Add Android Application Bundle option in the Android export template options

[mickael-h]

Describe the project you are working on:
Mobile game
Describe the problem or limitation you are having in your project:
I want to export an AAB bundle for the play store, but the export template only allows to export an APK file
Describe how this feature / enhancement will help you overcome this problem or limitation:
I would be able to use the AAB format to send to the Google play store, which would allow me to get more lightweight applications.
Show a mock up screenshots/video or a flow diagram explaining how your proposal will work:
https://i.imgur.com/AIRZdLO.png
Describe implementation detail for your proposal (in code), if possible:
No idea, to be honest
If this enhancement will not be used often, can it be worked around with a few lines of script?:
I wish
Is there a reason why this should be core and not an add-on in the asset library?:
It's not an asset

[Calinou]

See also godotengine/godot#30711. Note that you can already perform the splitting manually using Google Play's multiple APK support.

[mickael-h]

Yeah I know. It's just that AAB files are very lightweight in comparison and I also fear Google might make it mandatory in the near future, considering the big warning sign they show you when you upload an APK file to the Play Store. When I think about it, it mustn't be very hard to implement. All you really need to do is to replace the gradlew assembleRelease command with gradlew bundleRelease...

[Calinou]

@mickael-h As of 3.2, we now have two ways to export projects for Android: the old way, where you download an APK export template and use it to export a project, and the new way, where you download a Gradle project bundle that contains just the native library (.so) and build the Java part before exporting.

I don't know whether we intend to support AAB when exporting using "the old way", but if we do, that means it'll be more work to support it. Also, this stuff needs to be tested to make sure it works with third-party modules.

@m4gr3d Do you know what it'd take to support exporting a project into an AAB using "the new way"? Thanks in advance 🙂

[alexzheng]

Supporting AAB using the new export way would be enough.
Hope it would be available soon.

[neverdieboy]

Hi, recently tried to publish my app in Google Play, and appeared the same problem with Android App Bundle. So now I just can`t publish an app without it. Hope Godot 3.2 will support it, it will be really good

[mickael-h]

@neverdieboy That's weird... you should be able to publish an APK. For the moment, Google only recommends you to use an AAB, but it's not mandatory.

[neverdieboy]

@neverdieboy That's weird... you should be able to publish an APK. For the moment, Google only recommends you to use an AAB, but it's not mandatory.

Maybe I cant understand something. I attached screens, maybe you can help me, because I just can`t start rollout.

[mickael-h]

@neverdieboy Yeah, that's just a warning. The reason why you can't deploy is because you have uncompleted sections in your app project. You need to make those green in order to deploy your app.

[neverdieboy]

@mickael-h Oh, I just didn`t think about that, thanks a lot. First time publishing)

[bobbles911]

+1, this would be a nice feature to easily reduce app sizes. Multiple APKs is possible but more complex having to deal with version numbers

[TheNeoGameFactory]

Godot need this Feature, now.

https://www.androidpolice.com/2020/06/12/google-play-store-will-make-app-bundles-a-requirement-in-2021/?amp