Starting August 2021, Google Play will require all new apps to be submitted as Android App Bundles (AAB), which provide greater efficiency that APKs, says Google.
It is important to notice that AAB will only be used by developers to submit apps to the store, while APK will remain the format used to distribute apps to users’ devices. Only, they will receive tailored and optimized APKs.
According to Google, the AAB format grants a number of advantages over APKs. First, the optimization enabled by AAB makes apps served to users 15% smaller. Additionally, AAB provide a way to customize what features are effectively delivered using Play feature delivery, and support dynamic delivery of large assets using Play asset delivery.