Good news for Android developers and users tonight, as the folks at Google have announced that the maximum Android app size limit has been upped from 50MB to 4GB. In a post on the Android Developers Blog, Google explained that an app's APK file will still be limited to 50MB to ensure secure on-device storage, but devs will now be able to add two expansion files weighing up to 2GB each to the file. Users will be able to see the total size of the app in the Android Market, and Google says that the download of the expansion files should start automatically on most newer devices. Older devices will begin downloading the expansion files the first time that the app in question is run.
A couple of other notes for users and developers: Google says that the return period for an app won't start until the entire download finishes. The company also says that the Android Market will host the expansion files necessary for an app, so devs won't need to worry about paying for file serving.
Overall this sounds pretty great for Android. The end users will now be able to see the true size of an app in the Market before downloading, and they'll know that the return period for an app won't start until the software finishes downloading, which is good to know considering that the timer for getting a refund is only 15 minutes. Meanwhile, developers benefit from the decision because they won't have to pay for large apps (like 3D games) to be stored on a server. For more nitty gritty details on today's decision, hit up the Android Developers Blog at the link below.
