If you want to download an app without going through the Google Play Store, chances are that you’ll land on APKMirror. But is this trustworthy? Don’t worry, I’m here to answer all of your questions about whether or not APKMirror can be trusted – so don’t despair!
- Is APKMirror Safe?
- Should You Download Apps From APKMirror?
- Are The Apps on APKMirror Modified?
- How To Verify APKs Downloaded From APKMirror Are Safe?
- Is APKMirror Legal?
- Is APKMirror a Virus?
- Let’s dive right in!
Is APKMirror Safe?
APKMirror keeps you safe when downloading applications. It verifies each application’s cryptographic signatures before publishing to ensure that the APK file has not been altered in any way so you know your device is protected.
In case you didn’t know, the cryptographic signature of an app is a certain key that has been signed by the true developers to verify the file’s authenticity. This is what helps us identify whether or not an APK is unsafe or potentially malicious. That’s why we check both new submissions and updates for current uploaded apps so that we can ensure they’re safe to download (unless stated otherwise).
When checking if a submission can be uploaded onto our server without any problem, we search for matching keys in other previous uploaded projects from the same developer(s) to validate them- ensuring they’re legitimate before uploading them to provide for users who may want them instead.
As such, if there is no update found for the app on APKMirror, then it means that either the APKs have been tampered with or that a newer version has been released elsewhere. When adding a new publication of an old published app, we check for matches in cryptographic signatures to ensure that we are publishing what we believe to be coming from the original developers.
In this case, if verification cannot be made for the authenticity of both newly submitted and older versions then publishing does not take place. Furthermore, because APKMirror is administrated by the same staff who run Android Police – you can rest assured knowing that everything will go smoothly without hitches along the way.
Should You Download Apps From APKMirror?
Although it is somewhat safe to download apps from APKMirror, this is not the safest option for downloading Android Apps. The safest and official source of downloading Android Apps on a phone is Google Play Store. Even though there are still some risks to using this app because it does not screen every single game before it goes live in the App Store – at least there’s less risk than if you downloaded an app from another third-party App Source.
When you buy something off of the Google Play Store, you know that there are checks in place so people will know when someone tries to take advantage of them because they’re committed to quality over quantity – so they want only high-quality games getting onto their store.
In addition, only the developers of the apps can submit them to Google Play Store. Conversely, anyone can download APKs from sites like APKMirror – even if they aren’t necessarily the true creator of that application.
However, this website will take care of whether an APK was corrupted by checking if it has the right signature. To learn about how these sites are able to do this, we need to first know that typically there are two parts to an APK; a header and a payload.
A header defines what needs to happen when it’s installed on a device and is used for initial verification while the payload contains all of the code necessary for installation onto a device. Before publishing an app, websites download the app from Google Play and extract its .APK file which can then be used for verification purposes. If both .APK files match up, then it is published on the website in question.
To conclude, I would say:
Although it is safe, APKMirror does not conduct a full verification process like Google Play Store; therefore it isn’t as secure as the store. That’s why I always advise people to download from the Google Play Store first – which should be your primary concern when downloading Android apps. Unless you are having issues with the store itself and need to use APKMirror for downloads, then you will want to go through a manual verification before installing any app.
Here’s how.
How To Verify APKs Downloaded From APKMirror Are Safe?
The following are two of the most reliable safety measures to determining whether or not an APK file downloaded from APKMirror is safe for your device.
Safety Measure #1: Scan The APK File Using VirusTotal
It is important for you to check your APK files before sharing them with others, no matter how safe or public you think the device you are sending it from might be. One way to do this would be by scanning each file using one of many virus detection programs available – such as VirusTotal which can analyze both your file and its URL against over 70 different antivirus scanners to find anything suspicious or potentially harmful about it.
With that being said, let’s scan the APK file:
- Visit VirusTotal from your browser and click on Choose file.
- Now select the downloaded APK file from your device.
Once it has been examined, you should review the report for potential threats.
Please note: I scanned my computer for viruses and trojans before downloading the app. The process is the same if done on a smartphone; if there are no threats found then the APK file you’re installing on your device should be safe.
Safety Measure #2: Verify The APK Signature
Although APKMirror claim they verify the signatures of the app before publishing it, we will manually check. This way, we’ll also be able to see if the hosting apps are original or if they’ve been tampered with. The process involves downloading an app from Google Play, extracting its APK file, and then verifying it’s signature with the one downloaded on APKMirror.
Here are the steps of what you will need to do.
Step 1: Just download and install APK Extractor from the Google Play Store.
Step 2: Now, download the APK file of the app that you want to verify if you already haven’t from APKMirror. By the way, it doesn’t matter which version you download because both will work fine.
Step 3: Now, install that specific Instagram app from the Play Store if you already haven’t and extract its APK file.
To verify this Instagram account, I will extract its APK file.
To extract, use Apk Extractor. You will find Instagram in the list of applications and you can select it.
Extract APK
Step 4: Upload both APK files (the one downloaded from APKMirror and the one downloaded from Play Store) into the APK Signature Verification program
To start, we need to upload the APK file of Instagram we’ve downloaded from APKMirror.
Once uploaded, copy and paste the file’s signature key for future reference.
Now, upload the APK file of Instagram that we extracted from
Once uploaded, check its signature key and if it matches with the one downloaded from APKMirror means that the file has not been tampered with.
In our instance, the APK signature matches which means there was no modification made to the Instagram APK that we downloaded from apkmirror. In addition, it’s confirmed that these files hosted on apkmirror were unaltered. By the way, you can use this same process on any other providers such as apkpure or uptodown if they host an app with an APK file you want.
Is APKMirror Legal?
APKMirror is legal to use because it isn’t an official app store like Google Play or Apple App Store, so not all of the apps submitted are from the actual developers themselves. Still, it stays completely legal for its users and also has a system in place where if someone submits a DMCA takedown request then they will remove the offending content immediately.
Generally, downloading Android apps (APKs) outside of the Google Play Store is not illegal as long as the platform you’re downloading from does not host pirated or cracked apps. Considering that Google owns Android, if downloading and installing APKs were illegal, it would prevent users from installing any apps outside of the Play Store.
However, while it’s true that Google allows people to download new applications without being obligated to use the store app exclusively – this doesn’t mean they endorse piracy in any way. On APKMirror’s website, there are no advertisements for counterfeit software. They don’t engage in any such activity nor do they promote it; therefore, they operate within legal bounds and aren’t doing anything wrong.
Is APKMirror a Virus?
APKMirror themselves is not a virus but some of the applications hosted on their platform could be infected. Although it verifies each application and scans for any possible viruses before publishing, it is still advised for people to do their own safety checks as well.
You can follow the safety measures I’ve shared with you in this section. However, I always recommend downloading Android apps from Google Play Store over APKMirror or any other 3rd party app store because there are more security breaches and abrupt viruses that happen in the Play Store compared to those sites.
FAQs Is Apkmirror Safe
Are there any risks to using APKMirror?
The website you are currently browsing is a client-transferred app. This method of transferring applications may carry some risks depending on how it was transferred. A popular review site called APKMirror will perform a safety scan before recommending an app for download onto your device to ensure its authenticity and safety of use.
How safe is APKMirror?
It’s now clear that APKMirror is safe and secure, but does it guarantee the security of everything uploaded onto its website? One way for this site to maintain this integrity would be by performing automated checks for common types of malware.
How to install apps using APK files from APKMirror?
Installing a Direct installation of an APK on a Device. Unlike Google’s PlayStore, where automatic installation of the application occurs on your device, APK files require manual installation.
Does APKMirror.com host payor pirated apps?
The no-piracy policy of this website makes it abundantly clear that it does not host paid applications. It has very few exceptions to the rule which state that sometimes developers provide updates for paid applications to the public in order to test the release of a new version of an application – and they do so at their own discretion.
Conclusion
So yeah, as I mentioned before, APKMirror is a pretty safe and secure website to download and install Android apps on your device. As long as you know what you’re doing with the installation process of course. It is essentially a massive storehouse for official Android apps and games that can be accessed by any and every Android user and developer; but it’s worth noting that if you have the option to get the apps or games that you want from the Google Play Store – which has been proven time again to be more reliable than anything else – always go for it! If you don’t find what you’re looking for on the Play Store (or any other legit platform), though, feel free to rely on APKMirror or another third-party digital marketplace only when necessary.
