Stay secureīecause you’re installing software, never ever download Android apps from unfamiliar repositories. Short for Android Package Kit, this “kit” includes an installer and the app. That said, any app you download will have the APK extension. They’re not dangerous - they’re just not monitored and financially tied to Google. Epic Games and Amazon’s Appstore are perfect examples: Two apps provided through their respective developers rather than on the Play Store. This simply means the app isn’t verified and distributed through Google Play. Instead, you can allow trusted apps like Chrome to install your non-market app. The process became much easier with the release of Android 8.0 Oreo, as it removed the need for a system-wide setting. However, Android phones don’t enable sideloading by default. Now, Android gamers must download and install the Epic Games app directly from the developer to acquire the game. After a little tweak to Epic’s pay system, both Apple and Google kicked Fortnite off their respective app stores. The highly-popular game Fortnite is a perfect example of sideloading. It can be a risky business, but it’s possible. Called sideloading, users can essentially install any Android app currently made available outside the Play Store. One of the major dividing lines between Apple’s iOS and Google’s Android is the latter’s ability to install non-market apps.
