Open XAPK File

An APK file contains an application for Google Android operating system. Files of this type are compressed and inside they contain all the files necessary for this application to function. It is basically the file to install applications and games on Google Android.

However, this is not the only format on Android that allows us to install applications. There is an extension that you may sometimes encounter, and it is not as easy to install as the APK files are.

This is the XAPK format, a new file type that also allows applications and games to be installed on Android. If you try to open XAPK file by tapping or double clicking on it (depending on the device you use), it is very likely that it will give you an error. This is basically because the default Android installer is not compatible with this format, and therefore cannot correctly extract the information inside it.

That said, the question is: Is it safe to open XAPK file?

Yes, but same safety precautions apply as to the APK file.

In short, XAPK is an alternative to APK. In fact, an .XAPK file is actually an .APK file plus the additional OBB (Opaque Binary Blob) data needed for the game or application to function properly. That is, the XAPK is a compressed file that contains the original APK plus some extra data files. Thus, opening XAPK file is very similar to APK.

Normally these extra files are downloaded through the application, but in some cases, we are interested in having them already directly on the mobile. Frequently XAPK files are used in development for application testing and deployments in test environments to debug certain cases which occur only on specific user devices.

Open XAPK File on Windows OS

Double click on a XAPK file inside the Windows File Explorer.
If the APK/XAPK emulating software is installed and associated correctly then the XAPK file will open in it
If the file did not open you should either copy XAPK file to the compatible Android device or if you still want to launch it on Windows OS you can use one of the following emulators: NoxPlayer, QEMU, BlueStacks
To open XAPK file inside the Android emulator you need to launch it and then select File->Open in the main menu
In the File Open dialog select XAPK file to emulate and click "Open"

XAPK file uses same mime type as APK file which is application/vnd.android.package-archive.

XAPK files are similar to: