- Software previously available as single APKs can now only be found as app bundles.
- Bundles, while efficient to download, make distribution outside the Play Store much more difficult.
When’s the last time you sideloaded an app on Android? The ability for users to directly install software they’ve acquired themselves (as opposed to finding it through the platform’s approved app store) is one of the core tenets that distinguishes Android from the likes of iOS. But just because it’s possible doesn’t always mean it’s a good idea — to say nothing of easy. But now Google seems to be tweaking its approach to app distribution in a way that threatens to be a serious thorn in the side of sideloading.
Historically, you’ve been able to manually install Android apps by means of an APK file: a single file that packaged up all an app’s resources in an convenient, easy-to-distribute format. Problem is, apps are far from one-size-fits-all, and trying to accommodate everyone all at once quickly becomes unwieldly. Back in 2018, Google rethought this approach and came up with a more modular solution: Android App Bundles.