Google Play has introduced that new apps would require to be revealed with Android App Bundle (AAB) beginning August 2021. Moving ahead, this may substitute the APK as the usual publishing format. Google says the app bundle requirement applies to new apps solely. Existing apps are at present exempt, as are personal apps being revealed to handle Google Play customers. The new Android App Bundle format was launched in May 2018 and is being utilized by over 1 million apps together with massive names like Adobe, Duolingo, Gameloft, Netflix, and Twitter. Majority of the highest 1,000 apps and video games use AAB.

The new Android App Bundle format optimises APKs for distribution throughout totally different system configurations and languages. It makes the app roughly 15 p.c smaller than a common APK format. App Bundles require that apps must be no greater than 150MB, making them sooner to obtain, that not directly could result in sooner installs and fewer uninstalls. Other options that get enabled by App Bundles embrace Play Asset Delivery. This reduces consumer ready time by dynamically delivering giant property whereas reducing supply prices. Games utilizing Play Asset Delivery can use texture compression format focusing on, so customers solely get the property appropriate for his or her system, with no wasted house or bandwidth.

There’s additionally Play App Signing, that’s required for app bundles, and it protects your app signing key from loss through the use of Google’s safe infrastructure and gives the choice of upgrading to a brand new, cryptographically stronger app signing key. Google says that Play App Signing will begin rolling out APK Signature Scheme v4 to pick apps making it attainable for them to optionally entry upcoming efficiency options accessible on newer units.

App Bundles additionally permits Play Feature Delivery that offers you the power to customize what function modules are delivered to which system and when, with set up time, conditional, and on-demand supply modes.

As talked about, new apps submitted to Google Play after August 2021 must be submitted in Android App Bundle format. It can also be required to allow Play Asser Delivery or Play Feature Delivery, as a substitute of enlargement recordsdata (OBBs). Existing apps can proceed to ship updates on APK format.