How to try out and sideload official Android Apps from APKMirror

If you are among the few who likes to try out new features and apps ahead of everyone else, you should know that you can do so by downloading apps from certain websites that have officially licensed version of the updated apps. You also have the option to roll in for the beta testing program in Google Playstore but that is not always available. 

APKMirror.com is one such website that helps you download officially licensed apps. It is a highly curated community.

APKMirror allows popular apps that are slowly rolling out and may not yet be available to you to be downloaded and installed sooner. It helps you get around geo-restrictions and sideload popular apps that might not be available in your country otherwise. 

It also provides an archive of popular applications, along with changelogs and descriptions, so you can revert to a previous version if a new one starts crashing or removes features you've grown to appreciate. 

You can also use the archive for research purposes, such as comparing changes from one version to another.

To try out new apps, first, you have to visit the APKmirror website and search for your app.

Apps downloaded and installed from APKMirror can also be later updated via the Google Play Store.

For Example, let’s take the case of WhatsApp. Here we are going to download and sideload WhatsApp to its latest version. The process will be the same for the rest of the apps as well. (Note: Please be informed about the app you are trying out, some apps in the beta stage might have new features but also have some bugs and performance issues)

Step 1

If you check the play store and app information about the current app, the installed version is 2.21.18.17

Open your browser and go to the address APKMirror.com

Step 2

You will see the APKmirror webpage

On the Search bar on the top, type and search for the desired app. In this case, we are going to search for WhatsApp and hit enter

You will see a list of results from WhatsApp for business and Whatsapp Messenger

If you look closely you can see the latest beta version of WhatsApp Messenger 2.21.20.10 is available, we can try installing this one

Step 3

Click on the WhatsApp Messenger 2.21.20.10 beta

You will be taken to the main app page, where we can see the App Version, its category 

You can also check out what are new changes under the What's New section and Description

Scroll down and select the "SEE AVAILABLE DOWNLOAD" option and click on it

You will arrive at a page where the different Variants, DPI, and architectures are listed.

The variant is for the type of Processor your phone is using which is mostly arm64-v8a these days. 

The version states the minimum android version the app supports, in this case, it shows a minimum of Android version 4.1 and above

The DPI  (dots per inch) value, which resembles the screen density of your device screen. 720p and Full Hd displays are generally 480 dpi and 2K and 4K devices can range up to 640 dpi.

If there is no exact match, pick the APK with a higher DPI than your device, if available. If not, you’ll probably be alright with a slightly lower DPI.

Some apps such in this case have nodpi, which is universal and works for all

Rule of thumb: When in doubt, go for nodpi.

The current device is a Redmi K20 Pro, so we are going to select version arm64-v8a, nodpi

Step 4

Download the selected file, wait for it

After the download is completed just select the file overwrite and sideload it and complete the installation and you are done. You are on the current latest version of WhatsApp Beta.