2 Best Ways to Share Apps Between Android Devices

Your Android phone offers many ways to share videos, photos, files and more. But what if you want to share an app from your phone with another Android device? Instead of sharing an app’s Play Store link, Android lets you share apps directly from your phone, making app sharing more convenient and efficient.

You can easily share apps between Android devices using the Play Store or the Google Files app. This post walks you through both methods in detail. So, let’s get started.

1. Share apps between Android devices using Play Store

Play Store is the easiest and fastest way to share apps between Android devices. Use Nearby Sharing – available on all phones running Android 6.0 or higher – to quickly share an app file. This method allows you to share multiple apps at once.

Here’s how you can use the Play Store to share apps with nearby Android devices.

1st step: Open the Play Store on the phone you want to share the app from.

Step 2: Tap the profile icon in the upper right corner and select “Manage apps and devices”.

Step 3: On the Overview tab, tap the Send button next to Share apps.

Step 4: The next screen will show you the list of apps installed on your phone. The sort option lets you sort these apps by name or size.

Step 5: Use the checkboxes to select the apps you want to share, then 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 and devices” page (see steps above). Then tap the Accept button next to Share Apps.

Step 7: Once the receiving device appears on the sender’s phone, select it. This will send a sharing request to the selected device.

Step 8: You should see the same four-digit code on the receiving device as on the sending device. Select Receive to start the application transfer.

Step 9: After transferring the app, tap the Install button next to the app to install it. If you have multiple apps, you can tap Install All to install them all at once.

Step 10: Finally, tap the Disconnect option at the top right on any device and select Disconnect again to confirm.

2. Share apps between Android devices using the Google Files app

While sharing apps on the Play Store is easy, it’s not the only option. You can also use Google Files to share apps with another Android device. Unlike the method above, the Google Files app lets you share your apps’ apk files via Bluetooth, Nearby Share, Quick Share, or a third-party file transfer app.

Although the Files app comes pre-installed on most Android devices, you can download it from the Play Store if you don’t already have it on your phone. You don’t need to install the app on the receiving device.

Google Files app for Android

After downloading the app, follow the next step to share apps via Google Files.

1st step: Open the Files app on the device you want to send apps from.

Step 2: On the Browse tab, tap Applications.

Step 3: On 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 select Select. Then use the checkboxes to select apps and tap the share icon in the top right corner.

Step 4: In the sharing page that opens, select the desired sharing option. You can share your app using Bluetooth, Nearby Share, or a third-party app.

Step 5: On the receiving device, tap on the received apk file and select Install.

If you use a third-party app to install the apk file, you may get a warning message about installing unknown apps. In this case, select Settings and enable the switch next to the app. After that, you should be able to install the app using the apk file.

You can easily share your apps

If both Android devices have Nearby Sharing, using the Play Store should make it easy to share apps between devices. That said, sharing apps via Google Files isn’t too difficult either. Try them both out and let us know which one you prefer in the comments below.