Android's sideloading experience is getting stricter, but it still can't do this one basic thing

Google drew the ire of many Android fans when it announced a more restrictive sideloading policy earlier this year. This forces you to restart your phone and wait 24 hours to enable sideloading on your device.

I can somewhat understand the logic, as Google is trying to thwart scammers by introducing just enough friction into the process. However, I wish the company would actually introduce this basic sideloading feature instead of only clamping down.

Android needs to support APK bundles yesterday

Android apps typically use the APK format, which consists of a single Zip-like file. These are very easy to install: enable sideloading, tap the relevant APK, and follow the installation process. However, we’ve also seen the APK Bundle or App Bundle format (.APKM) in recent years, which consists of several files.

When users download an app in the APK Bundle format from the Play Store, they aren’t downloading all the associated files. Instead, only the files and libraries relevant to the user’s device are downloaded, saving bandwidth and storage. That’s a welcome change from a conventional APK file, which is effectively a one-size-fits-all app format.

That’s all well and good, but what if you need to install a split APK bundle from another source? Well, Android still doesn’t actually let you sideload APK Bundles in the first place. And it’s not like the format is only a few years old, as it’s been around since 2018.

Instead, users who want to install an APK Bundle need to use a third-party app. Some of the most popular options in this regard include the robust APKMirror Installer and the now-abandoned SAI: Split APK Installer. The former is an ad-supported affair, which wouldn’t be so bad if it didn’t have unskippable 30-second ads at times. You can purchase a subscription to remove ads for as little as $2 a month or ~$20 a year, which is a small but welcome way to support such an essential app. I would’ve loved to see a lifetime membership, though, as there are just too many apps and services that want a regular pound of flesh.

There are even apps that “merge” these APK Bundles into a single APK file for easy installation. But why do we need to go this far when native support would solve this issue?

A reflection of Google’s sideloading priorities?

I really can’t fathom why Google hasn’t brought native APK Bundle support to Android OS. It really makes me wonder whether the Google of today would’ve even implemented native APK support outside the Play Store if it launched Android in 2026.

There’s certainly an argument that very few people need to install APK Bundles in the first place, since standalone APK files remain the most popular way to sideload apps. Furthermore, the Google Play Store handles APK Bundles just fine.

However, the inability to install these split APKs natively is a constant annoyance during my workweek. One example of this is that we use both Geekbench 7 and the older Geekbench 6 benchmark apps on review devices. However, developer Primate Labs has delisted Geekbench 6 from the Play Store, forcing us to sideload the app instead. And guess what? The most recent versions of Geekbench 6 use the APK Bundle format. We also sideload various other apps for editorial coverage, and while they’re typically in the standard APK format, some apps are only available as bundles.

Needless to say, I think we’re long overdue for APK Bundle support in Android. I’m not optimistic that Google will actually implement this functionality after ignoring it for nearly a decade, especially in the wake of more restrictive sideloading. But hey, I can hope, right?