How can I send an Android app that I'm developing to someone over e-mail?

Question

This is my first Android app. I need to email what I have so far to someone for testing.

How should I do I export the app and attach it, so it is not being treated as Junk?

Answer 1

If you are using Eclipse run the app on the emulator to test it. Now Eclipse should have created a bin folder in your project folder. In this folder you will find an apk file that contains your app.

Just send this file to your friend via email. He know can install the file on the emulator if he has one running. If not he can just plugin his phone via usb move the file to the SD-Card remove the USB connection and then navigate to the file on his SD-Card with a file browser like ASTRO and select the, item now the application manager should show up and he can install the app. If this does not work he has to go to settings -> applications -> and enable unknown sources.

Answer 2

Much simpler method:

1. Put the apk on your web server
2. Create a QR Barcode image using: http://chart.apis.google.com/chart?cht=qr&chs=150x150&chld=H|1&chl=http://myserver/myapp.apk
3. Then send him that barcode in an email and tell him to scan it using the barcode reader app.

The barcode reader app will see the barcode and provide a hyperlink for the user to click. They click the link and the app downloads and installs.

Answer 3

compile/build your app, it should produce a file like myAppName.apk, just send it via email to your friend

try to look in yourProjectPath/bin folder

Answer 4

You can also right-click on your project (in eclipse) and click on export then select "Export Android Application" and give all the details... after you finish you will have a myAppName.apk, which you can email

Answer 5

Export Android Application would be the correct way to generate the apk. Using the one that eclipse uses has debugging info, plus it is signed with debug key, not an actual key. If you install an application signed with one key, and then later try to install an application (same package name) with a different key, you will first have to uninstall the original application first.

Answer 6

The simple answer is it is very simple, Droid devices understand what an APK is. So, tell your friend to Check "Enable Unknown Sources" currently in Settings->Security (not Settings-> Applications as of now.) Then email them the APK. Upon receiving it, Droid will either get it installed, or they can download it to downloads, where they can also install it from. Accept the Permissions, and off you go.

Answer 7

You can use the Microsoft App Center to build and distribute your Signed/Unsigned APK with your beta testers.

Or you can also use Google Drive, DropBox, Amazon S3 to distribute your APK

Answer 8

In Android Studio build with "build"->"Build Bundle"->"Build APKs" which you'll find in the folder app/build/outputs/apk/debug then.

You cannot attach the file in your email directly, since APKs are treated as junk by most email providers. So upload the apk somewhere and send the link to your co-worker.

If a link is not enough, with a simple trick, you can send the file anyway:

1. Rename the file: attach .bin at the end of the filename (i.e. myApp.apk.bin)
2. send the fake .bin file
3. Tell the receiver, that they have to rename it to plain .apk before installing. (On android renaming is possible with a file-manager, i.e. like Totalcommander)