Your Google TV and Android TV apps should be taking up less space in the next six months as Google looks to be pushing developers to switch their apps from APK (Android Package Kit) to AAB (Android App Bundle) which should translate to faster and smaller applications. The goal, it looks like, is to optimise performance and storage, which is always a welcomed sight.
Josh Wentz from the Google TV product management team posted on the Android Developers blog, stating that Android TV and Google TV will be requiring AAB apps that are archivable starting in May 2023 to “save storage for users”. By switching to this format, Josh outlines a number of benefits, including smaller download and storage sizes for apps as well as the option for users to archive apps—reclaiming up to 60% of app storage.
Although the timeline given to developers is about six months, Josh believes that this move to the AAB publishing format would take—in most cases—one engineer just three days to migrate an existing TV app from the APK format. Should the app not transition in time, Google may hide these apps from the TV surface.
Android TV has certainly grown in the time since its launch, with Josh stating that there are over 10,000 apps now available on the Android TV OS, which makes these optimisation features absolutely necessary. Just think of what kind of specs your Android TV box or system has and how often you upgrade it.
I personally use a Mi Box that is already struggling with the handful of apps that I have on the system so I’ll be interested to see how this will affect my overall experience with it.
