Q. What is an APK File?
A. An APK file is a file format used to distribute and install software (usually games or applications) on the Android operating system. Downloading the APK allows you to install programs without needing access to sites like Google Play. To install these files, it's not even necessary to be connected to the Internet.
Q. Why Would I Want to Install an APK File?
A. Installing APK files allows you to install apps that have leaked ahead of their official release. Alternately, you can download apps that have been banned (like Market Changer, which trickers Google Play into thinking you're from another country). Often APK files from new Android builds are leaked, giving you early access to features like Google Now that you wouldn't have been able to get without downloading them on your own. You could say that APK files allow one to bypass carriers to get the latest Google updates. Alternately, if your Android device lacks access to Google Play, APK files may be the only way to get apps on your device.
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Q. Why Would I Want to download Data files for certain games and apps ?
A. For certain android games and apps [especially when it is HD game] you must have to download data files for game through mobile internet after launching the game. These data files will be download to SD card and might take some time to complete download on slower networks. To avoid this waiting you can download the data files from your PC itself and move it to SD card via USB cable/bluetooth. Most probably you have to place data files in one of these locations:
'SD/Android/data' or ' SD/data/data' or ' SD/Android/obb' or 'SD/gameloft/games' [mostly for all Gameloft games] or 'SD/ [ This means the folder with game name might be present directly on the SD card, not inside any further folders]. Sometimes you need to have internet connection, for first time to play the game [even when you place the data files on right place]. This is to verify with the sever that all game data files are present on the phone before starting the game.
Game Data files you downloaded will be in .zip format, so you have unzip it with softwares like Winzip, 7-zip etc from PC to get the data folder. If you're downloading from android phone then you can use B1 Archiver zip rar unzip to extract and get both apk files and Data files..--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
NOTE: If you're downloading data files from PC along with Apk file, Then do not place data files on SD card destination[SD/Android/data] before Installing Apk file. You can place data files some where else in SD card and move it to destination folder after Installing Apk file.
Q. How to install .apk file ?
A. Follow the steps below :
1. Connect your phone to computer in disk drive mode (connect to USB cable, select Disk Drive from the options that appear on the phone, press Done), You can use Bluetooth or Wifi as well.
2. Copy the APK file to the SD card (anywhere you like).
3. Disconnect phone from computer .
4. Open any file manager (Astro, Es File Explorer, File Expert etc…) and browse to the file.
5. Select the file and choose the Open App Manager option.
6. Press the Install button.
7. If you get a message saying: “Install Blocked. For security, your phone is set to block installation of applications not sourced in Android Play Store”, go to Settings > Applications > check the box which says Unknown Sources.
If you're installing Apk file of android game with data files, then follow the same above steps till Apk file is installed [NOTE: Donot Launch Game]. Then place the Downloaded data files on location [ 'SD/Android/data' or ' SD/data/data' or 'SD/Android/obb' or 'SD/gameloft/games' {mostly for all Gameloft games} ]. Then Launch the game and play.
Installing APK Files from Your Android phone
You can install APK files from your Android. Just open your web browser, click on the APK file to download. Once done, go to 'settings' - 'security' - then tick 'unknown sources'. After that open the "Downloads" folder, click the .apk file to install.
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Q. How to install .apk file ?
A. Follow the steps below :
1. Connect your phone to computer in disk drive mode (connect to USB cable, select Disk Drive from the options that appear on the phone, press Done), You can use Bluetooth or Wifi as well.
2. Copy the APK file to the SD card (anywhere you like).
3. Disconnect phone from computer .
4. Open any file manager (Astro, Es File Explorer, File Expert etc…) and browse to the file.
5. Select the file and choose the Open App Manager option.
6. Press the Install button.
7. If you get a message saying: “Install Blocked. For security, your phone is set to block installation of applications not sourced in Android Play Store”, go to Settings > Applications > check the box which says Unknown Sources.
If you're installing Apk file of android game with data files, then follow the same above steps till Apk file is installed [NOTE: Donot Launch Game]. Then place the Downloaded data files on location [ 'SD/Android/data' or ' SD/data/data' or 'SD/Android/obb' or 'SD/gameloft/games' {mostly for all Gameloft games} ]. Then Launch the game and play.
Installing APK Files from Your Android phone
You can install APK files from your Android. Just open your web browser, click on the APK file to download. Once done, go to 'settings' - 'security' - then tick 'unknown sources'. After that open the "Downloads" folder, click the .apk file to install.
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Q. Why my downloaded app is .zip instead of .apk ?
A. Some of the APK files uploaded in this blog might be in .zip format, in that case you have to unzip it with softwares like Winzip,7-zip etc from PC or B1-archiver-zip-rar-unzip from mobile to get the APK file or in other cases try to use Google Chrome , Mozilla FireFox etc instead of using old version of internet explorer to download the apps.
