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which-apk.md

Choosing an APK

Warning: Installing APKs should only be done by technical users who are comfortable with the risk involved. While many devices are smart enough to prevent the wrong APK from being installed, there is always a chance that users could experience partial, or complete, data loss.

APKs marked as x86 or x64 (i.e. BraveModernx86.apk, BraveMonox64.apk, BraveMonox86.apk, and Bravex86.apk) are for devices with Intel Atom CPUs, or are to be installed on emulators:

  • Bravex86.apk - Android 4.4 (32 bit OS)
  • BraveModernx86.apk - Android 5.0 … Android 6.x (32 bit OS)
  • BraveMonox86.apk - Android 7.0 and above (32 bit OS)
  • BraveMonox64.apk - Android 7.0 and above (64 bit OS)

APKs marked as arm or arm64 are for all other devices

  • Bravearm.apk - Android 4.4 (32 bit OS)
  • BraveModernarm.apk - Android 5.0 … Android 6.x (32 bit OS)
  • BraveMonoarm.apk - Android 7.0 and above (32 bit OS)
  • BraveMonoarm64.apk - Android 7.0 and above (64 bit OS)

For the most modern devices, BraveMonoarm64.apk should be used.

Identifying which version of Android is used by your device

  • Go to Settings, then About device.
  • Alternatively, you can open Brave and navigate to about:version, where you'll find the OS version listed.

Identifying your device architecture

Unfortunately, this step isn't trivial. Identifying your device architecture will require third-party software which typically contains third-party ads and/or may have regional limitations. AIDA64 and CPU-Z both contain ads, and Phone Information is not avaiable in some regions.

@jonathansampson
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I'd really love some input on the last segment: Identifying your device architecture. If you know of a better way to go about this, without installing custom software, please do let me know 🙂

@adamparish
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Is this goal of this document to help bypass the Google Play Store, or is it being created to help get beta releases to users for feedback?

Google Play has an early access program: https://support.google.com/googleplay/answer/7003180?hl=en

@jonathansampson
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Brave updates for Android are offered on GitHub for users who wish to install an APK. Their reasons for installing an APK are not much of a concern to us, but there are users who may wish to install an update via GitHub rather than waiting for a phased roll-out of the update to reach them via the Google Play Store. While stressing the risk involved in taking these steps, this document seeks to help those who wish to proceed with identifying the appropriate package for their device.

@M86xKC
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M86xKC commented May 17, 2020

There is good information here: https://chromium.googlesource.com/chromium/src/+/master/docs/android_build_instructions.md#Multiple-Chrome-Targets

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