Hello.
Google Play Store is asking for an android app bundle instead of apk, how can I convert my game from GDevelop file to aab?
P.S. Or I can just skip this warning and post an apk instead?
You can skip the warning. No need for app bundles.
Yeah thank you, it was a hell of a stupid question XD
The .apk file that GDevelop creates if I install it directly on the mobile works perfectly, while if I publish it on the Google Play Store and from the Store I install it on the mobile phone, instability problems arise (for example it does not load advertising banners or it is unstable with links external).
This has only been happening for a few days (before everything works perfectly), the problem I think comes from this message from the Store:
When building your app, use Google Play’s recommended publishing format, the Android App Bundle.
How create an Android App Bundle from GDevelop?
Thanks.
Like I said you don’t need them.
If you insist on using them a single Google search would have been enough : Android App Bundle support · Issue #610 · apache/cordova-android · GitHub
I understood well but i asked that because Salvatore said there would recently be an issue (ads by example) if we don’t use recommended format by Google Play: Android App Bundle.
But perhaps i did not well understood what he wanted to say.
He indeed said it a confusing way. He affirmed that the APK are the problem, but he also said he thinks the problem is the APK. That means that he didn’t actually test, and the chance the use of APK is correlated to the lack of ads is very low.
Yes, it would be necessary than others confirm or infirm his affirmations with the APK.
I try to be clearer.
I created the APK with GDevelop.
I inserted the APK with the cable directly into my smartphone to test it, and it worked perfectly, both the game and the advertising.
I then published the same APK on the Google Play Store. During the publication, the Google Play Store advised me that it preferred the .aab format and not .apk. Indeed, in the future they would only accept the .aab format.
I clicked “confirm” and sent to production.
Once published, I proceeded to download the game directly from the Google Play Store and test it. At this point the game works, but when it goes to load the advertising banner, the game stops waiting for the banner … which never arrives. (to overcome this problem I have inserted a cont-down that after 5 seconds bypasses the banner and continues the game).
however the situation was resolved.
Basically when you release a new release (update) of the app, it takes some time (sometimes even a couple of days) for Google AdMob to tag the banners to the new release.
… even if I do not explain why if I install it directly on the mobile the game immediately loads the banners, while through the Store you have to wait some time.
It’s curious effectively.
The mistery of Google Play certainly!
However, it is inquietant that Google wishs to have soon the new format Android App Bundle.
And i did’nt have a response to my question “How create an Android App Bundle from GDevelop?”
I think soon we’ll be in obligation to speak of that.
I’m not an expert, but I think the .aab package unlike the .apk is an “open” package and therefore I think more controllable from Google Play.
I started to see how to create an .aab from an .apk. Through Android Studio it is possible to do it, but I have not succeeded yet: Android Studio manages to “decompose” the .apk file and ready to create (Build) the .aab package, but it asked me to update the “android gradle plugin” ad a version 3.xx … I still haven’t figured out how to do it.
GDevelop does not currently create .aab packages, but I think that if the Google Play Store will make it mandatory, the GDevelop developers will think about implementing this feature.
For now, in my experience, just ignore the Store warning message and proceed with the implementation anyway … for now it works.
GDevelop doesn’t support it as the toolchain we use (Cordova) doesn’t too.
It’s the total opposite actually. An APK is just a zip of the needed applications files and is very open. Android bundles are a proprietary format owned by Google, which they may have a better integration as they can customize the format to work better with their services but is way less open.
thanks for the explanation Arthuro