Google Increases App Download Size in Android Market and What This Means For You

Google has increased the size of apps in Android Market from a paltry 50 MB to a huge 4 GB. The move arrives days ahead of Apple’s iPad 3 or iPad HD announcement, which is speculated to arrive with an improved processor supporting better graphics for better gaming performance.

In the past, games or apps that required additional media files beyond the 50 GB limit would require users to download the additional files from the developer’s servers. For instance, some games, which are a few megabytes in size, would require users to connect to a WiFi network and download the remaining files. Unfortunately, as Android Market’s return timeframe is only 15 minutes from when a user finishes downloading the app portion from Android Market, downloading the remaining file often exceeded the time cap and users could no longer get a refund on the app if they didn’t like it.

And as bigger, more full-fledged games cost more than smaller entertainment titles, users who took the plunge often were not able to try out these titles and had to east the cost if they didn’t like it.

With Android Market’s increase to 4 GB, developers can now package the entire game or app into the downloadable APK on Android Market. Now, the refund window for app purchases from Android Market would start as soon as all the files are downloaded from the 4 GB limit, and users can now test run their purchases fairly.

Additionally, for users who are concerned with storage space on their memory card or device, Android Market will now show the full size of the app. For instance, an app that is 10 MB but has 2 GB of files will now display 2.10 GB rather than just 10 MB on Android Market. In the past, only 10 MB would be displayed and once the app is initialized for the first time, the app would prompt users to download the remaining 2 GB of file then.

While the new rule goes into effect now, it will probably take some time for developers to update their apps to comply.

Via: Phandroid