Introduction
Once your mobile app is developed, we will send you the app for testing. There are different methods to send you the mobile app for testing. Either we will send you the APK (Android Package) or we will publish the app (Alpha and Beta version) in the Google Play Store Console and ask you to download the app from the Google Play Store Console for testing. We always recommend downloading the app from the Google Play Store Console as this is the better option to send your app for testing than sending the APK file of the app.
APK File vs Sharing the App via App Store
| Sharing via App Store | Sharing APK |
Download Size | Less. (While downloading the application from the Play Store, you have to download the file size of approxmately 15 to 20 MB (as Play Store splits the APK based on device architecture and allows you to download only compatible architecture to the device). | More. (If you download the APK file from Google Drive the size of the file will be approxmately 50 MB). |
Sharing | Can be Shared with a Specific Group of Testers. (It allows you to select the specific users with whom you can share the App). | Can be Accessed by Anyone. (You cannot restrict the users of the APK file. It can be downloaded and installed by anyone) |
Stability | Doesn’t Get Corrupted Easily. | APK File Get Corrupted Easily While Sharing. |
Installation | Easy to Install. Can be installed to Android Devices without Device Compatibility and Permission Issue. | Not Easy to Install. Device compatibility & device permission issue while installing. Generally, android devices do not allow to install the app from a third-party source. To install the .APK file you need to change the device installation settings forcefully. |
As you can refer that there are more disadvantages of sharing the app via APK file. This is the reason why we recommend or preferred sharing the app for testing via the App Store.