How to Test Android App Bundles (AAB) Before Release

Since Google made the Android App Bundle (AAB) the mandatory standard for new apps on the Play Store, developers have faced a common headache: How do you test an AAB file?

Unlike the traditional APK, you can't just drag and drop an .aab file onto your phone to install it. This guide explores the most effective ways to test Android App Bundles in 2026, ensuring what you ship is exactly what your users get.

What is an Android App Bundle (AAB)?

An AAB is a publishing format, not an install format. It contains all your app's compiled code and resources but defers the APK generation and signing to Google Play.

Why the switch? Size savings. Google Play uses the AAB to generate optimized APKs that only contain the resources (language, screen density, CPU architecture) needed for a specific user's device.

Method 1: Google Play Internal App Sharing (Recommended)

The easiest way to test an AAB is to let Google do the heavy lifting using Internal App Sharing.

1. Open the Google Play Console.
2. Navigate to Setup -> Internal App Sharing.
3. Upload your .aab file.
4. Copy the generated link and share it with your testers.

Pros: mimics the real Play Store installation process exactly.
Cons: requires Play Console access and waiting for upload processing.

Method 2: Using Bundletool (Command Line)

If you want to test locally without uploading to Google servers, you need bundletool. This is the official tool Google uses under the hood.

Step 1: Install Bundletool

Download the latest bundletool-all-[version].jar from the GitHub repository.

Step 2: Generate APKs from AAB

Run the following command in your terminal to create an .apks archive (note the 's'):

java -jar bundletool.jar build-apks \ --bundle=path/to/your/app.aab \ --output=path/to/your/app.apks \ --ks=path/to/keystore.jks \ --ks-pass=pass:your_keystore_password \ --ks-key-alias=your_key_alias \ --key-pass=pass:your_key_password

Step 3: Install on Connected Device

Connect your Android device via USB (with USB Debugging enabled) and run:

java -jar bundletool.jar install-apks --apks=path/to/app.apks

This will push the correct configuration APKs for that specific connected device.

Method 3: Extract Universal APK

Sometimes you just want a single APK file to share via BetaDrop or email. You can force bundletool to create a "universal" APK that contains resources for all devices (like the old days).

java -jar bundletool.jar build-apks \ --mode=universal \ --bundle=path/to/app.aab \ --output=path/to/universal.apks \ --ks=...

Once generated, you can unzip the universal.apks file to find a standard universal.apk inside. You can distribute this file normally.

Summary

While AABs add a slight layer of complexity to the testing process, tools like Internal App Sharing and bundletool make it manageable.

• For Quick Team Sharing: Use a Universal APK (extracted via bundletool).
• For Final QA: Use Internal App Sharing to ensure dynamic delivery works correctly.
• For Local Debugging: Use bundletool install-apks directly to your device.