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Android’s biggest strength is its open-source nature. While power user customization can get quite complicated on Android, installing an APK file is a good example of something that doesn’t take a lot of effort.
APK files have been around since Android’s inception, and they’re quite easy to install. Installing an XAPK file, on the other hand, isn’t a very straightforward process. In this guide, we will go over what an XAPK file is, how it differs from a normal APK file, and finally, how you can install one.
What Is an XAPK File?
it gets quite difficult to wrap your head around the existence of yet another file format that fulfills the same purpose of installing an app on your phone.
The best way to understand what an XAPK file is, is to look at it as an archived file containing a traditional APK file and a folder with additional app data. Smaller apps can make do with a single APK file to hold all the data within, but larger apps and games require bigger APK files and folders to pack in the data.
How to Install an XAPK File (APK + OBB):
- Using a file manager application of your choice, locate the XAPK file you’ve just downloaded.
- Long press on the file, tap on Rename, and change the file extension from XAPK to ZIP. For example, if the original file is named “app-name.xapk”, change it to “app-name.zip”.
- Your phone should now recognize the file as a normal compressed folder. Long press on the file and extract it to a specified folder.
- The extracted folder should contain an APK file, a folder named Android, and a PNG file which is not important.
- Open the Android folder and you should see another folder within it. Copy this folder to Internal Storage > Android > OBB.
- Once done, head back to the extracted folder and install the APK file as you would normally do—just tap on it. If prompted, allow the file manager to install apps from unknown sources.
If you have been unable to copy the OBB folder using the file manager on your Android phone, you have one of two options. You can try using your stock file manager or the Files by Google app to move the OBB folder.
Or if this fails, you can connect your phone to a computer and move the files using File Explorer on Windows or Finder on macOS.