Maximum Android app size rises 8,000% to 4gb

Google has extended the maximum size limit for Android apps up 8,000 per cent from 50mb to 4gb.

Revealing the move on the Android developers blog, the move has been made to accommodate “high-quality 3D interactive games” that require more resources than typical apps.

APK files will still be limited to 50mb, but up to two expansion files can be attached, with a limit of 2gb each. All files would be hosted by the Android Market.

New Android devices will pick up the expansion files automatically, whilst users on older systems must start the app to download them.

“While you can use the two expansion files any way you wish, we recommend that one serve as the initial download and be rarely if ever updated; the second can be smaller and serve as a ‘patch carrier’, getting versioned with each major release,” read a statement on the blog.

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