As part of its efforts to reduce the size of Android applications, Google is adding another step to install APKs on smartphones. This is reported by 9to5Google.

Google announced the Android App Bundle (AAB) at I/O 2018 and made it the default format for new apps in 2021. Developers create their apps in a bundle format that contains different files for different screen sizes, languages, processor architectures, and Android versions.

Instead of downloading full packages, Google Play downloads only what is needed for the app on a particular device and does so automatically.

Google Play could also create full-size APK files from AAB files. These files were convenient for sharing applications/updates with others, both locally and through services such as APKMirror.

However, Artem Rusakovsky, the founder of Android Police and APKMirror, said that Google has stopped generating “fat” APKs for many applications, and from now on they will be available only in AAB format. “Fat” APKs were the standard before the advent of Android application packages and have a complete set of files for all smartphone configurations.

Users who install apps only from the Play Store will not be affected.

However, “fat” APKs are relevant when users “extract” an application (e.g., a new version/update) from their device and upload the file to services such as APKMirror. Other users can download and simply install the APK using the system’s Android package installer without using any other tools.

Now you will need specific installers, such as APKMirror Installer or Split APKs Installer, to install it.