Where is the APK file created when building with Ionic 4 and Capacitor?

Question

I would like to get the APK file so I can install it manually rather than running through android studio. If I search in the android directory I can see a few and the most likely is: [project]\android\app\build\intermediates\instant-run-apk\debug\app-debug.apk

However this doesn't install properly on my device. It works fine if I build and run through Android studio via Ionic using: ionic capacitor run android

Do I need to do a signed production build for this to work?

Answer 1

In Android Studio menu Main Menu -> Build Bundle(s) / APK(s) -> Build APK(s). This then pops up a link with which you can open the file location.

Answer 2

Ionic 4 app apk file location as below

[project]\platforms\android\app\build\outputs\apk\debug\app_debug.apk