Android (Android) platform .apk File, you should be familiar with? All software and applications used by Android users are application packages based on. apk.
Through the. apk file, Android users can freely share the installation package on other platforms. You don’t need an app store, as long as you can download it, you can install it.
but .apk The existence of the installation package can get rid of the bondage of the application store.Download, share and install freely.The required software, not to mention the convenience.
Similarly,Huawei HarmonyOS OS At present, it is in the initial stage, and the development team also uses the Android compatibility layer considering the development cost, difficulty and learning cost of native applications.
At present, the software environment in HarmonyOS is dominated by Android applications.. It is a good thing to be compatible first and then independent, which is beyond reproach. Otherwise, it will become "a clever woman can’t cook without rice."
* Win10 Mobile died in the dilemma of no software available.
Recently, when Guo was browsing the Android developer’s documentation, he suddenly found such a thing:The application package will be updated to. aab format, and. apk may become history in the future.
And this iteration of the application package format update, the fruit feels like "the meaning of drunkenness is not in the wine", which is likely to beSuppress HarmonyOS OS software environment.
What is the specific situation? Listen to me slowly.
What is aab?
. aab is a brand-new application publishing format for Android, and its full name is:Android App Bundle , its status is consistent with. apk.
This time,Google App StoreIt is announced that starting from August 2021, applications that require new Google Play must use Android App Bundle.
So the new format What are the advantages of aab? What are the disadvantages? Why do you say it may be to suppress HarmonyOS OS? ?
Before I explain, let’s take a look at Android. . apk subcontracting extension and splitpk.
Subcontracting expansion
In domestic App stores, when people download large-scale apps, such as games.
Usually, you need to download an. apk installation package with a capacity of more than 1 g.
But this large-capacity. apk is in the Google App Store.Not allowed,Instead, use the .obb Files-also known as APK extension file.
use apk + obb The purpose is to optimize the user’s transmission and download, and the developer’s maintenance experience.
For example, WeChat installed by everyone (The package name is: com.tencent.mm) domestic version, the installation directory will be in /data/app/ Down.
And the Google version still needs to be /Android/obb/ The directory stores the. obb data package of WeChat, which is necessary.Missing or mismatch will lead to application running problems.
Similarly, large-scale game software also uses this scheme, as shown in the picture, the. obb expansion package of League of Legends Mobile Games is being downloaded.
Split APK
The above introductionSubcontracting expansion,It solves the problem that users and developers deal with large-scale applications.
And in essence, the efficiency and speed of the application.Not much improvement..
Therefore, Google introduced Split APK Concept.
Simply put, before installation, the user’s hardware configuration will be automatically detected, and thenInstall the application in the form of multiple. apk..
As the picture shows the installation directory of YouTube client, it can be seen that Split APK is adopted.
Among them, the file name suffix xxhdpi is 1080P resolution.Layout file, zh is simplified Chinese.Resource file, arm64_v8a is 64-bit processor architecture lib library file.
In this way, it is convenient for developers to maintain and improves the user’s experience of downloading, installing and running efficiency.But it also brings a series of problems.
Permission collection
At present, users can’t directly extract and install applications using Split APK, and they all need to use third-party tools to back up and install them.
This means that it will be more and more difficult for users to download and install applications on third-party platforms other than Google App Store in the future.
* Two well-known Android application download platforms
Although. aab Modular characteristics, which greatly improves the convenience of developers’ update and maintenance, and saves users’ time and storage space when installing applications.
Because of the existence of. aab, the installed applications may be different with different devices and environments.The application is also "incomplete".
Moreover, through the official documents, we found that using app bundle, developers canYou must join the Google Play application signing program..
Signing is equivalent to putting on a unique electronic label.Therefore, if the application is extracted and shared in an abnormal way, it may lead to the change of the signature and ultimately affect the operation of the application.
Unless, the developer provides it on a third-party platform.Complete application installation package.
You can only download, apply "incomplete" and share restrictions through the designated app store.
These restrictions have affected Android users.
Face challenges
If the. aab application format is implemented, for Android users, it only increases the difficulty for third parties to download applications.
Then for HarmonyOS OS,This may be a huge challenge.
As mentioned at the beginning, most of HarmonyOS’s OS software is mainly based on Android applications. Therefore, if Google fully uses. aab, it will definitely create unfavorable conditions for HarmonyOS.
At present, Huawei cannot use Google, so it has established its own application ecosystem. AppGallery .
However, in the future, the application of. aab can’t be put on the shelves, and users can’t download and install it. These problems need to be solved.
Some people may say that it is only overseas Android, and it should not affect China.
But the fruit is to say, don’t be too optimistic.
For example, the current customization system of Android 11,Can no longer access the data directory, which is mandatory by Google.
Windows 11 will also face this problem.The front foot just supported the installation of Android apk, and as a result, Google is playing this trick now, which makes users have to think that this is a monopoly.
Fruit always hopes that HarmonyOS can launch Native as soon as possible. . app and. hap Applications, really make their own ecology, break the monopoly.
Google, I advise you, you can’t achieve mutual benefit, at least you can win!