Android App Bundle
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| Filename extension | .aab |
|---|---|
| Type of format | Package format |
| Container for | Android |
Android App Bundle is the Android application publishing file format. The App Bundle must include the application's compiled code and resources, which allows for the signing and generation of APK files to be deferred to the app store, reducing the initial download size of the app.[1] The format was was required from August 2021 for all new Google Play apps.[2]
Split APKs
Prior to using Android App Bundles, an APK could potentially support multiple languages, up to four different CPU architectures, and several display resolutions.[3] This meant that each installation file could contain potentially large amounts of amount of bloat irrelevant for a device's specific combination of CPU, locale, and screen size.[3]
Split APKs, which are generated by an app store like Google Play, contain only the code and resources that are needed for the specific device downloading the app.[4] If the user changes their device language or feature set, the app store can then deliver additional split APKs on demand to meet the changed requirements.[5]
See also
References
- ^ "About Android App Bundles". Android Developers. Archived from the original on 2021-08-09. Retrieved 2021-08-15.
- ^ Peters, Jay (2021-06-30). "Google is moving away from APKs on the Play Store". The Verge. Archived from the original on 2021-08-04. Retrieved 2021-08-15.
- ^ a b Amadeo, Ron (2021-07-01). "Google Play dumps APKs for the more Google-controlled "Android App Bundle"". Ars Technica. Archived from the original on 2021-08-12. Retrieved 2021-08-15.
- ^ Tim Anderson. "Android devs prepare to hand over app-signing keys to Google from August". www.theregister.com. Archived from the original on 2021-07-24. Retrieved 2021-08-15.
- ^ Elliott, Dom (2020-11-23). "A new publishing format for the future of Android". Medium. Archived from the original on 2021-07-16. Retrieved 2021-08-15.