Is it ok to delete the .apk files in /data/app folder?

[jinjin12]

i'm using root explorer and found a bunch of apk files in the /data/app folder. i never downloaded any of these, i guess android automatically made copies of the original apks? now is it ok to delete these? will it affect functionality of any apps?i have currently?

 

[gollum18]

Yeah you should be fine, those are apps that are downloaded from the Play store and are normally uninstallable anyway. As long as you don't touch the ones in systwm/app you'll be fine.

Sprint GS3 Running TN's Msg and Chubbs

 

[devchaube15]

You should be fine, just check your other apps and make sure they don't require other apps to run, if you get what I'm saying, like some Launchers require a notification "add-on" to work properly, if you think they do not require other apps then you're good to delete. If it was me though I'd keep a backup of all those APK's just in case...

They best way to go about this would be to just reset your phone and next time make sure you will use an app before you download it, then if you do not like it delete the APK right away so you don't have to go hunting through folders looking for it.

 

[srkmagnus]

Sometimes apps install secondary .apk's if needed to run certain features. Use caution when downloading apps and know what permissions are being asked before downloading.

Also, use caution with deleting /data/apps if you are not sure what the app is doing. It could be required to work alongside another app which you do use on a regular basis. In that case, you would just need to delete the app then redownload it.

 

[jinjin12]

ok i decided to try it for myself and deleted adobe reader apk then gps test apk and none of those apps worked anymore lol....so i guess you need the apks

 

[Pranay P]

i cut the app file in system folder in root folder and pasted in external sd card and my phone is not switching on ...please help me

 

[sajid1122]

In my experience, it's generally not recommended to delete .apk files in the /data/app folder unless you're certain that you don't need them anymore. These files are essentially the installation packages for your apps, and deleting them can cause issues with your device.

However, if you're running low on storage space and need to free up some room, there are other files and data that you can safely delete. Before deleting anything, it's always a good idea to do some research to ensure that you won't cause any harm to your device.