A guide to using APK files on iOS devices

Apple’s App Store offers nearly 2 million apps. You might find yourself in a situation where you may need to run APK files on an iOS device like an iPhone or an iPad, maybe because you can’t find the right IPA version.

Unfortunately, this is not that straightforward because Apple has a closed ecosystem with stringent security checks in place that do not permit the direct download of any app that is not present in the App Store.

While it is advisable to not use APK files of an iOS device, there are some workarounds to this problem.

Before delving into them, let’s first understand what APK files are.

What are APK files?

APK stands for ‘Android Application Package‘ or ‘Android Package Kit‘. It is the file format used by Android to distribute and install apps. APK files contain all the necessary components of an Android app, including the app’s code, resources, manifest file, and certificates. When you download an app from the Google Play store, the APK file is installed and then managed by the platform automatically.

Why can’t I install APK files directly on my iPhone?

Android and iOS are two major mobile operating systems. APK files are technically meant for mobile devices using Android. In contrast, iOS devices like iPhones or iPads have a separate file format called IPA (iOS App Store Package). Running apps on different mobile OSs is only possible with proper conversion and emulation.

Due to these reasons, APK files are not compatible with iOS.

How to use APK files on iOS devices?

The fundamental nature of iOS is that it does not allow running APK files. However, we can try some workarounds to use APK files on iOS devices.

1. Look for the IPA alternative in the App Store

If you haven’t already tried this, before you roll up your sleeves and start digging, simply search for the iOS version of the APK app you wish to use. Developers tend to create separate Android and iOS versions of an app due to the known incompatibility between the two mobile OSs.

Here are steps to doing it.

1. Open the Apple App Store on your iPhone or iPad.
2. Search for the app by name in the search bar.
3. If the app has an official iOS version, it’ll appear as a part of the search results. Tap the Download button to install it directly.

2. Using UTM

UTM is an app that allows you to create virtual machines with Android, where you can run APK programs on your iOS device. To do that, you need to:

1. Install UTM from the App Store
2. Launch the app and then create a new virtual machine (which will be Android)
3. Download the right Android image
4. Import this Android image within UTM and complete the configurations
5. Install APK and run the application

3. Mirroring Android on iOS

There are apps that can help you mirror an Android screen to an iOS device. You can download these apps from the respective app stores and follow the steps to pair the devices and start mirroring.

1. Install a mirroring app on both devices (Android and iOS).
2. Connect both devices to the same Wi-Fi network.
3. Open the app and start mirroring the Android screen to the iOS device.
4. You can now run apps from your Android on the mirrored screen.

Some popular ones include:

• AirDroidOffers screen mirroring and remote control features.Can be used for file transfer between devices.Provides remote access to your Android device.
• ApowerMirrorFocuses on screen mirroring with high-quality display.Supports mirroring to various devices, including PCs and TVs.May offer features like screen recording and annotation.
• LetsViewPrimarily a free screen mirroring app.Supports wireless mirroring between Android and iOS devices.Generally used for displaying content from one device to another.

Remember that these apps primarily facilitate screen mirroring, not full Android emulation. Some of these apps offer varying degrees of remote control, allowing you to interact with your Android device from your iOS device.

4. Cloud-based Virtual Machines

Cloud-based virtual machines (VMs) are like remote computers that you can access over the internet. These VMs run an operating system (like Android) in the cloud, and you can use them on your iOS device without needing to install anything directly on your phone.

So, if you want to run Android apps (APKs) on your iPhone, you can connect to a cloud VM that has Android installed. It’s like controlling a computer in the cloud that runs Android apps, and you can interact with it as if it’s on your phone.

Here’s how you can do it:

1. Choose a cloud-based VM that lets you stream APK
2. Upload the APK file to the virtual Android environment
3. Use your iPhone’s browser to log in and interact with the app through the streamed interface.

An example of this is Appetize.io which provides a cloud-based platform where you can upload and run Android apps directly through your browser. This is similar to a virtual machine because it allows you to run Android (APKs) or iOS apps in the cloud via a browser. It streams the app experience to your device, so you can interact with it, even on an iOS device. However, you’re not running the APK directly on the iOS device’s operating system.

Conclusion

Android and iOS are two mutually exclusive mobile OSs, and hence, their apps cannot be run interchangeably. However, there are some workarounds but none are as effective as having an IPA version of the app.

If you want to start automation testing on iOS and Android, you can try testRigor. It is a generative AI-powered test automation tool that lets your team quickly write tests in plain English. Using testRigor, everyone can contribute to testing activities regardless of their technical skills. testRigor turns manual testers into automation experts in no time!

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