Over the past month or two, you may have noticed a change in our "APK Download" posts. Previously, we went through an admittedly tedious process of first hunting down the APK we wanted, and then uploading it to a selection of various mirroring services, each with their own interfaces, ad concerns, and other quirks. In fact we have switched mirroring services several times because of intrusive advertising or other issues our readers faced.
In an effort to make things easy, and maybe even fun, we created APK Mirror. Over the past several months, we've been working to build a smooth, reliable, trust-worthy site to host the downloads users love and keep the whole experience in the AP family. After a soft-launch, we thought it'd be a good idea to give APK Mirror a more formal introduction, for those who might not have explored it yet.
Users can subscribe at a variety of levels including all new APKs, all APKs from a certain developer, or just APKs for a specific app of their choosing.
As for actually using the site? It's easy. We want to make sure that users always get to what they want in just a few clicks, so Google apps (the most popular category) are presented on the front page, underneath the latest uploads. We also keep a list of the most popular downloads in a side-bar so you won't miss something exciting. In most places where app listings appear, users can also get quick info about the download, and a link to the AP post discussing the update.
To upload an APK for the community, just hit the FAB in the upper right corner (or if you're on mobile, the cloud icon). A form will appear, into which you can drag files, tell us what's new, and hit upload. When all is clear, you can dismiss the dialog and go back to business. Once we've approved the APK, you'll get a quick note to confirm.
If you're downloading, there's no need to worry whether you're grabbing the latest version of an app - we'll let you know. Every version of a given app is listed on its download page, providing quick access to the newest - or oldest - upload.
reverse chronological order.
There may or may not also be an APK Mirror app in the works. I can't give away any details of the proposed app yet, but it's under consideration, and I can say that - if it sees light - it'll have a thoughtful, well-rounded design and a great feature list.
Here's looking forward to what's next for APK Mirror and Android Police! In the meantime, you can keep up to date by following APK Mirror on
Facebook,
Twitter, and
Google+ or just head straight to the site.
