Amazon App Store to get Android App Bundles Support Soon

Google has recently announced its plan to make it mandatory for app developers to use Android App Bundles (AAB) over APKs as the publishing format for new apps in Google Play Store from the upcoming August. This comes when Microsoft announced about introducing the Android apps to the Microsoft Store through Amazon Appstore which accepts APKs format for app submission. But, Amazon is not deserted as the company has announced that it is working on AAB support for its Appstore (default source of Android apps on Windows 11).

Amazon Appstore to Support Android App Bundles

The Amazon Appstore will continue to accept APK submission from the developers and the submission will be the same, unlike Google who forced developers to do so. The submission of apps using the Android App Bundles format will be completely optional on Amazon Appstore.

If you have been uploading your app to the Appstore, you can continue to follow the same steps for submitting APKs and App Bundles. Furthermore, there is no need to resubmit your app if it was published in APK format. It is also important to note that developers will not have to share the signing key with Amazon to submit App Bundles. “Amazon Appstore does not require you to share your app signing key to submit App Bundles. You will continue to sign App Bundles similar to the way that you sign APKs and submit today”, wrote Amazon in its blog post.

 The new Bundles have several advantages over APKs as they make for smaller app downloads and enable dynamic features such as on-demand loading. One of the key features of the Android App Bundles is size reduction(more info here).

Amazon has not revealed when it will start accepting AAB format but has promised to share updates later this year. However, all features of the bundles will not be available at the launch but Amazon says that some features will be enabled incrementally over time. Amazon Appstore supporting AAB is important because Microsoft has joined hands with the company to bring Android apps support via Microsoft Store. We are getting more information once Android App Bundle support become available at the Amazon App Store