In its attempt to give more support to its already richer apps and games on Google Play, Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG) has increased by two times the boundary it allocates on Android Package (APK) files for apps. Users will no longer get the warning they always got when an app exceeds the 50MB mark, but they will get it when the app reaches the 100MB mark.
For some years, the app size limit has been 4GB, which is different from the APK file size limit. Google has been able to achieve this through the use of 2GB expansion files whose hosting takes place on Google Play. And for your information, there is no extra cost to developers hence they can take advantage of the superior assets the likes of HD graphic files or media files.
It is not necessarily that these files get stored in an internal storage on Android devices. Instead, an SD card or removable storage would work just right.
The new 100MB APK file limit applies to Android versions 4.0 and anything above that. The version currently covers 95% of all devices that associate to Google Play.
Nevertheless, on its developer blog, Google has sent a word of caution to developers against the use of additional space with the ignorant mentality that it is available. The developers must remember those potential new users, and especially the ones within developing markets may choose to use slower mobile-only internet connections. Besides, the users in the already established markets may face constricted mobile data caps.
According to Google larger caps are not always recommended in that they may carry a performance overhead on low RAM devices. This can lead to giving up by the users since it would take too long to install.
In the meantime, Google acknowledges that developers are facing a challenge of delivering the user experience that would help in maximizing the hardware of the device. It is hard to balance this while at the same time ensuring that users download, install and open the app with speed.
Notably, Apple has already raised the maximum size of apps circulated through App store from 2GB to 4GB.
Sources: zdnet, allandroidnews
