New apps will no longer appear as apk in Google Play Store from August

New apps will no longer have a universal apk file when they appear in the Play Store. Google is forcing developers to move to App Bundles, where the Play Store generates an apk file for only that device upon installation.

Android App BundleApp Bundles have been around for three years, but will become mandatory for new apps in the Play Store from August, Google says . With an App Bundle, the installation file is about 15 percent smaller, making installation faster, says Google. In addition, developers can choose to ship certain code or assets only with some devices, to prevent users from encountering issues in their app that don’t work.

The obligation will make it impossible for new apps to share a universal apk file, something that happens via bluetooth, for example, in areas where internet connections are slow or absent. Services that offer APKs outside the Play Store, such as Android Police’s APKMirror and APKPure, are already prepared and have support for App Bundles installation.

Existing apps don’t need to be transferred to App Bundles. Google does recommend it because of its benefits. Android may continue to install apk files, although it is unknown whether this will remain so in the future. Apk stands for application package and has been the file format for Android apps since the first version.