Android Studio: Where to Find the APK File After Building
- aradsolsioliebar
- Aug 6, 2023
- 10 min read
Where is the APK in Android Studio?
If you are developing an Android app using Android Studio, you might wonder where is the APK file that you can use to install your app on a device or emulator. An APK file is an Android application package that contains all the files and resources needed to run your app. In this article, you will learn what an APK file is, why you need it, how to generate it, how to sign it, and how to analyze it using Android Studio.
What is an APK file and why do you need it?
An APK file is a compressed archive that contains the following components:
where is the apk in android studio
The AndroidManifest.xml file that describes the app's metadata, permissions, activities, services, etc.
The classes.dex file that contains the compiled Java code of your app.
The resources.arsc file that contains the compiled resources of your app, such as strings, images, layouts, etc.
The res folder that contains the uncompiled resources of your app.
The assets folder that contains any additional files that you want to include in your app, such as fonts, sounds, etc.
The META-INF folder that contains the signature and certificate of your app.
The lib folder that contains any native libraries that your app uses.
You need an APK file to install and run your app on a device or emulator. You can also use an APK file to distribute your app to users via various channels, such as Google Play Store, email, website, etc.
APK files for testing and debugging
If you want to test and debug your app during development, you can generate a debug APK file that is signed with a debug key generated by Android Studio. A debug APK file allows you to use features such as logging, debugging, and testing tools. However, a debug APK file cannot be uploaded to the Play Store or made available to the public.
APK files for releasing and distributing
If you want to release and distribute your app to users, you need to generate a release APK file that is signed with a key store that you create. A key store is a secure storage that contains a private key and a public certificate that identify you as the developer of the app. A release APK file ensures that your app is secure and authentic. However, a release APK file cannot be used for testing and debugging purposes.
How to generate an APK file in Android Studio
There are two ways to generate an APK file in Android Studio: using the build menu option or using the command line option.
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Build menu option
To generate an APK file using the build menu option, follow these steps:
In the toolbar, select your app from the run configurations menu.
In the target device menu, select the device that you want to run your app on. If you don't have any devices configured, you need to either create an Android Virtual Device to use the Android Emulator or connect a physical device.
Select Build > Build Bundle(s)/APK(s) > Build APK(s) from the toolbar menu.
Android Studio will take a few moments to generate an APK file. Once the build is complete, you will receive a notification on the bottom right corner of your screen. From that notification, select Locate and you will be directed to the folder where the APK file is located. The APK file will have the name app-debug.apk and will be stored in the app/build/outputs/apk/debug folder of your project.
You can now install the APK file on your device or emulator by either dragging and dropping it or using the adb install command.
Command line option
To generate an APK file using the command line option, follow these steps:
Open a terminal window and navigate to the root directory of your project.
Type the following command: ./gradlew assembleDebug. This will run the Gradle build script and generate an APK file.
The APK file will be located in the same folder as the build menu option: app/build/outputs/apk/debug. The APK file will have the same name: app-debug.apk.
You can now install the APK file on your device or emulator using the same methods as the build menu option.
How to generate a signed APK file in Android Studio
If you want to release and distribute your app to users, you need to generate a signed APK file that is signed with a key store that you create. There are two ways to generate a signed APK file in Android Studio: using the generate signed bundle/APK option or using the sign your app manually option.
What is a key store and why do you need it?
A key store is a secure storage that contains a private key and a public certificate that identify you as the developer of the app. The private key is used to sign your app, while the public certificate is used to verify your signature. You need a key store to ensure that your app is secure and authentic, and to prevent others from tampering with or impersonating your app.
Generate signed bundle/APK option
To generate a signed APK file using the generate signed bundle/APK option, follow these steps:
Select Build > Generate Signed Bundle/APK from the toolbar menu.
In the dialog that appears, select APK and click Next.
If you already have a key store, select Choose existing and browse to the location of your key store file. If you don't have a key store, select Create new and fill in the required fields to create one. Click Next.
Select the build variant that you want to sign, such as release. You can also select other options, such as V1 (Jar Signature) and V2 (Full APK Signature), which are different ways of signing your app. Click Finish.
Android Studio will take a few moments to generate a signed APK file. Once the build is complete, you will receive a notification on the bottom right corner of your screen. From that notification, select Show in Explorer/Finder and you will be directed to the folder where the signed APK file is located. The signed APK file will have the name app-release.apk and will be stored in the app/release folder of your project.
You can now distribute your signed APK file to users via various channels, such as Google Play Store, email, website, etc.
Sign your app manually option
To generate a signed APK file using the sign your app manually option, follow these steps:
Create a key store using either Android Studio or a command line tool such as keytool. You can find more information on how to create a key store here:
Create an unsigned APK file using either Android Studio or Gradle. You can find more information on how to create an unsigned APK file here:
Sign your unsigned APK file using either Android Studio or a command line tool such as jarsigner. You can find more information on how to sign your unsigned APK file here:
The signed APK file will be located in the same folder as the unsigned APK file. The signed APK file will have the same name as the unsigned APK file, but it will be signed with your key store.
You can now distribute your signed APK file to users via the same channels as the generate signed bundle/APK option.
How to analyze your APK file in Android Studio
If you want to inspect and optimize your APK file, you can use the APK Analyzer tool in Android Studio. The APK Analyzer tool can help you reduce the size of your APK file, identify potential performance issues, and debug your app.
What is the APK Analyzer and what can it do?
The APK Analyzer is a tool that allows you to view the contents and details of your APK file. You can use the APK Analyzer to:
View the size and structure of your APK file and its components.
Compare two APK files and see the differences in size and content.
View the DEX files and their classes, methods, fields, and references.
View the resources and their qualifiers, configurations, and values.
View the manifest and its attributes, permissions, activities, services, etc.
View the signatures and certificates of your APK file.
View the native libraries and their architectures, symbols, and dependencies.
How to use the APK Analyzer tool
To use the APK Analyzer tool, follow these steps:
Select Build > Analyze APK from the toolbar menu.
In the dialog that appears, browse to the location of your APK file and select it. You can also drag and drop your APK file into the dialog.
The APK Analyzer tool will open in a new window. You will see a tree view of your APK file on the left pane and a detailed view of the selected item on the right pane. You can expand or collapse the nodes on the tree view to explore your APK file.
You can also use the toolbar buttons on the top of the window to perform various actions, such as comparing two APK files, opening a DEX file in a bytecode viewer, extracting an item from the APK file, etc.
You can now analyze your APK file using the APK Analyzer tool and make any necessary changes or improvements to your app.
Conclusion
In this article, you learned what an APK file is, why you need it, how to generate it, how to sign it, and how to analyze it using Android Studio. You also learned how to use different options and tools to create and manage your APK files. By following these steps, you can create high-quality Android apps that are ready for testing, debugging, releasing, and distributing.
FAQs
Q: How can I reduce the size of my APK file?
A: There are several ways to reduce the size of your APK file, such as:
Using Android App Bundles instead of APK files. Android App Bundles are a new format that allows Google Play to generate optimized APKs for each device configuration. You can learn more about Android App Bundles here:
Using ProGuard or R8 to shrink and obfuscate your code. ProGuard and R8 are tools that remove unused code and rename classes, methods, and fields to make your app smaller and harder to reverse engineer. You can learn more about ProGuard and R8 here:
Using vector drawables instead of bitmap images. Vector drawables are scalable graphics that use less space than bitmap images. You can learn more about vector drawables here:
Using WebP instead of PNG or JPEG images. WebP is a newer image format that provides better compression than PNG or JPEG images. You can learn more about WebP here:
Using resource shrinking to remove unused resources. Resource shrinking is a feature that removes any resources that are not referenced by your app code or manifest. You can learn more about resource shrinking here:
Q: How can I update my app on Google Play Store?
A: To update your app on Google Play Store, you need to follow these steps:
Increase the version code and version name of your app in the build.gradle file.
Generate a signed APK file using Android Studio or Gradle using the same key store as before.
Upload the signed APK file to Google Play Console and fill in the required fields, such as release name, release notes, etc.
Review and roll out your app update to your users.
You can find more information on how to update your app on Google Play Store here:
Q: How can I debug my app on a device or emulator?
A: To debug your app on a device or emulator, you need to follow these steps:
Enable USB debugging on your device or launch an emulator.
Connect your device to your computer using a USB cable or make sure your emulator is running.
In Android Studio, select your app from the run configurations menu and select the device or emulator that you want to debug your app on.
Select Run > Debug from the toolbar menu or click the Debug icon on the toolbar.
Android Studio will install and launch your app on the device or emulator and attach the debugger to it.
You can now use the debugging tools in Android Studio, such as breakpoints, watches, variables, logcat, etc., to inspect and modify the state of your app.
You can find more information on how to debug your app on a device or emulator here:
Q: How can I test my app on different device configurations?
A: To test your app on different device configurations, such as screen size, orientation, language, etc., you can use the following tools:
The Android Emulator, which allows you to create and run virtual devices that simulate various hardware and software features. You can learn more about the Android Emulator here:
The Layout Inspector, which allows you to view and edit the layout hierarchy of your app's UI. You can learn more about the Layout Inspector here:
The Device File Explorer, which allows you to view and modify the files and folders on your device or emulator. You can learn more about the Device File Explorer here:
The Firebase Test Lab, which allows you to run your app on real devices hosted by Google in the cloud. You can learn more about the Firebase Test Lab here:
Q: How can I optimize my app for performance and battery efficiency?
A: To optimize your app for performance and battery efficiency, you can use the following tools:
The Android Profiler, which allows you to monitor and analyze the CPU, memory, network, and battery usage of your app. You can learn more about the Android Profiler here:
The Android Lint, which allows you to scan your code for potential errors, bugs, performance issues, accessibility issues, security issues, etc. You can learn more about the Android Lint here:
The Battery Historian, which allows you to visualize and analyze the battery consumption of your app over time. You can learn more about the Battery Historian here:
The Jetpack libraries, which are a collection of Android components that help you simplify common tasks, follow best practices, and improve performance and battery efficiency. You can learn more about the Jetpack libraries here:
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