Android Market To Support Multiple APKs for Different Devices

It has long been in the pipeline - finally we will have individual APKs for different device segments in the Android Marketplace. What this means is a single app will soon have multiple versions of the APK file and the one best suited for your device will be installed. This allows developers to create custom APKs for different device segments, so a game for Tegra 2-based phones will get higher resolution textures and there will be another version with downscaled textures for single core phones. As a user, all you’ll have to do is hit the download button and the appropriate version will be installed.

Now get the best experience for your device

The same goes for tablets as well. Currently, apps not designed for a screen larger than 4.3-inches may not work properly or appear stretched. Now, developers can create and upload a special ‘tablet version’ of the app under a single product listing. When a user selects an app in Marketplace, he sees a single entry of the app when in reality there will be multiple APKs of that very app and the right one will be installed automatically on your device.

While the current method of a single APK for any Android device works well, developers are not free to implement the APIs they want, simply due to the fact that it may not work on most phones in the market, which eventually means no one will buy it. Just like how Apple’s AppStore has multiple versions for the iPhone and iPad, the Android Marketplace will be getting a similar treatment and about time too.