Share an APK with a link, not a file

Emailing the APK is how builds get lost. The attachment is too big, or it lands in spam, or your client installs last Tuesday's version and reports bugs you already fixed. With PreviewAPK you share an APK as a link: upload once, and the build boots in your recipient's browser — the real app, running, nothing for them to install.

Why sharing APK files is broken

• Version chaos. app-release-final-v2-REALLYFINAL.apk — files multiply in inboxes and chat threads, and nobody can tell which one is current. A link always points at the exact build you uploaded.
• Install friction. Your recipient has to download the file, find it, and get past Android's "install unknown apps" permission before they see a single screen. Most non-technical stakeholders never get there.
• Warnings with no context. A raw APK triggers scary system warnings. A link that opens your running app in the browser gives them the product first, and the install step only if they actually want the file.
• No shared view. A file can't be "looked at together." You end up on a screen-share call, describing taps over the phone.

How sharing an APK online works instead

1. Upload your APK and choose the Android version (10–15) and device profile (Pixel 9 Pro or Galaxy S24) for that build.
2. Copy the session's share link. Paste it into an email, a Slack message, a ticket, anywhere. It lives while the session runs; a new build gets a new session and a fresh link, so feedback always names the build that was on screen.
3. They open it; the app boots. A real Android device starts in the cloud in seconds, with your app installed and launched. Your recipient watches it run live in their browser while you drive — viewers never get control of the app itself.

The link doesn't die when the session ends. Sessions stop after 15 minutes idle, and opening the link again boots a fresh device with the same build.

Watch-only or hands-on: you decide per link

Sharing is deliberately one-way. Every link is a view link: people watch the live session — ideal for walkthroughs and approvals — and that's all a link can ever do. There is no drive link, by design: driving happens only in your own portal, or through your API key, so a forwarded link can never hand a stranger control of your app. A client reviewing your work doesn't need control — and with PreviewAPK, they can't get it by accident.

Optional: let them install it on a real phone

Sometimes the point really is the file — you need the build on your own device. From the portal, any attached APK offers Install on my phone: a QR code whose short-lived link installs the same APK on your Android phone. It lives inside your account, minted by you, for you — the shared link streams the app and offers no download to anyone.

Who you share APKs with

• Clients approving work before it ships to the Play Store.
• Testers and QA who need the exact build, not a description of it.
• Stakeholders and PMs who will never sideload anything but will happily click a link.
• Support and sales reproducing a user's issue or demoing a feature on demand.

What it costs

PreviewAPK is a flat $19/month per device with unlimited testing — share the link as often as you like, with no minute meters and no per-viewer charges. It's in private beta; the waitlist locks in the launch price.

FAQ

How do I share an APK file with someone?

Upload the APK to PreviewAPK and start the device. The session gets a share link — send it by email, chat, or ticket. While the session runs, your recipient watches a real Android device in the cloud with your build installed and running, right in their browser.

Does the other person need to install anything?

No. The link opens the running app in any browser. Viewers install nothing and need no account. If you want the build on your own phone, your portal can mint a short-lived install QR for it — an owner's tool; the share link itself never serves files.

Can I stop a link from being public-downloadable?

There's nothing to stop: a share link is never downloadable. It streams the app in the browser and offers no file — no setting, no toggle. The only download in PreviewAPK is an install link the owner mints inside the portal, for their own phone.

Can multiple people watch at once?

Yes. Everyone with the link sees the same live session. One person drives at a time — tapping, swiping, and typing — while everyone else watches exactly what they do.

Keep going

• Preview an Android app — stakeholder previews without installs or test accounts.
• Test APK online — run and check your own builds in the browser.
• Install APK online — run an APK in the browser, no cables, no emulator.