Install Android App Bundle on device

I built my project using the new Android App Bundle format. With APK files, I can download the APK to my device, open it, and immediately install the app. I downloaded my app as a bundle (.aab format) and my Nexus 5X running Android 8.1 can't open the file. Is there any way to install AABs on devices in the same convenient manner as APKs?

Solution 1:

Short answer:

Not directly.

Longer answer:

Android App Bundles is the default publishing format for apps on the Google Play Store. But Android devices require .apk files to install applications.

The Play Store or any other source that you're installing from will extract apks from the bundle, sign each one and then install them specific to the target device.

The conversion from .aab to .apk is done via bundletool.

You can use Internal App Sharing to upload a debuggable build of your app to the Play Store and share it with testers.

Solution 2:

Installing the aab directly from the device, I couldn't find a way for that.

But there is a way to install it through your command line using the following documentation You can install apk to a device through BundleTool

According to "@Albert Vila Calvo" comment he noted that to install bundletools using HomeBrew use brew install bundletool

You can now install extract apks from aab file and install it to a device

Extracting apk files from through the next command

java -jar bundletool-all-0.3.3.jar build-apks --bundle=bundle.aab --output=app.apks --ks=my-release-key.keystore --ks-key-alias=alias --ks-pass=pass:password

Arguments:

--bundle -> Android Bundle .aab file
--output -> Destination and file name for the generated apk file
--ks -> Keystore file used to generate the Android Bundle
--ks-key-alias -> Alias for keystore file
--ks-pass -> Password for Alias file (Please note the 'pass' prefix before password value)

Then you will have a file with extension .apks So now you need to install it to a device

java -jar bundletool-all-0.6.0.jar install-apks --adb=/android-sdk/platform-tools/adb --apks=app.apks