Summary
- Installing apps from outside the Play Store is now more complicated due to new Google policies.
- Users now need to download app bundles, which are split into smaller parts for efficiency.
- Installing APKs will need tools like Split APKs Installer (SAI) to manage app bundles.
Android has always given users a lot of freedom, letting them manage their devices pretty much how they want, including grabbing apps from third-party sources. While Google did require people to enable a certain setting to install apps from outside the Play Store, it was a simple process. But now, Google’s new policy is about to make sideloading apps a bit more of a hassle. With the latest guidelines, users will have to go through an extra step when downloading apps from third-party sources.
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Who needs Google Play when you have APK Mirror?
Artem Russakovskii, founder of Android Police and APKMirror, recently uncovered a major shift in Google’s app distribution approach. Google has apparently stopped creating “fat APKs” for many apps. These all-in-one APK files used to include every version of an app, making installation super easy but also taking up more storage space with extra, unnecessary data.
The latest change means that users wanting to install APK files will now need to download app bundles instead. Introduced at Google’s I/O 2018 conference, the Android App Bundle (AAB) offers a more efficient way to distribute apps. Required for new apps since 2021, this format breaks down applications into smaller pieces based on language, device type, and Android version. The Play Store then delivers only the components you need, saving on storage space.
You can still sideload apps, but it’s now a bit more complicated
With fat APKs, you could just download a big file and install it. But with the shift to app bundles, things are getting a bit more complicated. Now, you’ll need third-party tools like Split APKs Installer (SAI) to handle these packages. Russakovskii points out that as app bundles become more common, using these tools will be necessary for installing apps from outside the Play Store.
Installing apps from third-party sources has its perks. It lets users try out different app versions or access apps that aren’t officially released yet. Plus, it’s useful for devices without Google certification or for running Android apps on platforms that don’t normally support them. All of these benefits will still be available despite the recent changes. So, while this change doesn’t significantly block third-party app installations, it does add an extra step to the process.
