What Will We Be Doing?
In a quick summary, the easiest way to get apps onto your phone is to download the app itself in .apk format and transfer it via a cable to your device’s internal memory or SD card. From there, you can use a file browser to open it and have the Android system install the app. The entire process it rather simple but it does require a couple of steps, especially when you’re doing it for the first time.
Getting the APK File
First, you’ll need to download the APK file of the app which you’d like to install. Where you get the APK depends largely on how comfortable you feel with wherever you get it. Officially, you cannot get the APK files of any app directly from the Google Play Store. However, there is an extension which can download them — albeit breaking the Play Store’s Terms of Service.
If you’re fine with going that way, then it’s a possible option. Otherwise, you can search the internet for the app’s APK, using search terms such as “side load android”. If you’ve had the app installed before or have a friend who does, you can often get the APK through backup software like Titanium Backup. Essentially, getting the APK file is the hardest part of the entire process.
Installing
Before you can actually install the APK file, you’ll need to tell your device that it can install any apps outside of the Play Store without throwing a fit. You can find this switch in your Settings –> Security –> Unknown Sources. Once this is enabled, you’re clear to fire up your file browser (I personally prefer ASTRO), locate the APK file, and open it. The Android OS should take over, identifying that the APK file is an app, and ask you whether you’d like to go ahead and install it, all permissions accounted for. After a couple seconds, your app should be installed and ready to go!
Conclusion
Provided you have an APK file of the app in hand, you shouldn’t have any problems whatsoever getting that app installed on your Androiddevice. I’m sure there are other ways to manually install Android apps (such as transferring the APK file via Bluetooth instead of a USB cable), but the USB method is the easiest and most commonly used. If you come across any issues, searching on MakeUseOf or heading over to should be of help.
Do you regularly install an app manually? Are there certain apps you need which can only be installed manually? Let us know in the comments!
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