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I have built my app into a signed SDK. I would like for beta testers to be able to install this on their devices without having to install and use the android sdk tools (I realize the apk can be installed with command line tools, but would prefer that not be necessary).

I tried manually installing it, but it failed. I have an android tablet that I am using for testing. I copied the apk to my device's sdcard, and clicked on it. Which gave the option to install it with the App Manager. Unfortunately the install fails with message "Application not installed".

Is there a way to manually install an apk, without using the command line tools?

ab11
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5 Answers5

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Upload it to a Web site that is configured with .apk for the right MIME type (application/vnd.android.package-archive). Anyone clicking the link to your APK in their browser will be able to install it.

Some services have this built in. Dropbox, for example, knows about APK files, as I understand it.

CommonsWare
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  • Your solution works fine with Dropbox. Is there any other sites than Dropbox? When sharing this apk through DropBox, now it mandates to install DropBox app also in the mobile, which we dont need in my mobile. – Uday Jun 06 '18 at 04:07
  • @Uday: "Is there any other sites than Dropbox?" -- there are lots of file-sharing services (e.g., Google Drive). I have no idea which ones use the proper MIME type for APK files. I serve my APK files from a Web server for the most part. – CommonsWare Jun 06 '18 at 10:55
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You can put the apk file on a server. On the device/emulator open the browser and download the apk and now u can tap on the downloaded apk and install it.

Varun
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  • You must enable non-market applications in settings before this will work. Also you probably need the mime type set to application/vnd.android.package-archive – Chris Stratton Dec 08 '10 at 17:48
  • Yes, non market apps in setting needs to be enabled. I thought this goes without saying. anyhow its better to explicitly say this as well. Thanks Chris!! – Varun Dec 08 '10 at 17:49
  • this solution worked perfectly, though I gave CommonWare credit for answer, because he noted the mime type... – ab11 Dec 08 '10 at 19:35
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Not sure if you still need it, but I just found an other easy way of installing .apk files. This might also work for your .apk Your device does need a QR code reader and camera. Have a look at www.apkinstall.com

Jack
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A great, modern alternative is Crashlytics Beta.

Simply send beta testers an e-mail invitation, and by installing the Crashlytics Beta app, everything magically works. Your testers will even get notifications of when you publish a new beta version into the Crashlytics IDE integration.

Paul Lammertsma
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In addition to the methods that require enabling non-market applications (which users of some AT&T phones can't do), the same installation method utilized by the SDK is available on windows without the SDK in the form of the "sideload wonder machine"

Chris Stratton
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