selected if you think something is wrong.
- You’ll have to allow the app to ‘install apps from unknown sources’ if this is your first time installing an app bundle through SAI.
- The app will be installed on your phone once you tap Install again for confirmation.
- Click on Install to begin.
Android packages (APKs) are the manual way most Android users use to install apps. Many times, our system server breaks down, and we get an error when we try to install any app from the Google Play Store. This is the reason developers do more work. In the past, developers used to make separate APK files for each platform, but now the system has changed.
The concept of multiple APKs has arrived, where developers can add different platform APK files to a single package. You may be wondering about screen compatibility and other variations. Hence, along with the APK, developers provide configuration files that ensure such an APK can run on any platform. However, installing multiple APKs takes a lot of work. Here, we will guide you through the process.
How to sideload and install apps on Android as APKM, Split APKs, XAPK files, or App Bundles using the App Manager on Android
The Google Play Store is the easiest way to get whatever apps you want for Android phones. However, some users may face compatibility issues, which ultimately force them to download APK files. In this case, the user can download an app file that is compatible with their device. However, installing the APK file is easy, and multiple APK files are available. How do we install such APK files?
To address this issue, we looked for different ways to install such APK files. Thankfully, we discovered an “app manager” that can establish such apps. A vital feature of this app manager is that it is available in the Google Play Store. This app can download any file format, such as APK, Split APK, XAPK, APKM (APK Mirror Format), or many others. So, let’s learn about installing multiple APKs using an app manager.
Note: If a prompt appears, make sure to enable the installation of apps from unknown sources through Settings >> Privacy >> Toggle Unknown Sources.
- Open the Google Play Store on your phone.
- Search for “App Manager” and tap the result showing the developer name “AndroiddeveloperLB.”
- Tap the install button to install it on your phone.
- When it’s finished, go to your file manager and look for the Multiple APK file.
- Tap on it and choose App Manager for installation.
- That’s it; you’re done.
Apart from multiple APK files, there is another format where developers split a single APK file into multiple ones to minimize the file size. In this case, a split APK installer (SAI) is needed. However, you can do the same with App Manager. SAI is another reliable option to install such APK files. Below, we share instructions to install split APKs, multiple APKs, and other formats using SAI.
To install split APKs using SAI:
- Open the Google Play Store.
- Search for “Split APK Installer.”
- Tap on the result showing “Polychromatic Fox” as the developer.
- Install it on your device.
- Once it finishes, open the SAI app and grant it the required permissions.
- From the app, select the APK file to install.
- Wait for a while for the installation to be error-free.
- That’s it; in a moment, those split APKs will install.
For beginners, there are different APK file formats available. Earlier, installing such apps was a task. But thanks to the Split APK installer and App Manager, it is now possible to gather everything together in one place. We have explained the steps required for installing APK files from both services. Even though everything is provided here, if any user still has a question, they can ask it here.