Getting Started
For owners
Who is Padoq?
Creating Accounts
How to Submit Your App
How to Submit Your App to the Google Play Store
Google Play Console: How to push an update live
App Store Connect: How to push an update live
How to Submit Your App to the App Store
Design Requirements
App Listing Design Requirements
Setting up Test Users
The Super Admin Dashboard
Padoq forms
Setting up a merchant account
Managing group members
For users
Using Padoq
Sign Up
Home
Groups
Types of Groups
Creating Groups
Adding tags to Groups
Update your Profile in a Group
Leaving a Group
Managing and deleting your group
What is a Padoq (or Group)?
Group Privacy Settings
Group Tile Menus
Posts
Creating Posts
Types of Posts
Edit or Delete Posts
Share a Post
Boost a Post
Report a Post
Creating a Poll
Creating Payment Posts
Filtering and Sorting Posts
Copy a Post
Trigger Posts
Creating Events
Posting to Select Recipients
Post settings
Private Chat
Calendars
My Account
Your notifications and activity
Padoq Features
3rd Party Tools
Firebase Cloud Messaging
Bespoke Integrations
Firebase
Setting up a SendGrid account
Third Party Tools - End User data collection
FAQ
Help! It won't let me log in
Device Requirements
How do I Report an Issue?
What platforms is the app available on?
Best Practices
Technical content
The Padoq platform
User registration (onboarding)
User profile
How do roles work?
App menus
Primary app menu
Explore
The homefeed
Padoq feed and menus
Post types
The pinboard
Creating a padoq (group)
Padoq stereotypes
Managing a padoq
What are Padoq categories?
Auto-enrolment
Verified by Padoq
Notifications and activity
Super Admin Dashboard - Issue reports
Create and Manage Forms (Information Collection)
Bookings
Privileges
Moderation
Glossary | A guide to how we talk
- All Categories
- Getting Started
- For users
- How to Download the App - Android
How to Download the App - Android
Updated
by Laura Curran
Install an Android App without the Google Play Store Using APK
What is an APK?
An APK stands for Application Package. When an app is not available through the Google Play Store we have to share these via a .apk extension which is a downloadable file either directly on your android device or through an emulator on your mac/laptop.
Here are two scenarios when you might need to install an untrusted Android app without going through the Google Play Store:
- Your Android devices aren’t connected to the Internet
- The app you need is not available on the Google Play Store.
Copy the APK File to the Device
To load the app using the APK file, you need to ensure you have opened the file on the Android device you will be testing on.
Install
Please follow the below instructions on your Android device.
- Open the email sent from Padoq which contains the APK download file.
- A warning message will pop up saying “Install blocked.” Tap on “Settings.”

- Select “Allow install on non-Play Store applications,” and then tap “OK.”

- Tap on your APK file again
- A warning will pop up “Do you want to install this application?” Tap “Next” and then “Install.”

- You’ll get a confirmation message and the will be added to the device.

Caution
Do not install Android apps from untrusted sources. Some Android apps obtained outside the Google Play Store can be dangerous. Just like with desktop operating systems, people write malicious apps and distribute them on the Internet.
Android Emulator
If you don't have an Android device and would like to still test this platform before its release we recommend using Bluestacks. To install Bluestacks on to your mac/laptop please follow the steps here.