In 2022, how will you install APK files on Android devices without the Google Play Store?

Posted 2 years ago by John Smith

Android is the operating system that powers more than 80% of the smartphones that we see today. From its humble beginnings in 2008, Android has matured to become a powerhouse and one of the top dogs in the world of consumer electronics alongside Windows and iOS (Apple).

What many people don’t know about Android is that there are at least two other versions, besides stock Android called Amazon Fire OS and Google/MIUI which comes pre-installed on Xiaomi devices. The former is based on Android Lollipop while the latter is based on Marshmallow (6.0).

For our purposes, we’re most interested in Amazon Fire OS and stock Android. However, before we get into the details about how you install an apk, it is probably worth mentioning, what an apk is!

What is an apk?

An Android Package Kit, more commonly known as an apk, is the file format used to distribute and install application software onto Google’s Android operating system.

The apk is similar to an MSI file in Windows or a dmg file on Mac OS X. It contains all of the files that are part of the application including executable code, images, audio, and anything else needed to run it. There are extensions for Linux users who might want to check out .deb packages so they can work with them too!

APKs contain all code along with resources like images or text strings, but not files like videos or PDFs. This makes APKs small enough to send to people over the internet wirelessly, which is where this guide comes into play.

How do you install an APK on your device?

Well, we’ll try and answer all those questions in our guide here. Here’s what we’ll be covering:

  • What You Need To Know About Installing APKs On Android
  • How To Install APK On Android Without Google Play Store In 2022
  • The Different Methods Used To Do So
  • Which Option Is Right For You?

There are thousands of Android applications that aren’t available in Google’s app market. We can easily “side-load” these apps onto our devices using an Internet browser and a file manager. This is really important as it helps us expand the capabilities of our devices dramatically.

This guide is primarily focused on stock Android. If you’re using a Firestick, then check out our detailed guide on how you can jailbreak your Firestick and even install apps like Kodi. In that post, we’ll cover everything you need to know to get the most out of this simple, yet powerful little device.

How To Install APK Files On Android Without Google Play Store In 2022

There are really two different methods you can use to install an APK on your android device. The first uses the Downloader App and the second option uses a web browser. Both are effective, but the downloader route is definitely the easier one, so we’ll go through that option in this guide.

Installing an APK with the Downloader App

  • The app we’re going to install is called Aptoide and with it, you’ll have access to another store like the Play Store which you can use to get apps from. To get started, from the Main Menu select Google Play Store.
From the Main Menu select Google Play Store
  • Type “downloader” into the search box and press Search

Within the search box type in 'downloader' and click Search

  • Then, after clicking Install on the Downloader by AFTVnews page, wait for it to finish installing and then go back to the home screen

Click Install

  • Scroll across to the favorites icon and then down the list to find Downloader. Click it to add it to your home screen (you can move it to the left or right by selecting it again)
Click Downloader
  • When you first start Downloader, give it permission and after clicking “OK” in the next screen, go to the search box.

When first launching Downloader click Allow

  • Hover over and click the search box and then type – https://en.aptoide.com/ – into the search box

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Hover over and click the search box
  • Wait for the file download to finish. In case it doesn’t start automatically, click on the download option provided.
Wait for the file download to finish
  • If you haven’t enabled Unknown Sources for Downloader, this screen will display. Select Settings from the drop-down menu.
If you haven't enabled unknown sources for Downloader this screen will appear. Click Settings.
  • All you have to do now is hit Allow so that Downloader can access files directly – you can always remove this authorization later
Select Downloader and it will now say Allowed.
  • Go back to the downloader install screen by hitting the back button a couple of times and then clicking install and then done when complete.
Click the back button a few times to return back to Downloader, then click Install.
  • You’ll then be prompted to delete the APK file from within Downloader, so click “Delete” and then “Delete” again.
This will take you back to Downloader. Click Delete.
  • To find Aptoide TV – go back to your favorites and select it from the list. You’ve now installed your first APK – congratulations!
Return to the home screen and click the favorites icon (plus sign) and select Aptoide TV.

Conclusion

Hopefully, this post has been useful and informative and given you the guidance you’ve needed to install your first APK. We want to try and bring you the best of the best on a daily basis, but we can’t keep doing it without your help. So please share this article on Facebook, Twitter, or any other social media platform.

Remember that privacy and security are harder to come by than ever before. Recent legal challenges from around the world have made this even more obvious. Using a VPN remains the number one tactic for those who need to stay anonymous online.

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