Installing an APK File? How to Check If It's Safe

One of the best things about Android is the amount of control that the operating system gives users. For instance, with an iPhone, if you want to install apps, you have to either use the App Store or jailbreak the phone. With Android, you can use Google Play, or side load the app using an APK file. To do this, all you need to do is copy the APK on your phone, enable Unknown sources in the privacy settings and launch the APK, and you'll install the app that's been packaged in the file. However, this level of simplicity also means that there's a little risk - for Android users, downloading apps via Google Play is the safest option. Based on the data released by the Android security team this year, you're about 10 times more likely to have a potentially harmful application on your device if you're not just using Google Play. Because of that, if you're planning to use an APK file you've downloaded, it's a good idea to run a few simple checks to try and verify that it is really what it claims to be. Luckily, there are a few simple ways you can do this.

Scanning the APK
1. VirusTotal
The VirusTotal website lets you upload your APK files to check for viruses and other issues.
Android files are the fifth most popular file to be checked on the website.
The one caveat is that the file size has to be under 128MB, so some games in particular might be too big for this tool.
To use, do the following:
Open the site.
Click on Choose File, and in the browser dialogue box, select your file.
Click on Scan it! to get your results.

2. NViso ApkScan Another tool that's similar to VirusTotal is NViso ApkScan.
It also provides a detailed report on the APK file you have,
and there's no file size limit. We've seen this tool recommended on the most number of forums,
and it worked quickly and easily.
To use Nviso, do the following:
Open the Nviso site.
Drag and drop the APK file onto the site.
Click on Scan package.