Loading the ToolsMonk mobile app documentation…
The tools on your phone, with a proper file picker, a document scanner that uses the camera, and a home screen you can get to in one tap. It is free, there are no adverts, and most of the work happens on the handset rather than on a server.
Two routes, and the difference between them is who handles updates.
The shortest route. Play installs the app, keeps it updated for you, and there is no unknown-sources prompt to allow.
The same app as a file from GitHub, for phones without Google Play. Android asks once whether to allow the install, and the app tells you when a newer version is out.
The two are signed differently, so Android will not update one with the other. To switch from the APK to Google Play, or back, uninstall the app first. Anything saved to your account is kept; files that exist only on the phone are not, so save them first.
Only needed if you are not using Google Play. There is one permission to grant the first time, and it takes about a minute.
Open toolsmonk.com/download/android on the phone itself and let the download finish. Your browser may warn that this kind of file can be harmful; that warning appears for every app installed outside a store, and choosing to keep the file is what continues.
Tap it in your notifications, or find it under Downloads. Android will ask whether this app is allowed to install other apps. Turn that on for whichever app you downloaded with, usually Chrome or Files, then go back.
Tap Install. Play Protect may run a scan and offer to send the app to Google first; you can say no and continue. When it finishes, tap Open.
On Android 7.0 the permission is a single system-wide setting called Unknown sources under Security, rather than one granted per app. Everything else is the same.
Google Play picks the right one for you. For the APK, the download button already picks it for almost everybody; these are listed in case it does not install, or you are putting it on something unusual.
| Build | For | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| arm64-v8aDefault | Most phones | Effectively every phone and tablet sold since 2019. This is what the download button gives you. |
| armeabi-v7a | Older 32-bit phones | Devices from roughly 2018 and earlier that cannot run the 64-bit build. |
| x86_64 | Emulators and Chromebooks | Android running on Intel or AMD hardware rather than on an ARM chip. |
| universal | Installs anywhere | Carries every architecture at once, so it is roughly three times the size. Use it if the others refuse to install. |
All four are on the release page, alongside what changed in each version.
You do not need an account to use the tools, and most people never make one. Signing in from Settings uses the same account as the website, so anything you have saved there is already waiting. You can create one in the app, turn on two-factor authentication, change your password or sign out again from the same place.
From Google Play, updates arrive like any other app's, and when one is ready the app can download it in the background and ask you to restart. The APK checks for a newer version once a day and shows a banner when there is one; download it from the same link and install it over the top. Either way your settings and anything saved to your account are kept, and you are not asked to sign in again.
The version you are on is at the bottom of Settings, which is worth quoting if you report a problem.
Most of the 255 tools do their work on the handset, so the file never leaves it, and the app works on a plane or with mobile data switched off. A small number do send something to a server, and each one is named along with the reason. That list is the same for the app as it is for the website.
There is a Help & Support screen in the app that sends a message straight to us, or you can write to support@toolsmonk.com. Saying which phone and which version you are on saves a round trip.