What is AAB?
Google is doing away with APK files, with a plan to switch from APK to AAB gradually. But what is AAB?
As mentioned earlier, AAB stands for Android App bundle. According to Android Developer's guide, an Android App Bundle is a publishing format that includes all the resources and compiled code for an application and defers the APK generation and signing to Google Play. AAB formats allow custom downloads for devices that request an application. More about why Google Play Store is moving to AAB in the next section.
Using Android App Bundles, Google Play will optimize APK distribution for specific device configuration and language. In other words, when a user will click on the 'Install' button on the Google Play Store, the file downloaded will be tailor-made for their device. For instance, if users have selected English as a language on their device, they do not require the language pack for German or French, and hence they would not be downloaded. Similarly, if a device requesting an application does not support 4K resolution, the APK received by the device will not have the 4K resource pack.
Why google play store is moving to AAB?
Google is switching to AAB as it allows the platform to deliver customized solutions based on device configurations and languages. Removing unnecessary resource packs from a universal APK will reduce the download size by up to 15%, saving Google a lot of bandwidth. Subsequently, smaller files will take less time to download and reduce the chances of users canceling the download request. More about how to convert AAB to APK in the next section.
AAB will also provide Google with more control over app distribution services. Any third-party store will have to set up an AAB to APK converter over the cloud to provide the applications available on the Google Play Store. At the same time, Google does it with the help of its own tool called 'bundle tool. Another question that might arise at this point: "is AAB better than APK?" Essentially, AAB enables app distribution platforms like Google Play Store to provide custom applications to Android, which do not contain the codes and resource files that are not required.
How to convert AAB to APK?
Once developers start uploading AAB files to Google Play Store, Google will use its 'bundle tool to convert those files to APK format and send it to devices. These APKs will not contain all the files present in a universal APK but have the necessary files to run an application on a specific device. It is also available as a command-line tool for developers to create a server-compatible build of their application's APK.
How do I optimize an APK?
Reduce your app size.
1.Table of contents.
2.Upload your app with Android App Bundles.
3.Use the Android Size Analyzer. Use the analyzer in Android Studio.
4. Understand the APK structure.
5.Reduce resource count and size. Remove unused resources.
6.Reduce native and Java code. Remove unnecessary generated code.
7.Maintain multiple lean APKs.
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