Your Android phone offers several options for sharing videos, photos, files, and more. But what if you want to share an app from your phone to another Android device? Instead of sharing the Play Store link for the app, Android allows you to share apps directly from your phone, making app sharing more convenient and efficient.
You can easily use the Play Store or the Google Files app to share apps between Android devices. This post will walk you through both methods in detail. So let’s start.
1. Share apps between Android devices using the Play Store
The easiest and fastest way to share apps between Android devices is through the Play Store. It uses the nearby share feature, available on all phones running Android 6.0 or later, to quickly share the app file. You can use this method to share multiple apps at once.
Here’s how to use Play Store to share apps with nearby Android devices.
Step 1: Open Play Store on the phone whose app you want to share.
Step 2: Tap the profile icon in the top right corner and select “Manage apps and device.”
Step 3: On the Overview tab, tap the Submit button next to Share apps.
Step 4: On the next screen, you will see a list of apps installed on your phone. You can use the sort option to arrange these apps by name or size.
Step 5: Use the checkboxes to select the apps you want to share and tap the send icon in the top right corner.
Step 6: Then, on the receiving device, open the Play Store and go to the “Manage Apps & Device” page (see steps above). Then tap the Receive button next to Share apps.
Step 7: After the receiving device appears on the sender’s phone, select it. Sends a share request to the selected device.
Step 8: You should see the same four-digit code on the receiving device as on the sender’s device. Select Received to start the app transfer.
Step 9: Once the app has been transferred, tap the install button next to the app to install it. If there are multiple apps, you can tap the Install All button to install them all at once.
Step 10: Finally, tap the Disconnect option in the top right corner of any of the devices and select Disconnect again to confirm.
2. Share apps between Android devices using Google Files app
While sharing apps through the Play Store is easy, it’s not the only option. You can also use the Google Files app to share apps with another Android device. Unlike the above method, Google Files app allows you to share apk files of your apps via Bluetooth, Near Share, Quick Share or third party file transfer app.
While the Files app comes pre-installed on most Android devices, if you don’t already have it on your phone, you can download it from the Play Store. You do not need to install the app on the receiving device.
After downloading the app, use the next step to share apps through the Google Files app.
Step 1: Open the Files app on the device you want to send apps from.
Step 2: On the Browse tab, tap Apps.
Step 3: In the Installed apps tab, find the app you want to share. Tap the three-dot menu icon next to it and select Share.
To share multiple apps at once, tap the three-dot menu and choose Select. Then use the checkboxes to select apps and tap the share icon in the top right corner.
Step 4: In the sharing sheet menu that opens, select the sharing option you want. You can share your app via Bluetooth, Nearby Share, or a third-party app.
Step 5: On the receiving device, tap the received apk file and select Install.
If you use a third-party app to install the apk file, you may see a warning message about installing unknown apps. In that case, select the Settings option and enable the toggle next to your app. After that you should be able to install the app using the apk file.
Share your apps effortlessly
If both Android devices have the Nearby Sharing feature, using Play Store should make it easy to share apps between devices. That said, sharing apps through the Google Files app isn’t that hard either. Try them both and let us know which one you prefer in the comments below.