If you are used to manually installing Android applications from their APK file, you will probably have noticed: it is becoming more and more difficult to find the APK installation files for certain applications.
And for good reason, since August 2021, Google has been requiring developers to submit their applications using the APK format instead of the APK format. Kezako? It is actually an Android App Bundle (in other words, an Android application package), a new file format inaugurated in 2018 by Google. A new one that the company subsequently decided to impose on developers for any new application published on the Google Play Store.
The Android APP Bundle has many advantages over the APK
It must be said that compared to the APK format, AAB has serious advantages. When in APK format, application installation files actually included versions of the application. The user therefore downloaded the same application several times, for different configurations, and the APK installer integrated into Android then decided, depending on the configuration of the device, the version of the APK to use for the installation. The only problem with this system was that the weight of APKs was high, and the user ended up with files they didn’t need on their device.
The AAB format works differently. It thus integrates the base APK, which contains the structure of the application common to all devices, as well as a collection of APK files dedicated to the configuration of the device. When a user seeks to download the application on their smartphone, this AAB file dynamically generates an application perfectly adapted to the configuration of the user’s device by selecting only the elements necessary for its proper functioning. We then speak of split APK or Split APK (APKS) (these APKs make up the AAB). With this system, the weight of the downloaded application is reduced drastically.
Despite its apparent practicality, this installation file format greatly complicates the possibility for users to install applications outside of the Play Store. Because theoretically, it is not possible to install an AAB outside of the Google store. Unless, obviously, the developers take the trouble to offer, in parallel, their application in APK format, if it is to be offered in other application stores.
The Android App Bundle, a real bane for sideloading
The problem with Android App Bundles is that it is now increasingly difficult to obtain an installation file in APK format for certain applications. For applications that have definitively adopted the AAB format imposed by Google, the different platforms that host APKs, such as APKMirror and APKPure, have had to find solutions.
To get around this problem, they created their own App Bundle format: APKM at APKMirror and XAPK at apkpurethe two biggest alternative platforms for downloading Android applications. If you come across one or other of these file formats, you will not have missed the fact that it is impossible to install them on your smartphone. And for good reason, the native Android application installer does not support these installation formats.
How to install an application in APKM, XAPK or APKS format?
To install an Android application you will have to, as you can imagine, use a third-party application. While there are several on the Google Play Store, such as SAI: Split APKs Installer which supports the APKM, XAPK and APKS formats, each of the previously mentioned application hosting platforms offers its own installer.
However, our choice fell on the APKMirror Installer solution which you can download and install directly from the Google Play Store. As its name suggests, This application is offered by APK Mirror whose reputation is well established. If you didn’t know it yet, APKMirror is a platform founded by our colleagues fromAndroidPolice. Here’s how to use it to install apps in APKM, XAPK, or APKS formats.
1. Grant permissions to the app
Before you can use APKMirror Installer on your smartphone, you need to grant the app several permissions.
The first is access to all files on the device. And it’s quite logical, since the application must be able to access the directories in which you will keep the APKM, XAPK or APKS applications that you download online, and that you wish to install manually. The second concerns the installation of unknown apps.
Again, no surprises. Since APKMirror Installer aims to install applications, it is logical that it is allowed to install applications from unknown sources.
If you are automatically asked for these permissions when you first launch APKMirror Installer, it is best to grant them in advance. For grant Access to all files to the applicationopen them Settings from Android, then in the menu Applicationsselect Special app access.
Then enter the menu Access to all filesselect APKMirror Installerand toggle the activation slider to Allow access to manage all files.
Then return to the previous page, then again, to return to the root of the Special app access page. Select, this time, Installing unknown apps. Press APKMirror Installerand toggle the switch to the active position to Authorize from this source.
2. Select an APKM, XAPK or APKS file
Provided of course that you have first downloaded the installation file for the application in question, you can now use APKMirror installer to install applications using the APKM, XAPK or APKS formats.
To do this, open APKMirror Installerand press Browse files. Navigate to the directory containing the installation files, in our case it is the Download folder. Sselect the application in APKM, XAPK or APKS format that you want to install on your device.
3. Install the app
After choosing the application installation file, a pop-up should appear. Press the Install Package button bottom right. A new window then opens and displays the contents of the installation package. By default, the APK file of the base application as well as the configuration file corresponding to your smartphone (in particular for the display), as well as the language of the application, the same as that used by default on your smartphone, are selected. However, you can select others if necessary. Then tap the Install App button at the bottom right of the screen.
Wait a few seconds until APKMirror Installer displays the app installation pop-up. Therefore, press the Install or Update button (if you already have an older version of the application) and wait until the installation of the application is finalized. You can, if you wish, press Open app to immediately open the freshly installed application on your smartphone.
Incompatibility issues on some devices
On the Google Play Store, APKMirror states that its app installer may not work on Xiaomi, Redmi, and Poco devices using MIUI. However, a workaround appears to exist. On these devices, after enabling the developer options, disabling MIUI optimizations from the Developer menu settings should resolve the issue. If this is not the case, you can a priori opt for the SAI: Split APKs Installer application which we talked about above, this does not pose, a priori, any problem on these devices.
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