How to install APK, XAPK, APKM, and OBB files on your Android device

Posted by Admin • Last updated: July 24, 2026

This website provides Android applications and games in a variety of packages, such as: APK, APKM, and XAPK. Why? Because that's how many of these packages are obtainable for us, just like it is for the rest of the Android community. Most users download and install their apps and games straight from the official Android repository which is Google Play, but there are users out there, just like you, who like to get their Android packages from different providers. Whilst Google Play requires a Google account, our platform does not. Also, we do everything we can to make sure we provide safe and clean software without requiring you, the user, to register and log in with an account.

Enable Unknown Sources

When you don't download and install software from the Google Play platform, you are installing packages from other sources. To provide a basic layer of security, Android devices won't let you install software from different sources without you enabling this feature.

Before we talk about the various file formats available for the deployment of Android apps and games, let's make sure your device allows you to install them. Follow these simple steps:

1. Open the Settings app;
2. Go into the Apps and notifications section;
3. Tap Special Access;
5. Select Install Unknown apps;
4. Select Allow from this source (browser or file manager, depends from where you access the downloaded APK file);

If your device is using an older Android operating system, you can enable Unknown Sources by going inside the Settings app, then Security, and enable Unknown Sources.

What is the APK file format?

The APK format is the official file format developed by Google by which you can install applications and games on your Android smartphone, tablet, etc. One can build APK packages straight from source code written either in Java or Kotlin. This is possible by using software like Visual Studio or Android Studio. All the small parts that a program can possess are put toghether into an APK file. A package can contain various assets, resources, program code, the manifest file, and certificates.

What is the XAPK file format?

The XAPK format makes deploying Android applications and games on your device much easier because it contains the APK file plus some other elements necessary for the software to work on your gadgets. The only issue here is that the Android OS doesn't come with support for these files from the get go which gives us no other option but to use third party software to make sure our apps and games can be installed on the target device. One solution is to use an universal installer (Uptodown APK Installer) you can get from the Internet, but there's also the second option.

Follow these simple steps if you don't want to use a third party installer:

1. Download the XAPK file and find it in your device's file manager;
2. Change the file extension from .xapk to .zip;
3. Unzip the file in a target folder;
5. If you find an OBB file inside the target folder, you should copy that file to the following location: Internal Storage -> Android -> OBB;
4. Locate the APK file, open it and install the package;

What is the APKM file format?

This file format belongs to APKMirror. They've created this format as a means to deploy certain apps and games that have APK bundles for different reasons. The primary motive is Google requiring new apps and games to be made available as Android App Bundles (AAB) instead of single APK packages. This change has been present for years now. We might not provide apps and games in this format on the website, but if you download APKM files for other sources, you can install them on your device through the official APKMirror Installer. You can also use this installer to install XAPK, APKS, and regular APK file formats as well.

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