Google has made a significant change to how Android apps are distributed outside the Play Store, impacting users who download apps from third-party services. Since the introduction of the Android App Bundle (AAB) format in 2018, and its adoption as the standard format for new apps in 2021, developers have been creating apps in smaller components tailored to different languages, device types, and Android versions. This allows for more efficient downloads by only delivering the necessary parts to a user's device, saving storage space.
However, recent developments have introduced an additional step for those downloading apps from third-party services. Historically, Google Play could generate full-size APKs (Android Application Packages) from these bundles, facilitating easier sharing of apps and updates via services such as APKMirror. As of late, though, Artem Russakovskii, founder of APKMirror, has reported on X that "Google stopped generating fat APKs for many apps entirely all of a sudden, and only bundles will be available from now on."
According to 9to5Google, this change does not impact users who download apps directly from the Play Store. For these users, the process remains unchanged. However, those who prefer to share app updates or new versions through third-party services now face an additional step. Full-size APKs, which can be installed using the system Package Installer, are no longer available for many apps. Instead, users must now rely on additional tools such as APK Mirror Installer, Split APKs Installer, or ADB to install apps from bundles.
While Google’s own apps on APKMirror, distributed as .apkm files, still offer full-size APKs to some users, newer apps—particularly those from third-party developers—are not following suit. Despite these changes, the process for sideloading apps remains unaffected, allowing developers to continue providing full-size APKs on other platforms if they choose.
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