Google says goodbye to APK: Android apps move to new format, it’s a blow for Windows 11

Google has announced a radical change for Android users and developers that could have a huge impact on the Android ecosystem as a whole.

Google says goodbye to APK: Android apps move to new format, it's a blow for Windows 11

At the moment, the standard format for publishing applications in the Google Play Store is APK. Starting in August 2021, Google will require all new Google Play apps to be published using a new format – Android App Bundle or AAB.

As Google promises, the Android App Bundle format will make applications smaller – on average 15% smaller than using APKs, such applications will load faster and provide better security.

With all the advantages of the new format, such a move by Google strikes a blow at Microsoft, which recently released the first test build of the Windows 11 operating system. The fact is that one of the features of Windows 11 is the built-in support for Android applications. And it was stated that users will be able to install any Android application in APK format on their PC. Not all applications will be available for download through the Amazon app store.

Google’s move to App Bundles could mean that there will be a rather limited range of Android apps for Windows 11 users.

However, the requirement to use the Android App Bundle is mandatory only for new applications and, according to Google, existing applications can still use APKs, as well as private applications published on Google Play, but not shared.

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