Andre Yoskowitz
5 Mar 2012 22:38
Google has confirmed today that direct downloads from the Android Market are now capped at 4GB, compared to the previous 50MB for APK files.
The extra resources are allowed to be up to 2GB, in two files, for a total of 4GB. Developers can now have users download (for the most part) the full app, instead of just downloading an APK from the Market, and then downloading all the additional game files after installation.
This move is big news for games, a lot of which require over 500MB of game files. In the market, Android owners can also now see the real size of the application before downloading, and adjust accordingly.
Perhaps most notably, the 15-minute "refund period" for Android apps/games will now actually be effective, since it will start after the full app is downloaded, not after the APK is. Many users have complained over the years that they did not get ample time to even download and install the game before the refund period was over due to the 2-part download process.