diff --git a/.githooks/pre-push b/.githooks/pre-push
index 4c840e35..c943bc06 100755
--- a/.githooks/pre-push
+++ b/.githooks/pre-push
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
 # Keep the served companion APK in sync with main on every push.
 #
 # When a push to main includes Android changes, rebuild the APK, refresh
-# neode-ui/public/packages/archipelago-companion.apk.zip, commit it, and ask
+# neode-ui/public/packages/archipelago-companion.apk, commit it, and ask
 # you to push again (so the refreshed APK rides along in the same push).
 #
 # Enable once per clone:  git config core.hooksPath .githooks
@@ -40,7 +40,7 @@ fi
 
 bash scripts/publish-companion-apk.sh || exit 0
 
-DEST="neode-ui/public/packages/archipelago-companion.apk.zip"
+DEST="neode-ui/public/packages/archipelago-companion.apk"
 if git diff --cached --quiet -- "$DEST"; then
   exit 0   # APK unchanged — nothing to do
 fi
diff --git a/Android/ship-companion.sh b/Android/ship-companion.sh
index 8639f7a6..3c7f62d7 100755
--- a/Android/ship-companion.sh
+++ b/Android/ship-companion.sh
@@ -1,7 +1,8 @@
 #!/usr/bin/env bash
 #
 # Build the Android companion app and publish it as the served download
-# (neode-ui/public/packages/archipelago-companion.apk.zip), then commit + push.
+# (neode-ui/public/packages/archipelago-companion.apk — a plain APK a phone can
+# install straight from the link), then commit + push.
 #
 # Use this INSTEAD of `git push` when shipping the companion app, so the
 # downloadable APK on the node always matches what's on main.
@@ -17,7 +18,8 @@ export JAVA_HOME="${JAVA_HOME:-/opt/homebrew/opt/openjdk@17}"
 export ANDROID_HOME="${ANDROID_HOME:-$HOME/Library/Android/sdk}"
 
 APK="Android/app/build/outputs/apk/debug/app-debug.apk"
-DEST="neode-ui/public/packages/archipelago-companion.apk.zip"
+DEST="neode-ui/public/packages/archipelago-companion.apk"
+OLD_ZIP="neode-ui/public/packages/archipelago-companion.apk.zip"
 
 echo "==> Building debug APK"
 ( cd Android && ./gradlew :app:assembleDebug --console=plain -q )
@@ -25,8 +27,11 @@ echo "==> Building debug APK"
 
 echo "==> Publishing -> $DEST"
 mkdir -p "$(dirname "$DEST")"
-rm -f "$DEST"
-( cd "$(dirname "$APK")" && zip -j -q "$ROOT/$DEST" "$(basename "$APK")" )
+cp "$APK" "$DEST"
+# Drop the legacy zipped artifact so the served download is the raw APK only.
+if [ -f "$OLD_ZIP" ]; then
+  git rm -q --ignore-unmatch "$OLD_ZIP" 2>/dev/null || rm -f "$OLD_ZIP"
+fi
 
 git add "$DEST"
 if git diff --cached --quiet; then
diff --git a/neode-ui/public/packages/archipelago-companion.apk.zip b/neode-ui/public/packages/archipelago-companion.apk
similarity index 77%
rename from neode-ui/public/packages/archipelago-companion.apk.zip
rename to neode-ui/public/packages/archipelago-companion.apk
index c7f392d3..feff51a0 100644
Binary files a/neode-ui/public/packages/archipelago-companion.apk.zip and b/neode-ui/public/packages/archipelago-companion.apk differ
diff --git a/neode-ui/src/components/CompanionIntroOverlay.vue b/neode-ui/src/components/CompanionIntroOverlay.vue
index 89f2c2a7..122a5a76 100644
--- a/neode-ui/src/components/CompanionIntroOverlay.vue
+++ b/neode-ui/src/components/CompanionIntroOverlay.vue
@@ -82,7 +82,7 @@ const STORAGE_KEY = 'neode_companion_intro_seen'
 // Absolute URL so the QR works when scanned by a phone (a relative path has no
 // host to resolve). Points at the companion APK hosted on the 146 release server
 // (publicly reachable) rather than the local node's /packages copy.
-const DEFAULT_DOWNLOAD_URL = 'http://146.59.87.168:3000/lfg2025/archy/raw/branch/main/neode-ui/public/packages/archipelago-companion.apk.zip'
+const DEFAULT_DOWNLOAD_URL = 'http://146.59.87.168:3000/lfg2025/archy/raw/branch/main/neode-ui/public/packages/archipelago-companion.apk'
 
 const visible = ref(false)
 const qrDataUrl = ref('')
diff --git a/scripts/publish-companion-apk.sh b/scripts/publish-companion-apk.sh
index 52818138..85c4dcab 100755
--- a/scripts/publish-companion-apk.sh
+++ b/scripts/publish-companion-apk.sh
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 #!/usr/bin/env bash
 # Build the Archipelago companion debug APK and stage it as the served download
-# at neode-ui/public/packages/archipelago-companion.apk.zip.
+# at neode-ui/public/packages/archipelago-companion.apk (a plain APK, so a phone
+# can install it straight from the link — no unzip step).
 #
 # Run manually, or automatically via the pre-push hook (.githooks/pre-push).
 set -euo pipefail
@@ -21,15 +22,16 @@ echo "publish-companion-apk: building debug APK…" >&2
 ( cd Android && JAVA_HOME="$JAVA" ANDROID_HOME="$SDK" ./gradlew -q :app:assembleDebug )
 
 APK="Android/app/build/outputs/apk/debug/app-debug.apk"
-DEST="neode-ui/public/packages/archipelago-companion.apk.zip"
+DEST="neode-ui/public/packages/archipelago-companion.apk"
+OLD_ZIP="neode-ui/public/packages/archipelago-companion.apk.zip"
 mkdir -p "$(dirname "$DEST")"
 
-TMP="$(mktemp -d)"
-cp "$APK" "$TMP/app-debug.apk"
-# -X drops platform-specific extra fields for a stabler archive.
-( cd "$TMP" && zip -q -X archipelago-companion.apk.zip app-debug.apk )
-cp "$TMP/archipelago-companion.apk.zip" "$DEST"
-rm -rf "$TMP"
+cp "$APK" "$DEST"
+
+# Drop the legacy zipped artifact so the served download is the raw APK only.
+if [ -f "$OLD_ZIP" ]; then
+  git rm -q --ignore-unmatch "$OLD_ZIP" 2>/dev/null || rm -f "$OLD_ZIP"
+fi
 
 git add "$DEST"
 echo "publish-companion-apk: staged $DEST" >&2