How To install APK Files on your Android based Phone

A Guide to installing third party Downloaded Apps on your Andriod Phone

One of the best features of Android based Phones is the ability to download and use third party Apps. These Apps allow you to the flexibility to use your phone for purposes that you want. The Android Market has 1,000s of Apps to help make your life easier. There are basically two ways to install applications on your phone and the first way is through the Android Market.

The below instructions are the clearest we could find and would like to share with our readers. Helps you install an App from PC to Mobile.

APK applications are basically Android package applications.

Through the Android Market

To install APK applications on your Android phone.

1.Copy the APK file you want to install to your phone's memory card and insert the card into your Android phone.

2.Go to Android Market and search for the Apps Installer application.

3.Open it and click on the Install button.

4.After it is installed, just open it. It will show you all the APK files stored directly in the root directory of your memory card.

5.Just click on the application you want to install and it will be installed.

Installing Applications With Android SDK

It is possible to install APK files without utilizing the Android Market, although the process is more difficult and complex. To avoid the Android Market, you need to use Android SDK.

1.Download and install the Google Android SDK program and the Android USB drivers. The download links are as follows: http://code.google.com/android/intro/installing.html

2.http://dl.google.com/android/android_usb_windows.zip

3.You need to modify your Android’s settings to allow the installation of applications from other sources. Under “Settings,” select “Application Settings” and then enable “Unknown Sources.” Also under “Settings,” select “SD Card” and “Phone Storage,” and finally enable “Disable Use for USB Storage”

4.This last step is easy. Open Command Prompt and type the following: adb install <1>/<2>.apk

5.However, when you type the command, replace <1> with the path to your APK file and replace <2> with the name of the APK file.

6.Your Done.

 

Using the Android SDK

There is one more method that can be used, you can install APK files into your phone using the Android SDK. Download the Android SDK.

First of all, install the Android SDK on your computer. You will also need to install the Android USB drivers

to connect the SDK to your phone via USB. You can download it from here - http://dl.google.com/android/android_usb_windows.zip .

To install applications from other sources, you also need go to Settings -> Application Settings and enable Unknown Sources. Also go to Settings -> SD Card and Phone Storage -> Disable Use for USB Storage

. You can enable it again later.

Next, just open Command Prompt and type: adb install path/file.apk

where path is the full path to the APK file and file is the name of the APK application file. Your application is now installed. This is all you need to do, now just open the application on your phone and use it.

[Sources: Talk Andriod and BrightHub]

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