Tech Desk
Aug 06, 2024
Sideloading Android apps means installing an application package in APK format onto an Android device.
Recently, Google has been working to make Android apps smaller therefore, the process of installing sideloading apps outside the Play Store might require an extra step now.
Google announced the Android App Bundle (AAB) at I/O 2018 making it the default format for new applications in 2021. Hence, Developers had to build their apps as bundles that contain various files for diverse screen sizes, languages, CPU architectures, and versions of Android.
Read more: Galaxy Z Fold 6, Z Flip 6: Samsung adds restriction on sideloading apps
Google Play only downloads the portions it requires for running the apps conserving the storage space instead of downloading the whole bundles.
In this way, many apps were delivered to devices in an optimised way, as well as Google Play was also capable of creating full-size all-inclusive APKs from AAB files, making it convenient for sharing apps/updates locally and through services like APKMirror.
However, Google stopped generating fat APKs that were a standard before, making only bundles available.
However, it had no impact on users who install apps from the Play Store, as they can download and simply install fat APKs using Android’s system Package Installer.
Still, these bundles require tools like APKMirror Installer etc to install, adding one extra step to install apps from those sites.
As Android itself is not making any changes to sideloading apps, therefore, the developers outside the Play Store would keep offering fat APKs.
