Can you convert an APK to an IPA?
No, and no tool can. An .apk is an Android app and an .ipa is an iOS app. They are built from different source code, in different languages, for two operating systems that cannot run each other's programs. There is no file that turns one into the other, so any “APK to IPA converter” is selling something that does not exist.
The good news is that the thing most people actually want is real and straightforward. If you have the source code, you build an iOS version. If you only have the file, there is no path. And if you already have both builds and just need them on your testers' phones, that is distribution, which is easy.
Why there is no converter
Both files happen to be ZIP archives, which is where the idea of “just converting” comes from. What they contain is not interchangeable. An APK holds a binary AndroidManifest.xml, compiled Android bytecode and native ARM libraries built for the Android runtime. An IPA holds an Info.plist, a Mach-O executable and a code signature built for iOS.
A real converter would have to read compiled Android code and re-emit the whole app as a working iOS program: a different binary format, a different UI framework, different system APIs, and a valid Apple signature at the end. That is not a file conversion, it is rebuilding the app. Nothing does it automatically, and a tool that claims to hands back a file that will not install.
You can see the difference for yourself: open a build in the APK inspector or the IPA inspector, and the two share almost nothing but the ZIP wrapper. The IPA vs APK guide goes through what is inside each one.
What you actually want
Almost everyone searching for a converter is in one of these situations. Find yours.
| What you have | Possible? | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| You have the app's source code and want an iOS version | Build it | Compile an iOS build from the source. No file is converted; the .ipa is a fresh iOS build. |
| Your project uses Flutter, React Native, Capacitor or Unity | Build it | One codebase already targets both. Build the iOS target in Xcode to get an .ipa. |
| You only have the .apk file, not the source | No | There is nothing to rebuild from and nothing to convert. Ask whoever built it for an iOS build. |
| You want to run an Android app on your iPhone | No | iOS does not run Android apps. No converter, app or jailbreak changes that. |
| You have both an .apk and an .ipa and want to send them to testers | Share both | That is distribution, not conversion. Each build gets its own install link and QR code. |
The pattern is that an iOS build comes from building for iOS, never from the Android file. If the app was written once in a cross-platform framework, that build already exists as a target you have not compiled yet. If it was written natively for Android, the iOS version is a separate piece of work, not a download.
Once you have both builds, send them together
When you have compiled an .ipa and an .apk of the same app, the remaining job is getting each one onto the right phones. BetaDrop turns each build into an install link and a QR code, so an iPhone tester taps one and an Android tester taps the other. You still build each platform yourself; this is only the delivery.
Frequently asked questions
Can I convert an APK to an IPA?
No. An APK is an Android app and an IPA is an iOS app, built from different source for different operating systems, so there is no file that turns one into the other. A tool that offers to convert between them cannot do what it says. If you own the source code, the real path is to build an iOS version; if you do not, there is no path at all.
Is there a real APK to IPA converter online?
No online or offline converter can turn an APK into a working IPA, because the two files contain compiled code for different platforms. Android code runs on the Android runtime and an iPhone cannot execute it. Sites advertising this either produce a file that will not install or are after your money; there is nothing safe to recommend because the operation itself is not possible.
How do I get an iOS version of my Android app?
You build it for iOS from your source code. If the app is native Android in Kotlin or Java, an iOS version is a separate build in Swift or Objective-C. If it was written in a cross-platform framework such as Flutter, React Native, Capacitor or Unity, one codebase already targets both, so you compile the iOS target in Xcode and get an .ipa. Either way the .ipa comes from building, not from converting the .apk.
Can I run an APK on an iPhone?
No. iOS does not run Android apps, and there is no app, jailbreak or converter that changes that. An iPhone can only install iOS apps, which ship as .ipa files signed for the device. If a page promises to install an APK on an iPhone, it is describing something the operating system does not allow.
What is the difference between an APK and an IPA?
Both are ZIP archives, but they hold different things. An APK carries an AndroidManifest, Dalvik bytecode and native ARM libraries for Android; an IPA carries an Info.plist, a Mach-O binary and a code signature for iOS. Because the contents target different runtimes, neither device can install the other's file. The IPA vs APK guide walks through what is inside each one.
Can BetaDrop distribute both my Android and iOS builds?
Yes. If you have built an APK and an IPA of the same app, BetaDrop turns each into an install link and QR code for your testers, from one place. That is distribution, not conversion: you still build each platform yourself, and BetaDrop handles getting each signed build onto the right devices over the air.
