You’ll want to make sure the file you downloaded ends in.

Once you’ve found the download site, click “Download APK” to save the file to your system. Some sites, like APKMirror, offer a QR code service you can scan with your phone to automatically navigate your device to the download site. To download an APK, you can either navigate to the source of the APK itself on your device, or you can download the file on your computer and transfer it to your phone or tablet like you would any other file.APKMirror, in particular, is used often among the XDA and modding crowd to install newer versions of apps before they hit the Play Store. These sites host unmodified APKs of free downloads, and display when each app is signed by the manufacturer. Instead, if you’re looking to install APKs from outside the Play Store, we recommend using sites that are known for being sources of quality APK uploads, like APKMirror and APKPure.

There are plenty of sites online that promise paid apps for free, and even if some of these sites are legitimate, you don’t want to run the risk. Obviously, installing random APKs online isn’t recommend. While the Play Store has been hit with malware attacks in the past, it’s far and away the most secure way of installing apps on Android. One of the benefits of downloading apps exclusively from the Play Store is being able to know and trust that the APK has been signed by Google.

At this point, you can return home you’re done messing around in settings.Īs promised, let’s address the elephant in the room: third-party APKs can be dangerous and insecure.

The popup will disappear, and you’ll see that the switch has been enabled.

When you click on the option, you’ll receive a popup message, alerting that “your and your personal data are more vulnerable to attack by apps from unknown sources.” We’ll address a bit more what that means below, but for now, click OK.

You’ll see the switch to enable the setting is currently disabled. No worries-just scroll down to the Unknown sources selection under Device administration. There’s plenty of options in here that may seem a bit confusing to newer Android users.

The security menu might seem a bit daunting to begin with.

If you can’t find the Security option, use the search functionality inside settings and type in “ Security.” It should return you with the security menu.

Once you’re inside settings, you’ll want to scroll all the way down to the bottom of your settings menu and click Security.

So open your settings menu by either clicking the settings shortcut in your notification tray or opening settings through your app drawer.

Google settings apk