To download Android applications, there is an official Google Play store. In addition, any game or program can be installed by downloading its .apk file and cache to a smartphone from a different source. The main problem is that applications installed in this way will not be updated. We solve the problem and think about the rest in this manual.
Android is an open operating system, so you can download games and programs from both the official Google Play store and other sources. Each application is installed using an executable file with the extension .apk, and large games require additional data to be loaded, which is called cache.
Table of Contents
Activate “Unknown sources”
Unlike iOS, on Android, due to the openness of the file system, to allow the installation of the APK package from unknown sources, it is enough to perform a few simple steps. Depending on the firmware and version of Android, these actions may vary slightly.
Before Android version 7.1.2
Go to “Settings” → “Security” and activate the switch opposite the position “Unknown sources”.
Android 8.0 and above
Developers have increased system security in the new version of the operating system. Starting from Android 8.0, the APK package installation privileges must be provided to each source separately. The path in the “Settings” has also changed:
1. Open “Applications and notifications”.
2. Expand “Advanced settings”.
3. Click “Special Access”.
4. Then “Install unknown applications”.
5. Select the sources you want to allow. For example, Chrome browser and ES Explorer file manager.
6. Switch the switch.
How to install .apk file on Android
Download the .apk file for the game or Android program from a trusted website. By default, all downloads are in the “Download” folder. If your phone or tablet has no internet access, download the APK file to your computer, connect the device via USB and move the file to any folder on your mobile device.
If the computer does not see the smartphone, try connecting it with USB debugging enabled , install the drivers and follow the on-screen instructions .
Then use the file manager to find the downloaded .apk file and click on it.
If more than one action is available, select “Package Installer”.
Then click “Install” and wait for the process to complete.
Click “Finish” at the end.
Installing cached games
Download the ZIP or RAR archive with the game cache. Inside is a folder with a file with the OBB extension. After downloading the cache to your device, install the APK package according to our instructions, but do not start the game.
The downloaded cache must be unpacked and placed in the directory “Android / obb” in the internal memory (“sdcard / Android / obb” if using microSD to install the application). Use a file manager, preferably ES Explorer. Long press to highlight the archive, click “More” and select “Unpack in”.
Choose “Choose path”, click the folder name, go to “Android / obb” and click “OK”.
Most file managers can only unpack the archives to the current directory, so first move the cache archive to “Android / obb” and then unpack.
The cache of some games of known developers should be downloaded into separate folders (usually written about this on the site where you download the cache):
- Electronic Arts – “Android / data”, “sdcard / Android / data”
- Gameloft – “gameloft / games”, “sdcard / gameloft / games”
- Glu – “glu”, “sdcard / glu”
Updated applications from Google Play download the cache from “Android / data”.
How to create a cache directory
Sometimes the cache is available as an .obb file without a folder. Then you need to create it, name it correctly, and move the .obb file inside.
The game identifier (folder name) can be recognized in two ways:
1. Open the Google Play store in your browser. For example, https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id= com.ea.game.nfs14_row & hl = en. Game identifier com.ea.game.nfs14_row – text containing “com” and a maximum of “&”, if any.
2. The .obb file name already contains the identifier. Copy the text, including “com” to “.obb”.
To create a folder using ES Explorer, go to the directory “Android / obb”, click 3 dots in the right corner, select “New” → “Folder”, enter the name and click “OK”.
Then move the .obb file to the folder you created. To do this, select the file with a long press, click “More”, select “Move to”, go to the directory and confirm with “OK”.
How to update Android applications installed from unofficial sources
Paid programs and games installed from .apk files will not be updated through the Play Store. There are two ways to solve the problem: check the latest version every time and download it yourself or use special applications. For example, App & Game 4PDA informs the user about the appearance of new versions of games and programs in a known forum. F-Droid, APKUpdater, the APKPure application scans popular update repositories and can download them. The last three can only update free applications.
