Category: Tech

No one can deny the dominance of Android devices in the smartphone market. About 88 percent of the world’s smartphones are using the android platform. It is certain that you have a file with the apk. extension and having trouble on how to open it. You don’t have to worry anymore since techshift provides us a comprehensive step-by-step visual guide on how to open a .APK file across different operating systems.

What is .APK?

The .APK file stands for Android Package. Google created the file format to share and install applications on Android devices. It is an executable file or in zip format, thus it cannot be read because it is compiled. However, it can be opened using 7 software on 4 platforms.

Here’s the step-by-step guide by Techshift.net on how to open .APK file on Windows, Mac, Linux, and Android:

Opening .APK file on Windows OS

There are four simple steps on how to open a .apk file on Windows. Keep in mind that this will only work on Windows 7, 8, and 10

1. You need to download specific software that can open the file like Google Android SDK, BlueStacks, Core WinZip, 7-Zip, and RARLAB WinRAR.
2. Finding the original location of the file is the second step. You can usually find it in the /download/ folder.
3. Once you found the file, perform a right-click on it and choose the “Open with” option.
4. After clicking the “Open with” option, you will need to select the software you downloaded to open the .apk file (e.g. Google Android SDK). Click on the software and click “OK”.

Opening .APK file on Mac OS

Like on Windows, there are also just four easy steps on how to open a .apk file on Mac OS.

1. Downloading software that can open the file is also the first step here. On Mac OS, Google Android SDK and BlueStacks can be used too, but you can also download Apple Archive Utility.
2. Locating the downloaded file is the second step. It is commonly found in the /download/ folder.
3. Press right-click on the file and click the “Open with” option.
4. Once you click “Open with”, you should see the software you downloaded to open the file (let’s say, in this case, we used Google Android SDK again). Choose the software and click on “OK”.
   

In summary, opening an .apk file is not hard, there are just programs that you first need to install on your device in order to open the file. This may vary depending on the operating system you are using. For Windows, you can use Google Android SDK, BlueStacks, Corel WinZip, 7-Zip, RARLAB WinRAR programs. For Mac OS, you can download Google Android SDK, Apple Archive Utility, and BlueStacks programs. Only download Google Android SDK on Linux. Finally, for Android, simply install the Google Android software.

There are billions of internet users worldwide, and we can’t freely access all websites if the owner restricted access to a particular country. Your computer’s server may be restricted access because it isn’t seen as trustworthy by the website. In cases like these, you have no choice but to use a proxy website. But there are many other reasons why you may want to use a proxy website. And it’s not just to gain access to these restricted websites. It’s very useful if you want to ensure your network’s privacy, cookies, and more.

If you’re new to proxy websites and want to know how to utilize them, you should know the reasons why it’s useful. So read on to know what these reasons are that will help you determine if it’s useful for you. In the end, you might even want to have a different proxy for each tab on your computer!

Control Internet Access

If you’re a parent who wants to make sure that their kids are accessing kid-friendly websites only, or an employer that wants to ensure that their employees are only using the internet for work-related things, then you may want to consider using a proxy website. Proxy websites can be set up to block sites that you think are not acceptable for your children or your employees. Aside from that, you can also program a proxy site to log all web requests to see what the person using the computer is doing.

Gain Access to Restricted Sites

As mentioned in the introduction, one of the main uses of proxy websites is to access blocked websites. Anyone can access a blocked site using a proxy server by changing their IP address to another country. In turn, employees with blocked access can use a proxy server to navigate the internet despite your proxy’s restrictions.

Increase Privacy

Since you can change your IP address using a proxy website’s IP address, all your information and data stay private. Therefore, the website you are trying to access will not know who you are. Even if they manage to save the IP address, it’s not yours but the poxy site’s IP address.

Improve Speed While Saving Bandwidth

Web proxies can cache web pages, which means they will save the most recent copy of often used websites. So if you use or access the same websites all the time, then the proxy can readily retrieve it from their saved websites. That’s how it improves connection speeds while saving on bandwidth.

The Bottom line

A proxy server is a very useful tool, which you can utilize every day to ensure privacy and security. You can use it in many instances, such as for employees at work or your kids to make sure they won’t accidentally access any unacceptable websites.