Is APKPure Safe for Kids? What to Check on Android

Is APKPure safe for kids? Check what’s on the phone

For a child’s Android phone, I’d use Google Play and choose the app from its official publisher. If your child already used APKPure, start together on their phone. Open Settings → Apps, select See all apps if needed, and look for APKPure and the name of the game or app they wanted.

APKPure is a third-party Android marketplace with a website and a separate store app. An APK is an Android installer file. Ask your child what they wanted and whether they got as far as opening the file or using the app. If there’s an app in the list, go to the installed-app checks below. If they only remember a download, check the phone’s Downloads folder too.

Is it a file, the APKPure store or a different app?

The name APKPure can refer to the site, a file from the site or the store app itself. Check the app list and Downloads separately. A child who visited the site and closed it without downloading or installing anything has no APKPure file or app to remove from that visit.

For example, your child may have deleted the APKPure store after getting a game. If the game still appears in Settings → Apps, review it as an installed app. If you only see an installer for the game in Downloads, delete that file when you no longer need it. Reopen each list to confirm what’s left.

What should you do if your child installed an app?

Start with Play Protect, then decide what to do with each app you found. On a phone with Google Play, open the Play Store, tap the profile icon and select Play Protect. Keep scanning enabled and start a scan from that screen. Google checks apps installed from other sources and may warn you about, disable or remove harmful apps. Google’s Play Protect help · How on-demand scans work

• If Play Protect flags the app, follow the warning and remove the app if Google directs you to. Go back to Settings → Apps and check whether it is still present. If warnings or unusual behavior persist, follow Google’s Android malware removal steps.
• If you still need the app, check the publisher and where it offers current updates. Find the official publisher’s link to its Google Play listing. A familiar icon or a similar name alone cannot confirm where the installed copy came from. If you replace a legitimate app, check first whether removing it would delete locally stored schoolwork, settings or game progress.
• If you can’t confirm the source and the app is unnecessary, remove it. Check for a listing for the app under Settings → Apps after uninstalling. If you can’t find it but your child still sees it, check which Android profile is active and follow the guide to finding apps on Android.

A clean scan means Play Protect reported no issue in that check. Before keeping an app, open Settings → Apps → [app] → Permissions and look at what it can access. Ask what the permission does for your child. A game might need the microphone for voice chat, for example, and your child may be happy playing with voice chat off. If you decline a permission and a feature stops working, decide together whether that feature is worth the access. Google’s guide to app permissions

How can you restrict future outside installs?

Review which apps can install files from outside Google Play. On Pixel, open Settings → Apps → Special app access → Install unknown apps. Select the app your child used, such as their browser, and turn off Allow from this source if they don’t need it. Reopen the entry to confirm it is off. If the menu differs, search Settings for Install unknown apps or check the phone maker’s help. Google’s Pixel instructions

The switch applies to the selected source and future ordinary APK installs. Existing apps stay in the app list until you remove them. Check other sources your child uses if you want to apply the same rule. Google says eligible registered app stores can be added without changing this permission in supported countries. A store’s presence in the app list alone does not tell you whether it qualifies. Review the stores already on the phone as a separate check. Google’s guide to registered app stores

If your child uses Family Link, check Google Play download approvals on the linked account. Google also documents a separate Apps from unknown sources setting under Controls → Supervised devices → [device] for its regulated-region teen setup. Review the controls the actual account shows, since availability varies. If you’re setting up supervision for the first time, use the Family Link setup guide or check the other Android parental controls. Google Play app controls · Google’s regional supervision guide

Agree what your child should do next time a game link or an update sends them to a download page. Ask them to show you the app they want so you can look up its official listing together. If it’s missing, find out whether the publisher still distributes it, and consider a supported alternative if the only link you can verify is for an old release.

What do APKPure’s checks and the 2021 incident tell you?

APKPure says it uses signature checks, manual reviews and VirusTotal scans. Android also checks that an installer file is signed with the certificate included in that file. For your child, you still need to check the permissions, content and update source of the version they would use. APKPure’s description of its checks · How Android checks app signatures

In April 2021, Kaspersky reported a malicious component in version 3.17.18 of the APKPure store app. Its researchers confirmed that the component was absent from version 3.17.19. The published investigation covered those specific releases. Use it as a reason to check the store app as well as any apps obtained through it. For a decision today, check what’s on the phone and what source can supply current updates. Kaspersky’s original report

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