Extract APK File of Any App on Your Android Phone
An APK file is a package file for every app that you can extract and then later on use on another device. Unlike Apple's iOS, Android apps are not tied to any one phone. You can extract the APK file from any installed application on your device and then transfer it to any other Android device.
Contents
Steps
Downloading Your Tools
- Open Google Play Store. In order to extract an APK file from an installed application, you will need an APK extraction program. One of the most popular apps for this task is APK Extractor, which does not require your phone to be rooted.
- Download and install an APK extractor. Tap the magnifying glass icon at the top right; it will open a search field. "APK Extractor" is one of the easiest apps to use, but you can also download apps such as "App Backup & Restore", "Save Master", or "Super Toolbox".
- Download and install a file manager. You will need a file manager to find the APK files once they've been extracted. You can find a variety of good file manager apps for free on the Google Play Store, including ASTRO File Manager, ES File Explorer, and Explorer.
Extracting an APK
- Open the APK Extractor app. When you start the APK Extractor app, you will be shown a list of all the apps installed on your device.
- Select the app you want to extract. Scroll down until you find the app of which you want to extract APK file. When you select an app, it will be turned into an APK file and saved to your device's storage. This may take a few moments.
- Find the APK on your device. Open your file manager app and navigate to the location where APK Extractor saved the APK file. This is typically located in a folder called "APK Extractor" on the SD card. Verify that the APK file is present there.
Transferring the APK to Another Phone
- Transfer the file to your PC. One way to transfer the APK file to another device is by connecting your phone to your computer, transferring the file to the computer, and then transferring the file back to a new device.
- See Connect-Android-Phone-to-Computer for details on connecting your device and transferring files.
- Email-Files. You can attach the APK file to an email message and then send that message to your own email address. Simply open the email on your new device and download the attachment to your phone.
- This method won't work if the APK file is larger than the attachment size limit imposed by your email service. This is typically around 20-25 MB. If your file is larger, try one of the other steps in this section.
- Upload the APK file to a cloud storage service. You can use a service such as Google Drive, Dropbox, or Amazon Cloud Drive to upload the file. You can then download the file from that storage service on another device.
