The extraction of APK It is a procedure that will help us to have a backup copy of our favorite applications: In this way, in the event of having to restore the device's factory settings, we can reinstall them quickly and easily, without the need to Internet connection. In this post we are going to see how to extract APK from any android app.
In addition, by extracting the APK we will also be able to share any application that we have installed on our Android device. We can do it by email, uploading it to a cloud storage service or through instant messaging apps like WhatsApp.
What is APK on Android?
Android has its own files that allow us to install applications, either from its own application store or through third-party pages. It is there where we can obtain the apk (Android Application Package), which is nothing more than an installation package that contains the data of an application.
All the data that an application needs to be able to run on an operating system is compressed within the APK file. These are files that can be shared between mobile phones, as long as they are Android.
Normally, when downloading an application from Google Play, it is installed directly on our mobile. However, this process does not include any APK installation file, which we may need at some point. What is the purpose of extracting the APK? The reasons can be varied:
- Install an app without using an Internet connection.
- Copy and install the app on other devices.
- Save backup copies of an application.
It is true that in the medium-term future the APKs will end up being replaced by the AABs (Androis App Bundle), lighter file packages, faster to install and more specific (we will talk about them in another post). But until that day arrives, at the moment it is still very interesting to know how to extract the APK file of an application. We explain the best methods below.
To consider
Before explaining the methods to extract the APK of an Android application, there are some aspects that we have to evaluate, especially the architecture.
Many times the APK copied from an application that we were using on a mobile phone does not work correctly on another device. You must first ensure that both devices use the same architecture. There are three possibilities:
- ARM, the most common architecture, designed to offer lower energy consumption.
- ARM64, the improved and expanded version of the ARM architecture, more powerful and with lower consumption.
- X86, still more powerful than the previous two, although with much higher energy consumption.
On the other hand, although you can install an APK from a page other than the Google store, it is important to do so from one that is reliable. Otherwise, we risk downloading malicious files that pose a high risk to our mobile phones. To avoid surprises, a good option is the website APKMirror.
APK Extractor Tools
Extracting the APK of any application that we have installed on our Android phone or tablet is relatively simple. The solution is brought to us by the so-called APK extractors, which are nothing more than applications designed specifically to carry out this task. Let's see which are the best:
APK Extractor
The general opinion is that APK Extractor It is the best application to carry out this type of work. Its operation is incredibly simple. All you have to do is click on any application that appears in its interface so that, automatically, the AKP is copied to the internal memory of our Android, specifically in the Extracted Apks folder.
ES File Explorer
Another great alternative is this: ES File Explorer, a great tool for file and application management that offers numerous functions, including extracting application APKs. Despite not being available in the Google Play Store, it is a completely reliable app that can be obtained from the main download pages.
Link: ES File Explorer
Extension for Chrome: Toolbox for Google Play Store
Finally, we mention another tool that is not an application, but a Chrome extension called Toolbox for Google PlayStore. With it, we will be able to visualize and use some extra buttons on the download sheet of each app available on Google Play. Those buttons are the following:
- APKM, which opens a window to download the application's APK package from APK Mirror.
- AP, with which we can search for articles about the application in question in Android Police.
- AB, which opens a page with application statistics in AppBrain.
Link: Toolbox for Google Play Store