That is, although you can download an APK from APKMirror or similar sites and install it with one click, the same does not happen with applications published as App Bundle. To fix it APKMirror has created its own format, APKM, and its own installer, APK Mirror Installer. Peace of mind, we know that there can be many new words in so few lines, so we are going to explain everything in detail.
Google wants to publish only Apps Bundles in the Play Store
Despite its apparent disadvantages, the truth is that the Apps Bundles They have led to innumerable improvements in terms of the distribution of applications through the Google Play Store. Broadly speaking, this concept refers to a post format that includes all application code and resources, but that leaves the task of generate the APK file which will ultimately be installed on the device.
In this way, Google Play can take, in a compartmentalized way, only the necessary resources to install the application on each specific device, getting rid of those that are not necessary for this save space and speed up both the download and installation process.
What is an APKM file
The problem comes when trying to pass the applications from outside the store: it is no longer a universal APK that easily works on other mobiles with the same architecture, but rather a base APK and additional ones for the device in question. Until now, applications with versions in the App Bundle were not available in APKMirror, although this has changed now, when its creators have released a tool to do so. This tool is APKMirror Installer, capable of installing APKM files with App Bundles.
These APKM files are nothing more than a file containing both the base APK file as other files necessary for the application to be installed and used. It is an invention of APKMirror, although we will probably see it more and more as the popularity of App Bundles expands.
How to install Bundles apps on your mobile
Please note that APKMirror Installer is nothing more than an installer, so it will not help you to download applications either in APK or APKM format. The application is officially published on Google Play, somewhat counterproductive since it facilitates the installation of applications from outside your store. To get APKM files you will need to browse the APKMirror website. You can easily tell if it is an APK or APKM file, as the download button clearly says Download APK Bundle instead of Download APK, even see what’s inside the Bundle app.
You will then need to download APKMirror Installer, which you can find here. APKM files are associated to open with APKMirror Installer, so if you tap on Open on download, it will open directly. If you prefer, you can also open APKMirror Installer and browse your mobile storage until you locate the APKM file you have downloaded.
Tapping on it will show you some information about the application, including the version you are about to install. Tap on Install package to get to the most important part: choosing the right application “chunks” for your mobile. The installer automatically selects the ones that best suit your mobile, so in most cases you just need to press Install app. If everything has gone according to plan, you will see the notice that the application has been installed.
This is the step in summary form
We saw the need to explain all the steps in an expanded way to offer all the details of the process, which is not complicated, but not a walk for a basic user either. Being aware that it can be somewhat confusing, we are going to leave the step by step in a summarized way so that it is much more synthesized.
- Download any app that supports app bundles from APKMirror. –Some examples of apps with this format are Netflix, YouTube or Pokémon GO; They will be identified by a green label with the text “Bundle” –
- Open the APKMirror Installer app and tap the “Browse Files” button.
- Find and select the application package that you downloaded in the first step.
- Tap on “Install package” wait for the appropriate resources for your device to load.
- Finally, tap on “Install app” to install the application. Note that you must have activated the unknown origins before.
