


REPLACEMENT FOR MYTRACKS APK
Google did include means to convert aab back to old school APK without rebuilding application. I don’t see this as google playing dirty. Yes that bundletool –mode=universal is same mode for making testing apk for sideloading its not as space effective as having the aab file generate the exact apk for the device. Now in that extracted apks directory you have the old apk version what was in the aab file. How this works is not exactly new at this point.īundletool build-apks –bundle=myapp_bundle.aab –output=myapp.apks –mode=universal There it is! Of course any technological step forward in the modern monopolised world of technology has to come with anti-consumer features or limitations that take control away from users. This naturally puts third-party app stores at a disadvantage, but Google will most likely play up the Play Store’s security as a major reason to avoid those sources anyway. This means that developers switching from APK to App Bundles can no longer provide the exact same package or experience on other app sources unless they opt to maintain a separate APK version. Unlike APKs, Android App Bundles cannot exist outside of Google Play and cannot be distributed outside of it. Apps that are currently APKs can stay that way - at least for now.Īlright, where’s the catch? There’s going to be a catch, right? This means that starting in August of this year, all new apps submitted to the Google Play Store must come in the AAB format. Today, Google announced that the AAB format will now officially replace Android APKs. Of the millions of apps on the Google Play Store, thousands of them already use the AAB system. Google touted that this new format would result in smaller app file sizes and easier ways to control various aspects of apps. However, in 2018, Google introduced a new format called Android App Bundles, or AAB (with the filename *.aab).
REPLACEMENT FOR MYTRACKS FOR ANDROID
For as long as Android has been around, Android apps have been launched in the APK format (which stands for Android Package).
