Most of us Android phone users still install and try different apps and games from the Google Play store on a regular basis. These apps are installed automatically and only appear on our phones when we click the install button. However, there is another way to install apps and games and even live wallpapers on your phone without using an app store like Google Play. That’s where APK files or Android app bundles come into play.

Anyone who has used an Android phone and likes to install lots of apps and games has probably heard or read about APK files. The APK file extension is a special file format that works much like a standard EXE or executable file on a Windows computer. It is an executable program file that installs an application on your Android smartphone.

These files are very easy to use, but first you need to set up your phone to install apps from third-party sources. There’s an option for that in your phone’s settings, usually found in the app or security settings sections. Once you verify that, you just need to copy an APK file to your memory card, and you are good to go.

However, the hard part is finding a reliable source for these files. You cannot simply download files with the APK file extension from any website. Quite a few websites that do not run proper antivirus checks and check the application files uploaded there. Some of these can easily be viruses or other malware designed to allow someone else to access your phone’s features, such as your camera, microphone, image gallery, and contact lists, thereby violating your privacy. However, as long as you download APK files from trusted sources, you shouldn’t have any problems.

Most of the time, you will find discontinued apps or live wallpapers like Flappy Bird online in the form of APK files that other app users have uploaded on websites. They are also a very good source for custom apps that users have created for their own use. Those simple, small and mostly ad-free apps are great for adding some new features to your phone, like a flashlight or RSS reader. However, you have to be very careful with which file you download and from where because not everyone can make good quality apps and some can even crash your phone if they run on an incompatible device.