Regular users who encounter APKs for the first time often worry about whether is APK safe, are non-Play Store apps different, and why they get warnings about apps coming from Unknown sources. But, once you learn about the benefits you realize that the Play Store isn’t everything Android as a platform has to offer. Today, we made sure to explain one thing that Play Store does well, while APKs might suffer in that department. And that’s auto-update. If you want to learn how to update APK as fast as possible, check the instructions we provided below.
Table of contents:
Can you update an APK?
Because most APKs are archived Play Store apps, there’s a good chance that you can update them in Play Store. If that doesn’t work, navigate to the website where you downloaded the older version and get it there. On the other hand, if you want to automatize and speed up the process, check APKUpdater.
1. Try updating the app in the Play Store
More times than not you can update apps installed from unknown sources in Play Store like any other app that you got on Play Store. Although, not always. You can just open the Play Store and search for the app. Once you expand it, check if there are available updates.
If you can’t find the app in Play Store or it looks like it’s not installed, the best thing to do is to download a newer version manually as an APK. Just like you originally downloaded the older version.
2. Download a newer version of APK
Ideally, you would get an APK with a newer version from the same website where you got the older version. Still, that’s not mandatory. To update an APK, you just need to download a newer version, and, once your run it, you’ll get the Update prompt.
That’s probably the most straightforward way to update apps that you got from third-party sources instead of the Play Store. We recommend APK Mirror because it never fails to deliver. Download the APK, run it from a browser, and tap Update. As simple as that. If asked for installation permission beforehand, make sure to grant it to the browser you use to download APKs.
3. Use APKUpdater
Although most straightforward and less error-prone, the manual approach can be a bit dull. Especially if you have a lot of apps installed via APK. Luckily, there’s an FSSO (Free and Open-Source Software) app called APKUpdater that will check for updates for you. Sadly, unlike Play Store, it can’t update apps automatically but that’s probably for the better. This app is available on F-Droid but you can get it as APK from APK Mirror or Github.
I had some trouble setting it up initially but once I removed Google Play from the list of Update sources, it started working. The APKUpdater has not been maintained for quite some time but it still does the job. Provides you with the latest version of the app that you couldn’t locate in the Play Store and automatically provides APK links where you can get updates so you don’t have to roam around.
And, with that said, we can conclude this article. Thank you for reading and don’t forget to share your thoughts with us in the comments section below.
