How to Install multiple APK files on your Android device using Droid Explorer

Clicking through the “Accept permissions” and the “Done” screens that come after every install is definitely a real pain when you are trying to restore apps that you had previous to a ROM Flash and can take a long time depending on the number of apps you have.  Droid Explorer is a real handy to avoid these hassles and among other things, this Windows-based software supports batch install of backed up applications.

I.  Before You Begin:

1.  This How To assumes that you have backed up your APK files before you wiped data/flashed a ROM using a tool like the File Expert app – you can find instructions on how to do this here.

2.  Droid Explorer is Windows based application, so you’ll need a PC running either Windows XP or Windows 7.  I am writing this working with a 64-bit Windows 7-based PC, so what you will see below will mostly be steps running on that, although things should work fine even on Windows XP.

3.  You will need to have installed Android SDK installed on your PC previously.  Use Section I of our ADB Setup tutorial for help with this.

II.  Install Droid Explorer

1.  Download DroidExplorer from here if you have 32-bit Windows OS or this one if you are using a 64-bit OS.

2.  You will end up downloading a zip file – extract this to a folder your desktop.

3.  Double-click DroidExplorer.0.8.8.2.x86.exe (or DroidExplorer.0.8.8.2.x64.exe if you are on a 64-bit Windows) to begin installing.

4.  Once done, Setup will ask for the location of the Android SDK on your PC, which is usually C:\android-sdk unless you have deviated from our How-To on how to set up the SDK.  If you encounter a problem with this, just click on “Set up Android SDK for me” and Droid Explorer will take care of it without your intervention.

5.  Click on Finish to complete the Setup.

III.  Installing APKs

1.  Ensure that you have enabled USB Debugging before you connect your device.  To enable debugging, go to Settings -> Applications -> Development and check the USB Debugging box.

2.  Start Droid Explorer by clicking on Start -> Droid Explorer -> Droid Explorer.exe on your PC.

3.  If debugging has been enabled properly, Droid Explorer should now detect your device.  Double click on the device and let Droid Explorer start up.

4.  Once the application is up and running completely, click on Tools -> Batch Installer.  This should pop up a dialog asking you for the location of your apk files.  Select the ones you would like to install and click open.

5.  Click Install on the next dialog box and finally, click Finish once everything is installed.

You will now find all the applications you installed via the Droid Explorer on your device!!