APK

An APK is the file format used to install Android apps; one received from a chat or link instead of the Play Store should be treated as risky.

APK: An APK, or Android Package, is the file that contains an Android app and installs it on your phone. The Play Store handles APK files for you in the background. When someone sends you an APK directly, you are installing without the store's checks.

In India, fake APK files travel on WhatsApp, Telegram and SMS with names that promise something useful, like a challan lookup, a gas subsidy, a free recharge or a bank KYC update. They look like normal apps once installed, with a familiar logo. Behind the icon they may read your messages, watch your screen or send your contacts away. Treat the file name as meaningless, since scammers choose it to match the story.

A genuine company that offers its own APK, such as a security company on its download page, will give the file only on its own website and will sign it. Even then, check that you typed the address yourself. You can look at a file's name and size, but you cannot see danger from them, so the safest rule is simple: do not open APKs from messages.

Tips

• Do not open any APK received in a chat, SMS, email or social media post.
• Download an app outside the Play Store only from the company's own website, typed by hand.
• After installing, review the permissions the app requests and remove it if they look excessive.

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