Places to download APK files are certainly not lacking. Is it so APKMirror, UpToDown and a thousand and one additional tools and websites, such as Raccoon APK Downloader or Aurora Store. APK.Support is another alternative not so well known and that fulfills the function perfectly: power download the APK of any application that is on Google Play, as long as it is a free app, of course.
The advantage of APK.Support is that you don’t need to install anything and that the APK files you download come from directly from Google servers, without modifications. With its utility to download APK files you can therefore download applications that are not available in your country or for your device.
First, search and download
It is relatively common for developers to release games or applications first in some regions and not others, in order to catch bugs before a global release or for any other reason. It’s also possible for an app to be available on Google Play for a list of devices, despite technically being able to run smoothly on others. A traditional solution to both problems is download the APK and install the application on your own.
The problem is usually finding said APK. Most APK download pages require someone to upload the APKs in advance, so they have some delay in receiving the latest versions. Not only that, but it can be difficult to find specific applications that have few downloads. One solution is to use pages that get the files from Google Play via their API, like Aurora Store or APK.Support. If it’s on Google Play, it’s its APK.
In the case of APK.Support, the download tool can be found in this direction. No need to login or download anything. All you have to do is put the Google Play link of an application in the form, or the name of its package. It is not possible to search by name.
For example, if you want to download Angry Birds Journey, which is currently only available in a handful of countries, you will have to enter its address in Google Play in the form, https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.rovio.abcasual or the name of the package, com.rovio.abcasual. Doing so will display a window with the files Latest version APK, ready to be downloaded.
Since the Android App Bundles arrived, some applications they are not made up of an APK, but of several. The APK.Support tool shows you all the APKs of each version, being able to download them separately or all together, in a single ZIP. This option is recommended, as you can easily install it later with a tool. From this same window, by the way, you can download previous versions by tapping on Other archived versions.
After compressing all the APK files as a ZIP, it will be time to install it. As it is not one APK, but several, you need a specific tool to install them. This is only necessary in applications that consist of several APKs. Those that are one, you can install them as always.
Multiple APKs? Use UPS to install them
You don’t need to install anything to download APK files from Google’s servers with Support.APK, but you will need an application to install the App Bundles which are made up of multiple APK files. The good news is that there is a free and open source app, available here, which you can use: Split APK Installer, or SAI, available on Google Play.
Split APKs Installer (SAI)
- Developer: polychromaticfox
- Download it at: Google play
- Price: Free
- Category: Tools
Split APKs Installer is a very easy to use multiple APK installer. To start with, there is only one button, Install APKs. After pressing it, you will have to navigate through the mobile folders until you find the ZIP file that contains the APKs that you have previously downloaded.
In case you downloaded the APK files separately, you can also make a multiple choice. Whatever the method, after choosing the file, the application will spend a while processing the result.
When finished, SAI will try to install the application, which means that the first time you do it, you must grant it permission to install applications. With the permit ready, you can finally install the app as usual.
This method should help you install apps that are on Google Play but you can’t download for different reasons, although remember that it is only the beginning. It is possible that the application that you have downloaded does its own checks when you open it and does not work, or that it is incompatible with your mobile hardware.
was originally published in
Xataka Android
by
Ivan Ramirez
.
