Creating APKs from Hermit Lite Apps

APKs are packaged Android apps that can run on any Android device. Hermit creates Lite Apps, which are fast, tiny Web Apps with native Android integration.

It is now possible to create APKs that will launch your selected Lite App, which has the following advantages:

• Place Hermit Lite Apps in your App Drawer, they are no longer limited to your home screen!
• Distribute APKs to your friends and family. (They will need to have Hermit installed, or will be prompted to do so).
• Include your own icons in the custom APK, and take advantage of Adaptive Icons on supported Android versions.

Create APKs in Android Studio

1. Start by cloning or downloading our Sample Project from GitHub
2. Follow the instructions in the README.

Distributing Hermit Lite Apps

To share your Lite App with others, you can use one of two methods:

Share Hermit Lite Apps via APK

Note that the main Hermit app is still required to be installed when you run your APK on a phone that does not have it installed. If you create your APK using the Sample Project, it will automatically ask the user to install Hermit if it is not already installed.

Limitations

• Gmail and many other email providers will not allow you to share APK files directly.
• APK files require the recipient to enable installation from Unknown Sources, which may open up their phone to receiving malware from other sources.
• In general, it is not recommended to allow installation of random APKs.

Share Hermit Lite Apps via .hermit files

Instead of sharing the APK itself, you can share Hermit Lite Apps with friends and family from within Hermit.

• Simply tap on the three-dots menu at the right of each Lite App, and select Share.

This shares a Lite App using a custom file with the extension .hermit. When opened, Hermit will automatically set up the Lite App for your friend.

Why not create them in Hermit itself?

Google’s Play Store policies are not clear on whether an app is allowed to create/distribute APKs directly. To prevent Hermit from being removed from Google Play, we are not considering adding the ability to generate APKs through the app at this time.

The following are explicitly prohibited:

• Apps that install other apps on a device without the user’s prior consent.