How To Check if An Apk File is Safe: For the majority of regular users, installing Android apps from untrusted sources can be considered taboo. And, if you have Play Store, you 99% of the time don’t need to seek elsewhere.
Even yet, there are some obvious advantages, and by knowing about APKs (we’re talking about Android apps from unofficial sources, not the name APK itself), you can at least slightly simplify your life and improve your Android experience.
So, if you were wondering whether is APK safe, what the advantages and disadvantages are, and whether you should try it, you come to the right spot.
Can APK Files Harm Your Phone in any Way?
It cannot, to put it simply. No app (APKs are Android apps), regardless of where you downloaded it, can harm your phone.
The only harm an app can do is from those annoying, impossible-to-skip video adverts with the smallest X ever.
Putting jokes aside, you shouldn’t be concerned unless you take unnecessary risks (such as providing your bank login information, personal phone number, or email address). We’ll elaborate on that and discuss the advantages and potential disadvantages of APKs on Android.
Make sure the app (often the browser where you download and run the APK) has been given permission to install apps from unknown sources if you’re having trouble installing an APK on your Android.
How do APKs work?
APK, which stands for Android Package, is an archive file, much like RAR or ZIP files. Although it is the standard file format for storing Android app installation files, it is only useful on Android.
The APPX extension in the Microsoft Store and IPA on the Apple App Store are pretty comparable to the APK on Android, therefore Android is not the only platform that makes use of this method of managing apps.
All Play Store apps are APKs (or bundles of many APKs), however, Play Store downloads and extracts apps in the background so you never see the installation file.
In addition to being an app library, Play Store also functions as a file extraction tool and package manager. These installation files are kept locally (as base.apk files), but without root access, you cannot access them.
With a couple of recent significant Android releases from Google, accessing system files become quite challenging.
You may reverse the process (rearchive apps) and obtain APKs for apps you’ve downloaded from the Play Store using various third-party applications. Most APKs published online are created in this manner.
With the Share Apps feature, which enables direct Bluetooth sending and receiving of APK files from the Play Store, Google has made things even simpler. You’ll soon realize that this isn’t really noteworthy because you can only share the most recent stable version of a program, even though it is useful.
Many regular users who only download apps from the Google Play Store may never encounter APK files. Android has the advantage of being a relatively secure operating system, thus all those mobile antiviruses are actually overkilled and superfluous.
Read Also: Why should you choose APKOnline?
Reasons To Download an Apk File
Why would anyone want to install an APK file they acquired from a random website when the Play Store already has everything? While still asking is apk safe?
There are several benefits as long as you use caution. We just take into account the APK source when offering a word of warning. There isn’t a scrap of cracked, altered, or free premium stuff.
As you are clearly aware, Play Store can only update apps; it cannot roll them back to a previous version. Just a one-way street, really. There is no turning back if a developer created a release that was full of bugs and sent it to the Play Store.
The Earlier Version of the Software is No Longer Available
Simply wait for the upcoming release while hoping that they would patch it out as soon as possible. However, you can identify outdated versions of that software and download either one of those or a beta/alpha version using an APK without wondering if is apk safe.
The following advantage relates to device, geo, and Play Store restrictions. Like all other forms of intellectual property, some apps are only accessible in particular places and on specific hardware.
Additionally, APKs are needed for the installation of programs like betting apps that are not accessible through the Play Store because of Google’s tight policies.
I’ll give you a personal illustration. Numerous modules of Samsung’s Good Lock application substantially improve the user experience.
Especially if you’re a bells and whistles enthusiast and a power user. story twist Good Lock is a unique feature that is only available in a select few nations and on a select few flagship devices.
Even so, most Samsung devices running OneUI 2.5 or later are perfectly compatible. You can obtain Good Lock and all modules using APKs. You simply need to download and install them individually.
Open-source retailers like F-Droid and Aurora are given priority last but certainly not least. Yes, Google Play Store includes a wide variety of categories with everything you could ever want.
Even though open-source app stores have fewer apps overall and lack convenience, they are typically privacy-focused and provide users with diverse tastes and stronger privacy aims with an option to Google. If you want to try them out and have a look, you’ll need to download them as APKs since these stores are not listed on the Play Store.
Where to find safe APK downloads
Avoiding modified (cracked) software from dubious over-the-counter websites is the major objective while installing apps from third-party sources. We don’t pass judgment, so if you have a reliable source and don’t want to spend money, all the better. However, most of the time it isn’t worthwhile because they are either malicious or misleading.
You should search for websites like APK Mirror, which has a huge collection of Android applications. Most APKs that are digitally signed using the same Keystore as the Play Store version can be found there. It follows that the individual who uploads APKs to APK aggregator websites did not tamper with the code. Some publications that are much bigger than we readily recommend them are safe to utilize. Naturally, we must state that we have no connection to APK Mirror.
How to Make Sure an APK File is Safe
VirusTotal
You can send your APK files to the VirusTotal website to get them scanned for viruses and other problems. The fifth most frequently checked file on the internet is an Android file. One restriction is that the file must be less than 128 MB, therefore some games, in particular, may be too large for this utility.
Use the following steps:
- Go to the website.
- Select your file in the browser dialogue box after clicking Choose File.
- In order to view your results, click Scan it!
This will enable you to swiftly determine whether an APK is secure or not. In general, VirusTotal has received high marks for its efficiency in online comments. It is a nonprofit organization that Google purchased in 2012. The compiled information is the result of many antivirus programs, website scanners, file and URL analysis programs, and user input.
NViso ApkScan 2.
NViso ApkScan is another program that functions similarly to VirusTotal. There is no file size restriction, and it also offers a thorough report on the APK file you have. This program has been endorsed on most forums, and it was quick and simple to use.
Use Nviso by performing the following:
- Launch the Nviso website.
- The APK file should be dropped onto the website.
- Then select the Scan package.
If you’d prefer, you can also check the Email box, enter your email address, and exit the website. The results will thereafter arrive in the mail for you. The detailed results include a virus scan, a risk rating, a list of the permissions the app requests, general data like its MD5 and SHA256 hashes, and file size (this data may be made publicly available for the app you’re trying to download, assisting with the verification of the APK’s authenticity).
Hash Droid 3.
Checking the hash of an APK is one method, as indicated above, to ensure that you are downloading the correct APK. The SHA of a file functions somewhat like a digital fingerprint, and if the makers of the software you’re looking for have made their SHA publicly available, you may compare it to the SHA of the APK you already have. You are secure if the two coincide.
You can search for this information using Nviso ApkScan, but if you’d rather do it directly on your phone, you may use the Hash Droid app.
- Download Hash Droid from the Google Play store.
- Choosing Hash a File.
- Select SHA-256 from the list of hashes.
- Select the APK file you wish to examine.
- Click Calculate.
This should display the hash information for the APK, which is a lengthy string that resembles this: 5a8679e3e4298b7b3ffac725106db12a21bdb0bcf746f44fa7e46c40dbf794aa. Just in case you were wondering, that is the original Pokemon Go hash.
By comparing the hashes of APKs with the information provided by the app authors, you may determine whether the APK is secure enough to install.
Employing these three techniques, and using programs downloaded from third parties will provide you with a higher level of security. It’s important to remember that none of these techniques is 100% secure, so it’s generally best to stay with the Play Store if you’re concerned about viruses.
Regardless of what Google or OEMs may claim, installing apps from third-party sources is a good thing. Android should continue to operate in the same manner it has for many years.
