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7 best sites to download APK files on Android

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APKPure
APKMirror
Softpedia
Uptodown
Aptoide
GetJar
F-Droid

Google Play Market is the favorite place for Android users, because this is where we find interesting games and useful applications most often. However, there are many reasons why you might need to download the APK (Android Package Kit) file without using Google Play. For example, the required application may not be available for Russia or the characteristics of the smartphone meet the requirements of the game, but the Play Store reports that it is not supported on the device. In the end, the developer may have uninstalled the program that you want..

The ability to install apps from any source other than Google Play is initially disabled on all devices. In order to enable this function, open the section "Settings → Security" and put a checkmark in front of the item "Unknown sources". Recall that when actively surfing the Internet, it is better to prohibit installation from unknown sources, since there are a large number of sites that spread viruses. They can harm not only the phone, but also steal money from a bank card.

APKPure

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Founded in 2014, APKPure has grown to become one of the leading sites in the smartphone software industry. More than 150 million people visit it every month. APKPure has a web service and a dedicated Android client for downloading APK and XAPK (cache games) files..

Before publishing to the site, all APK files are checked for viruses and the developer's signature is checked using SHA1. Cryptographic signatures for new versions must match those previously published, and brand new applications are compared with other programs from the same developer. If APKPure has any doubts about the security of a file, it will not be published on the site. Therefore, they are completely safe to download.

The download process of any APK can be easily paused and resumed at any time. The editorial staff of the site selects the best games every day - you will never miss a single popular novelty. APKPure has a very user-friendly interface with a large library of apps and games across all categories. It is possible to download old versions of applications. It also offers a selection of games that have not yet been officially published in the Play Store, but you can already pre-register for them..

APKMirror

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APKMirror is the most popular site among Android users. It contains most of the applications in a wide variety of categories. All APKs are signed with developer certificates, which makes the download completely safe. The validity of certificates is manually checked by moderators. Therefore, you will not find any modified or cracked programs here. APKMirror is regularly updated to provide the latest versions of the files. For the convenience of searching, there is sorting by popularity - you can easily find the most popular files for a month, 7 days or 24 hours.

One of the site's features worth noting is the ability to download older APK versions. This can come in handy when the latest version of your favorite app doesn't work the way it used to, or a lot of ads appear. If you want, you can even download WhatsApp, which was in 2014. Whether it will work correctly is another question.

APKMirror is operated by the reputable news outlet AndroidPolice. APKMirror does not have its own mobile store, so all the necessary information is located only on the site. Regardless, applications that you download from the site will be able to receive automatic updates from Google Play.

Softpedia

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Softpedia is a Romanian website that was founded in 2003. Users can sort apps by various criteria, such as the date of the last update, the number of downloads or the rating. Softpedia shows screenshots of its own, not from the Google Play Market. All APKs that you can download here are genuine (not repackaged, not modified) and are digitally signed by the developer.

This means that once you install the APK from Softpedia, you will receive updates through the Google Play Store, just like the apps you usually install from there. In addition, before publishing to the site, all files are scanned by several antivirus programs, as proof of this, a link to the scan log is provided when you click the Download button.

Uptodown

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The Uptodown website was created in 2002 and is headquartered in Spain. It is currently ranked among the 180 most visited sites in the world according to Alexa rankings. Over 90 million users worldwide use Uptodown every month to access a huge catalog of over 30,000 APK applications. All files are checked for viruses before being published on the site through the VirusTotal service, which contains a database of 50 anti-virus programs.

Uptodown gives you full access to all Android apps, including their latest updates, without having to sign up for a Google account. In addition to the site, Uptodown has an official Android client where you can access a number of useful tools such as automatic updates and the ability to install previous versions.

Another useful feature of Uptodown is the ability to rollback to an older version of the program. If the update did more harm than good, you can roll back to the previous version until the developers fix it. The service uses so-called neutral screenshots, which show what the application really looks like, instead of promotional screenshots from the developers.

Aptoide

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Aptoide has won the hearts of millions of users thanks to its superbly thought-out interface. Since its launch in 2009, the service has been relentlessly gaining in downloads (6 billion) and active users (over 200 million).

Aptoide has not only a website, but also an official Android client that has the ability to automatically update apps installed through their service. One of its unique features is to enable / disable adult content. The service supports the Russian language and smart suggestions based on the history of your previous downloads.

Trusted apps are marked with a green icon, and there are also pointers to whether the app has been flagged as controversial or malicious. If the APK file has not been verified, Aptoide will mark it as unknown without deleting it, so be careful. The Aptoide store has been translated into many languages ​​(over forty), and is available even for a list of countries where Google Play has a limited presence, such as China and Iran.

GetJar

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GetJar is an independent mobile phone app store based in Lithuania. The service was launched in 2004 as a beta testing platform, but in 2014, the Chinese company Sungy Mobile acquired GetJar and took it to the next level.

The service now provides nearly 1 million mobile apps for all major mobile platforms, including Android. On a good day, the number of downloads can exceed 3 million. The download is pretty fast and secure. GetJar is very popular with users and is a great alternative to the standard Google Play store.

F-Droid

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F-Droid is one of the oldest APK repositories. It is open source like any application on the platform. Therefore, it is more suitable for programmers than for ordinary users. Moreover, there are no popular games in it, because they do not disclose their source code. There is another drawback - the site allows independent developers to publish their projects, while it does not really monitor their quality.

Applications are most often small projects and low-level utilities designed to customize the Android OS as precisely as possible. F-Droid is a non-profit voluntary organization that anyone can join to help or donate money for development.


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