Google is making it more difficult to sideload Android apps by eliminating the option to download full-size APKs. This change comes from new policies implemented by Google that affect how apps are distributed. Sideloading allows users to download and install apps that are not available on the Google Play Store, often due to regional restrictions, censorship, or policy reasons. To sideload apps, you need to enable developer settings to allow third-party apps, but this can compromise device security, which is why it’s disabled by default.
In recent years, Google has been trying to make Android apps smaller by introducing the Android App Bundle (AAB). This format allows developers to create apps as bundles containing different files for features like screen sizes, languages, CPU architectures, and Android versions. This optimizes downloads because users only download the parts of the app they need. Google Play automatically handles this, but users could previously download full-size APKs. However, Google has stopped generating these full-size APKs for many apps, meaning only bundles will be available. This change adds an extra step for sideloading, as users now need tools like APKMirror Installer or Split APKs Installer (SAI) to download and install app bundles. These tools are available on the Google Play Store, making the process manageable. This change primarily affects users who choose to download apps from third-party sources outside of the Play Store. Developers can still offer full-size APKs for their apps, so the fundamental sideloading process remains unchanged. If you only download apps from the Google Play Store directly, this change doesn’t affect you.
