Want to try the premium version of various apps on your iPhone without spending a lot or want to install an app that is no more available on the App Store? Then we have got something to end your search and help you get what you need.
We are here with the methods that could ease the way of downloading APKs on your iPhone.
To be clear at the beginning, APK or Android Package is something that is not an iOS material. They are designed for android devices only. For iOS devices, you are provided with IOA that is specifically designed to run for iOS devices.
Let us move ahead with explaining to you what is an APK?
What is an APK?
APK is an abbreviated version of the Android Package or Android Application Package.
An APK is created to help you download apps and install them on your device. You might ask what is the difference between an APK and downloading apps directly from the App Store or Play store?
Well, there are times when few apps get removed from the stores but you want to try them. What would you do in that case? That’s where an APK gets used.
Just Google the app name by adding. APK at the end you will get the link to download the app.
There are also times when you want to download a mod version of an app. A mod version is a premium version of apps will all the facilities unlocked and you don’t have to pay extra money in buying those.
Although these mods are illegal to use people use them as per their needs so that they don’t have to invest money in getting the premium versions.
What is an IPA?
Moving towards IPA, it is the abbreviated version of the iOS App Store Package.
IPA is more or less similar to APK as the sole motive behind both of them are same that is to people download apps from Google. The difference between these is the binaries.
The APK is designed in such a way that it could be only read by the Andoird devices while on the other hand the IPA is designed for iOS devices.
You can use the IPA files on any of your iOS devices such as your iPhone, iPad, and many other devices based on iOS.
How to download APK on your iPhone?
You can’t simply download an APK file on your device nor you can’t run them without any third-party app. Because the APKs designed for android are differently programmed that are only supported for Android devices.
- Download third-party apps such as ‘APK Downloader’ to download APK apps on your iOS device. Once you are done downloading the app on your device, open it and then select the APK that you downloaded earlier.
- Once you are done opening the APK, the app will help you out in downloading the APK.
- You can use apps to convert the APK to an iOS-modified version that you help you run the apps.
- To get the APKs converted to the iOS versions you can use apps like APK Converter. Using this app you can simply convert the APK version to an iOS-supported file. Just open the app and copy the APK file to it and will help you to convert it.
You can also use iFile to help you convert APKs to iOS-Supported versions.
So, we guess you are clear about the APK theory now that what an iOS supports and what not.
How to download IPA on your iPhone?
As already cleared before you run an APK on your iPhone or any other iOS device because they aren’t designed for them.
You can jailbreak your device to use customs apps that aren’t available on the App store. Jailbreaking is a common thing these days as it allows the users to help them get the apps they want.
If you want to install an IPA on your iOS device you need to jailbreak too. It isn’t as hard as you think. All you need to do is follow a couple of steps and you can download an IPA on your device and run it without any hassle.
Follow the steps given below to download IPA on your iPhone –
- First, go to any of the search engines on your device
- Then type the name of the app followed by.IPA
- Download the IPA from any of the links available
- The next step is you need to install Cydia Impactor on your device. This app helps you to sign in to your Apple ID so that you can use the IPA file
- Once the Cydia Impactor is installed, connect your device to either Windows or Mac device
- Once you are done connecting your device, then run the Cydia Impactor that was previously installed on your device
- After launching the file, simply copy and paste the IPA file that you had downloaded earlier.
- Then re-sign your Apple ID
- Once you are done resigning, tap on the Apple ID and the installation process will begin.
Follow these steps and you can download and use the IPA file smoothly on your iOS device. Jailbreaking gets beneficial at this stage because when you can cant download the app from the official stores you can enable permission on your iOS to download the IPA from the web which sometimes Google verified.
How do enable apps to be downloaded from Unkown Sources?
Sometimes when you use third-party apps you need to enable permission to download apps from unknown sources and for that, you need to make a couple of changes in the settings on your iOS device.
This is to be done because Apple devices generally don’t allow apps to be downloaded from unknown sources as it wants itself to be clean and protected from malware practices, thus enabling the permission for unknown sources plays a crucial role in this stage.
There are two ways to enable Unkown Sources on your iOS device.
1. First method –
- On the Settings app of your iOS device, go to the About Section
- Then click on the Build number for roughly around 7 times
- It will enable developers’ settings on your device
2. Second Method –
- On the Settings app of your iOS device go to Security
- Then scroll down the page to search for Unknown Sources
- Enable the settings
Doesn’t matter if you follow either of the steps, you can enable the unknown sources on your iOS device, and once you are done enabling it you can download and run an app that is downloaded from the secondary or unknown sources that your device is unable to process.
You can even download the apps from playstore to your iPhone using simple ways. Follow this guide to use Play store on iPhone
So these were a couple of ways you can use to download the apk on your iPhone or any other iOS device. Just follow the steps given correctly and you are good to go.
Remember that the iPhone’s security is very strong and it examines every possible malfunctioning that could affect your device so keep in mind that whichever app you are downloading brings risk along with them. Don’t add or share your pieces of information that should be kept confidential. Because you never know when your credentials can be lost and could be used by anyone for malpractices.
Frequently Asked Questions:
1. Is there any way to install an APK file on an iPhone?
Generally, it’s not possible to directly install an APK file on an iPhone because the two systems use fundamentally different file formats. However, if you really need to use an Android app on your iPhone, you might consider using an Android emulator for iOS, though this isn’t typically recommended due to potential performance and security issues.
2. What are the risks of trying to install an APK file on an iPhone?
Trying to install an APK file on an iPhone can lead to a range of issues. First, it typically requires jailbreaking your device, which voids your warranty and exposes your device to potential security risks. Second, even with a jailbroken device, there’s no guarantee the APK will work correctly, as the Android and iOS platforms are fundamentally different.
3. What’s the recommended way to get an Android app on an iPhone?
Instead of trying to install an APK file, it’s often better to look for an equivalent app in the Apple App Store. Most major apps are available on both Android and iOS. If a specific Android app isn’t available, there might be similar apps on the App Store that serve the same or a similar purpose.
