For most Android apps, send the Google Play listing link; Family Library covers eligible paid apps, and direct Play Store transfers are retired.
Google retired its old Play Store phone-to-phone app transfer feature, so sending the store listing is now the simplest choice. That change matters when you need to know how to share apps on Android without chasing a menu that may no longer exist.
A link works for most free apps, Family Library can share eligible purchased apps with relatives, and Quick Share can move an APK file only when you already have that file. The sections below separate those cases so the recipient gets something they can actually install.
Sharing Apps On Android: Methods That Still Work
Android now has several different kinds of app sharing, and they do not grant the same access. Choose the method based on whether you are sending a store listing, a paid purchase, or an APK file.
The biggest change is that Google Play no longer offers its old peer-to-peer Share apps feature as the standard way to send installed apps between phones. A store link is the better default because the recipient downloads the current version directly from Google Play.
How Do You Send An App Link From Android?
A Google Play listing link is the simplest method for a free app or any app the other person can access on their own account. Chrome gives you a documented sharing path that does not depend on the Play Store app’s current button layout.
- Open Chrome on your Android phone.
- Search for the app name followed by Google Play, then open the result from Google Play.
- Next to the address bar, tap More > Share.
- Select Messages, Gmail, or another sharing app and send the link.
The recipient should land on the intended Google Play listing. If your Play Store build shows a Share command on the app’s details screen, you can use that instead and send the same listing through the Android share sheet.
| Sharing Situation | Method To Use | What The Recipient Gets |
|---|---|---|
| Free Play Store app | Google Play listing link | Install page for the current app |
| App link from Chrome | More > Share | Web link to the Play Store listing |
| Someone beside you | Chrome QR code | Scannable link to the listing |
| Eligible purchased app | Google Play Family Library | Shared purchase access for family |
| Your second Android device | Install from your Google account | Fresh Play Store installation |
| APK you already own or built | Quick Share | The APK file itself |
| Old Play Store phone transfer | No longer the standard feature | Google retired Share apps |
| In-app purchase or subscription | Account-specific access | Usually not transferred with the app |
Nearby Sharing After Google Retired Play Store Transfers
Google announced the retirement of the Play Store Share apps feature in the Google Play Store v44.1 notes published in December 2024. The current Google System Services release notes keep that change in Google’s official archive.
Quick Share still exists, but Quick Share is a file-and-content transfer feature rather than a replacement button for copying any installed Play Store app. Google’s current Android Help says Quick Share works on Android 6 and newer, while some newer sharing actions require later Android versions.
For a nearby person, a QR code can also avoid typing or choosing a contact. In Chrome on Android, open the app’s Play Store web page, tap More > Share > QR code, then let the other person scan the code with their camera. Their phone opens the page rather than receiving an extracted copy of your installed app.
Can You Share A Paid Android App?
Eligible purchased apps can be shared with up to five family members through Google Play Family Library. The app must qualify for Family Library, and the family members must meet Google’s family-group requirements.
- Open Google Play.
- Tap your profile picture, then Settings > Family > Sign up for Family Library.
- Follow the on-screen setup if your family group is not configured yet.
- For an eligible purchased app, open Manage apps & devices > Installed, choose the purchased app, then turn on Family Library on its details page.
Google Play Help says apps and games purchased after July 2, 2016 are eligible for Family Library; older purchases qualify only when the developer made past purchases available. Apps downloaded at no charge do not need purchase sharing, and in-app purchases cannot be added to Family Library.
When You Need The APK File Itself
Quick Share can send an APK when you already have a legitimate APK file, such as an app you built, a test build, or a file supplied directly by its developer. Quick Share does not extract an installed app from your phone for you.
Open the APK in your file manager, tap Share > Quick Share, choose the nearby Android device, and have the recipient accept the transfer. The transfer is complete when the receiving phone shows the file in its received items or Downloads area.
Installing that APK is a separate step. Android may ask the recipient to allow app installation from the file-opening source, and Play Protect may scan the package; if the app came from Google Play, sending the Play Store listing is usually simpler and avoids version or signing mismatches.
| App Or Access Type | Can You Share It? | Use This Result |
|---|---|---|
| Free app on Google Play | Yes | Send the listing link |
| Eligible paid app for family | Yes | Add it to Family Library |
| Paid app for a non-family contact | No purchase transfer | Send the listing; they buy it |
| In-app purchase | Usually no | Use the account that bought it |
| Subscription | Depends on the service | Check that app’s account rules |
| APK file you legitimately have | Yes | Send the file with Quick Share |
| Region-restricted Play Store app | Link can be sent | Install still depends on availability |
Choose The Method That Matches The App
Free Play Store apps should be shared by link, eligible family purchases through Family Library, and existing APK files through Quick Share. Those choices match the type of access the recipient actually needs.
- For a free Play Store app: send the Google Play listing link.
- For someone standing beside you: share the listing as a Chrome QR code.
- For an eligible purchased app in your household: use Google Play Family Library.
- For your own second device: install the app again from Google Play while signed in to the account that owns it.
- For a legitimate APK file already on your phone: send that file with Quick Share.
A successful link opens the intended Google Play listing, Family Library shows the eligible purchase to the family member, and a Quick Share file transfer leaves the APK on the receiving device. Those three outcomes cover the common Android app-sharing cases without relying on the retired Play Store Share apps feature.
References & Sources
Google System Services Release Notes Archive – Google’s official record noting the retirement of the Play Store Share apps feature.