Android Question How to distribute a large apk file ?

[semar]

Dear all,
I have a quite big android app to distribute ( ca. 234MB ). Which cloud-service solution would you take in order to distribute it ?

And another question: would Google Play accept such a big-sized apk ?

Thanks in advance,
Sergio

 

[semar]

Ok, I could use a link to Google Drive.
[EDIT] It does not seem a link available to all.
The second question is still open..

 

[rosippc64a]

Hi Sergio, I have seen such a large applications and as I experienced that the bigger part is resource, not program code. Usually the resource isn't packed in apk, but downloaded after installation, so the apk size can be lower.

 

[semar]

Hi rosippc64a,
many thanks for your answer.
In my case is the apk the only file I would distribute, and it is ca. 234MB big.
Anyway. It works with a public link to Google-Drive, so it is not really an issue.
I wonder however, if I could publish such a big apk on the Play Store..

 

[wes58]

Hi rosippc64a,
many thanks for your answer.
In my case is the apk the only file I would distribute, and it is ca. 234MB big.
Anyway. It works with a public link to Google-Drive, so it is not really an issue.
I wonder however, if I could publish such a big apk on the Play Store..

Have a look there - https://developer.android.com/google/play/expansion-files

Google Play requires that the compressed APK that users download be no more than 100MB.

 

[semar]

Thank you wes58 for this important detail ! That is, no more than 100MB..
The expansion files have to been loaded separately. Also the "External Storage" should be used. Has anyone already experience with that ? Would be enough if I:
- load all the asset files from the default external storage ("File.DirDefaultExternal"), and not from "File.DirAssets" ?
- put the asset files on a particular directory on the test device (again, on an external storage).

I guess my test device has to have an external storage on it, in order to test it, right ?

 

[Erel]

Never use File.DirDefaultExternal. Use rp.GetSafeDirDefaultExternal.

I guess my test device has to have an external storage on it, in order to test it, right ?

The external storage is actually the secondary storage and all devices have one.

 

[semar]

Ah, good to know, thank you Erel !

 

[semar]

Anyway. The problem were located between the chair and the computer..

I didn't know that all the files in the "Files" directory will be packed in the .apk, even if those files were not added to the app ( by Add Files in the IDE). I thought that only the files "added" in that way will be part of the .apk, but I was wrong.

Now the .apk is "only" 87MB big

Again, lesson learned ! And many thank for the support !