The limit on the size of applications in the Android Market has increased to 4GB

Google has announced that now the size of applications uploaded by developers to the Android Market can reach 4GB. At the same time, the size of the APK (Android Package) file of the program should still not exceed 50 MB.

At one time, Google deliberately introduced a limit of 50 MB, because “every extra megabyte complicates the download process for the user.” However, now the performance of many smartphones and tablets has greatly increased, and many applications, especially such as games with 3D technology, need more resources. In addition, Google writes that increasing the limit on the size of applications will allow many developers to save money that they had to spend on storing files on their servers.

Therefore, now they have added the ability to upload two additional 2 GB files to each application. The format is chosen by the developer, and Android Market places these files on its servers. The “weight” of the program will be indicated in the information about the application, so that users will know about it even before downloading / purchasing.

Technically, everything works like this: developers create a 50 MB APK with basic functionality and optionally add two more files to it. Google experts write that although developers can use these files as they like, they recommend making one file the main one and never updating it, and adding all updates and bug fixes to the second file.

To simplify working with new files, Google has provided a sample of the code and libraries in the Android SDK Manager.

You can read more about what to do and how to do it in the Android Developers blog.