Amazon will support the new Android app bundles in time for the launch of Windows 11. in August, Google will require new apps submitted to the Play Store to come in the Android App Bundle (AAB) format instead of the existing APK format.
Google will change the app format as early as August, but there is still time for developers. Android apps will be available through the Microsoft Store, but the actual download process will be done through the Amazon Appstore.
A big change is also pending for the Android apps themselves: At the end of June, Google confirmed that app developers would be obliged to use the new standard Android App Bundle (AAB) instead of the Android Application Package (APK).
According to Google, this policy applies to new apps on the Play Store and developers will need to abandon the current APK file format for new apps.
Windows 11 integrates the Amazon Appstore
Microsoft is integrating the Amazon Appstore into the Microsoft Store to offer a wide range of Android apps.
“The Amazon Appstore is actively working to support the new format, which offers benefits such as smaller app-size downloads for customers and on-demand downloads for features and assets,” said the company.
Unlike Google, Amazon is not forcing developers to switch to the Android App Bundle format. Instead, the company says that App Bundles will be completely optional. Plus, developers can continue submitting apps to Amazon Appstore using the existing APK format.
Amazon assures that there will be no changes to the app submission process. If you have been uploading your app to the Appstore, you can continue to follow the same steps for submitting APKs and App Bundles. In addition, there’s no need to resubmit your app if it was previously published in APK format.
