Google introduced App Bundles in 2018, enabling developers to split their apps into smaller components. This allowed them to send only the updated part to phones through the Play Store, reducing the download size. Three years later, in August 2021, Google made it mandatory for all newly listed Android apps on the Play Store to support App Bundles. Now, the big G is making Android App Bundles mandatory for Google TV and Android TV platforms starting May 2023.

Unlike smartphones, smart TVs ship with a limited amount of storage. Most of them ship with less than 8GB of free storage, which is only good enough to install a few apps and games from the Play Store. And over time, it won't take long to fill the remaining free space, leading to a sub-par user experience and performance issues. Google aims to solve this problem by switching to Android App Bundles for its smart TV platform.

The company claims App Bundles lead to an average 20% reduction in an app's size. Plus, with app archiving support, you can further reclaim up to 60% of an app's storage. This will also reduce the chances of users uninstalling an app due to space issues. While app archiving is optional and configurable on smartphones, Google is mandating its support on TVs.

Developers have about 6 months to transition their Android TV app to the App Bundle format, though Google says it will only take about three days. The company will hide apps "from the TV surface" that don't switch to the new format by the May 2023 deadline.

Besides Android-powered smart TVs, the move will benefit Chromecast with Google TV owners. The streaming stick provides users access to less than half of its paltry 8GB storage, leading to a frustrating experience. Google rolled out an update for the dongle in December 2021 to free up some space by making it easier to uninstall unused apps and cleaning up the file system. This is just another step by the company to work around its dongle's limited storage.