How to install an Android application on a real device without publishing and Eclipse?

user_227889 0
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How can I install an application without any developer tools (Eclipse, Android SDK tools)?

I've compiled and created an .apk file. Now I am gonna send this apk file to my friend.

He is not an Android developer; he doesn't know how to use Eclipse or the SDK. And I don't want to publish my application to android market.

Is there a way to launch the application on a real device without publishing it or having access to a machine with the SDK?

deployment android
9 Answers

You can deploy the .apk file on your local server(apache or jboss) with a static IP to make the file available for download. Now just open the download link of the apk file in your mobile browser. The device will automatically start the installation after the download completes.

user_2374030

The way I usually do this is:

  1. Plug in my USB cable to my PC and mount my SD card on my computer
  2. Get the APK file somewhere on my SD card on the phone
  3. Unmount the SD card on my PC, allowing the phone to see the SD card contents again
  4. Use Astro File Manager or some similar app to browse to that file on the SD card and select it, which will prompt you if you want to install the app on your phone.
user_130700

You should set Settings -> Application -> Unknown sources to allow installation from non-Market. Then, once your application is published somewhere, you can download it an install it.

user_2364650

Also you can use 'adb install ' to install apk's to your device.

Though this approach requires you to have adb available on your computer and adb is part of the sdk.

Another, easier approach, is using DropBox. This enables you to save the apk in the dropbox/public folder, create a URI from there and supply this to your friend. Then have him download the apk. Android will notify him when it's done, so he only has to click the notification and Android will ask him whether or not he wants to install this software.

user_2526340
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