When using an Android device, the user will most likely have to enter compatible credentials for one store or another (Google Play Store, Amazon App Store, etc.), but there is the possibility of cutting that chain and installing new software by adopting sideloading. The main drawback associated with this practice is the absence of automatic updates; however, APKUpdater fills that gap by taking the new APKs from alternative sources.
Why do some users reject official app stores? On more than one occasion the proprietary nature of both stores and all their dependencies has been highlighted, which contrasts with the open source structure of the Android operating system. The idea of managing applications with a store whose code is unknown does not sit too well, and those responsible are accused of completely ignoring this point.
There is also talk about performance issues: if the components of the stores (increasingly heavier) do not exist in the background, the amount of free resources on the device is greater. Doing without official stores is not impossible, but it introduces other elements into the equation, starting with the manual search for updates.
How to update APK on Android with APKUpdater
The alternative is to use a tool like APKUpdater, which takes care of updating other already installed applications, without the need to enter credentials or depend on official stores. The main sources of APKUpdater are GitHub, GitLab, APKMirror, F-Droid, the F-Droid Izzy repository, Aptoide and APKPure (in beta version). In theory, APKUpdater should be able to detect the vast majority of our apps; however, it would not be entirely strange to discover one or two absences in its list. Added to this is the possibility of performing installations as root, as long as the device allows it (and the app needs it in the first place).
In summary, APKUpdater has been designed for those riders of AOSP, Lineage OS and other variants who reject the original stores for technical or principled reasons, and prefer to manage the updates of each APK manually. APKUpdater is open source, all its code is available on GitHub, and the last update was published in January of this year. Its compatibility goes from Android 5 to 14, and it also supports Android TV.
Official website and download: Click here
How to download files from GitHub: Click here
