Is it possible to install an APK to your android without using the android market?
I am talking about enterprise applications here, so would rather have the app private rather than allowing everyone to install it from the market.
How about the option 'Unknown sources' on the phone, does that mean installing an unsigned app (if it is indeed possible to build and use an unsigned app) or is that allowing installing an app from outside the android market?
If you enable Unknown Sources on the phone, you can download any APK via a URL and open it, which will cause it to be installed.
All apps need to be signed for the application to be installed. Unknown sources is used to install app from outside android market like copy to sdcard and then install.
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I made an Android app using Android studio, deployed and ran it directly by using my mobile running Oreo.
It installed successfully. But later I tired to share the APK from my mobile to other mobiles. But none of them are able to Install it.
However, if I build the APK and share the app-debug.apk to other mobiles. It Installs successfully.
I can't build APK and share app-debug.apk it everyone.
I usually deploy it in my mobile, share APK(which used to work before)
Can anyone please help
Please excuse typos, I have typed from mobile.
There might be a signing issue. Is your app signed? The default signing is the debug signing. When you just build and deploy or run it on a connected device, it is signed by default as a debug sign.
If it is not uniquely signed, then running or installing on other devices might not be possible. Look at the app signing instruction and guide by Google, here, if you wish to distribute your app on other devices.
Another problem might be in the security authorization of other devices. Your device on which you are building has the developer options turned on. To run and install unsigned apps you'll need to activate the developer options in the device you want to run it on. Look at this link about Developer Options and how to turn it on.
by default the Android Studio packages just the needed files and installs the app in your mobile. If you share to other mobiles, the app will not install in few devices due to a few reasons like OS version, files mismatch, SHA keys mismatch, etc.
However, if you build the APK and share, the APK is equipped to be installed in any device starting from the minimum SDK version to the target SDK version.
I'm working on developing my first mobile app on the Appery.io platform. I'm just about done building the app and need to beta test it for Android.
Appery lets you generate an Android certificate and export your app as a .apk file. I have my .apk file and I want to install it on my friend's phone. Is there anything else I need to do or can I install the .apk file? How do I go about actually getting it installed on the phone? It's not clear from the site's instructions how to do it when using a platform that generates the .apk file for you.
The easiest solution is to email the APK file to your friend. Then click on the attachment on your friend's phone. Alternatively, you can install the Android SDK and use its adb tool.
You can send it via Bluetooth or Share it on Dropbox, Google Drive, etc. When you install the app be sure that in the phone settings the "Install apps from unknown publisher" is checked. And don't verify the app with google play. Just click package installer.
There are several ways to install apk like:
send apk as attachment to your friend and open the attachment on their device.
copy the apk to their device and open it using any file manager, it will lead to install it.
send apk whiya bluetooth/ wifi tethering etc and open it on their device.
upload it to any file hosting website and open that link in their device using any web browser and download and install further.
if that device is with you, you can use adb.exe tool with following command "adb install your apkfile"
Note: but to use any of these ways, their device should have enabled "Install from Unknown sources" in their device settings->security.
Or alternately best approach:
upload your apk to GooglePlay Store and they can install it from there hassle free.
When I'm away from my computer, I like to use TeamViewer to access it and work on my Android apps. I save unsigned .apk files to my Google Drive so that I can test them while on the go, too. I download the .apk files to my Android device through the Drive app, but I'm having an issue.
When I go to install the App after downloading it from Google Drive, Android asks me if I'd like to install the App. When I click yes, it begins the install process but then exits with an "App Not Installed" error. There doesn't seem to be any other indication of what happened.
I've tried this with several of my .apk files, but they all give me the same issue. If it helps, these are apps I've previously downloaded by running the app with my android device plugged into my computer. I made sure to uninstall the app before trying to install it through the .apk file. I'm testing on a Google Nexus 7 32GB.
Any help would be much appreciated. Thank you!
To me, it sounds like you are trying to install an APK that is signed with a different certificate than the one installed on the device.
Run logcat, and you will see a message with information on exactly what is happening.
Have out tried installing your unsigned APK through ADB? This should let you see any errors there are in installing that APK, such as security settings.
According to a now-deleted(?) comment, you were trying to install an unsigned APK.
Alas, you cannot install an unsigned APK. Android -- emulators and devices alike -- only run signed APKs.
What comes out of the normal development process is an APK signed with the debug signing key, not an unsigned APK. There is a concept of an unsigned APK, but you have to go out of your way to create one normally, and it's usually just an interim step en route to signing it.
I exported an unsigned apk file that represents a test version of my Android application. I need to distribute this to quite a few users. Is there a simple method to distribute the apk file where it will install the app? I'm trying to avoid the test users from having to download something like Astro or the sdk. Any ideas? I tried putting it out on a global web server and the file downloads but doesn't install. Thanks for the help!
From the android documentation:
The Android system will not install or run an application that is not
signed appropriately. This applies wherever the Android system is run,
whether on an actual device or on the emulator. For this reason, you
must set up signing for your application before you can run it or
debug it on an emulator or device.
So even if your users have the "Allow installing non-market apps" checked, your application will still have to be signed with at least a test key before it can be installed on a physical device.
I just put my experimental apps on the Android market with a description that says "don't install this, it won't work for you" and then give an access key to my testers.
I have created sample android application(apk) and signed it with my private key using eclipse ADT.But i am not able to install it on Android handset(HTC Desire,android version 2.2).
If you've previously installed the application with a debug certificate, then you have to un-install the old version first since the certificates won't match.
If that isn't it, do you get any errors as to why? Are you installing over adb or from the sdcard (after downloading or otherwise transferring it to the device)?
Have you enable third party applications on your device by Settings->Applications, then checking the Unknown sources box?