Today in this article we will see what APK file extension is and how a user can install the APK files into the android phone. So let’s get started:
APK file stands for Android Package File. This file is created for the Android Mobile Phones and is developed by Google as Mobile operating System. Android OS has some preinstalled apps and we can install other application from Google Play Store. The application downloaded from Google play store are automatically installed into the mobile phone.
Normally users never come across this file format as Android installs the APK file in the background. There are some website then offers downloading the APK file directly from there website. If you want to manually install the application in Android OS then you will first have to download the APK file for that particular application.
You should download the APK file from some trusted source as sometimes hackers attach Virus along with the APK file. The Virus install automatically to your mobile phone as we install the software. So we should always download the APK file only from trusted resource.
How to Open APK File Extension
APK file is mainly designed for the Android operating system but there are some ways with which we can open the Android file even in Windows and Mac OS.
Open APK File in Android
To open the downloaded APK file just click on it and follow the procedure to install the app in android operating system. Due to some security reasons if you have downloaded the apk file from some external resource then you may not be able to install and open it. To install the applications downloaded from the external resource follow the steps mentioned below:
Open Settings à Navigate to Apps & Notifications à Advanced à Special App Access à and then finally click on Install Unknown Apps
How to Open APK File in Windows
You will need an Android Emulator like BlueStacks to open the file in Windows Operating System. Install the BlueStacks application in windows OS and then from the My Apps Tab choose the option Install APK
How to Open APK File in MAC Operating System
To run android apps in MAC operating system we can use the Google Chrome extension ARC Welder. So if you have this extension installed in your Google Chrome then you can easily open the APK file in MAC operating System or even in Windows Operating System.
What are the Content of APK File Extension?
The Android package file contains all the required file and folders. Below are the list of files and folders that are stored in the APK file format.
META_INF/: This folder contains the Manifest file, list of resources and signature information.
Lib/: Tis folder contains the libraries used by the application. It contains one directory for each CPU architecture it supports.
Res/: All the resources that are not compiled in resources.arsc are stored in this folder such as images.
Assets/: This directory contains Application assets.
AndroidManifest.xml: This is the XML file that stores the application metadata like name, content and version of APK file.
Classes.dex: This contains the compiled java classes
Resources.arsc: This contains the compiled resources used by the application.
How to View Content of APK File
We can easily view the APK file content by using the any of the ZIP decompression tool. Just unzip the APK file and you will be able to see the content of APK file.
Conclusion
In this article we have discussed about what is APK file extension and How to Open APK file in Android, Windows and MAC operating System. Hope the information provided above is helpful to you. If you need any other information regarding the information given above, please feel free to comment, we will be happy to help you.