If you are an Android phone holder, you mostly download the apps for your device from Google Play Store. However, third-party sources also offer Android apps in the form of an APK file to download and install. Installing an APK file in Android is simple, but it requires doing some settings before installing APK on Android. First of all, you have to prepare your device's settings to install the APK file from third-party sources. Second, download the APK file on your Android smartphone. And finally, open the downloaded APK file to install on your device.

What is an APK?

Before discussing how to install an APK file on an Android smartphone, let's see the brief description of an APK file:

An APK is a short form of the Android Package Kit. It is a package file format used on Android OS to distribute and install an app on Android devices. It is just like a .exe file used for installing software on Windows PC and a package installer (PKG) for Mac. Downloading an app using APK are sometimes leaked apps that customize your Android experience or some other Android apps which are not uploaded on Google Play Store due to any reason.

Downloading an APK file online or receiving it from other persons are getting an installer file of an app on an Android device.
Why Use an APK?

If you have ever installed an application from Google Play Store before, then this task unintentionally installed the application's APK file in your Android device. Clicking on the green install button automatically transfer the APK file to your Android phone from Google Play Store and runs it for you.
Best sites for APK download

Numerous web sources offer to download APK files, but be sure to select a trusted website. Some APK files may contain suspicious software, which could be dangerous for the phone's security. Always try to avoid downloading and installing any app outside the Google Play Store on your device.

Based on the user's review, some of the trusted sites to download APK files are APKMirror.com, modded apk for android techzapk, APKPure.com, Aptoide.com, etc. But before downloading and installing an APK from any site, read some user's reviews and comments.

However, AKPMirror is one of the safest and trusted sites to download APK files on your device. APKMirror monitors the files that you will not install any malware other than APK files, but not all sites give such a feature. You may also visit APKPure for downloading and installing APK files.

Security of your device and data is a priority of these sites so that you can download APK files without worry about viruses and malware files.
How to install an APK on your Android device

Before installing an app using an APK file other than Google Play Store, we have to ensure that our Android phone settings are enabled to install third-party apps. It can be checked under the "Security" tab or the Setting menu. Generally, this option says install from unknown sources or allows third-party installations. However, the newer Android versions of phones are a little more different.

Install an Android File Manager

After the configuration of third-party app installation on an Android device, you also need to install a "File Manager" app. It makes it easy to locate your APK file on your smartphone so that you can run it to install. There are several Android File Manager apps you will find on Google Play Store. Download one of them which you prefer more, and this app locates the APK file once it is transferred to your phone.