According to the Android Developers blog, the file size limit for Android Market downloads has dramatically increased from 50MB to 4GB.

“Android applications have historically been limited to a maximum size of 50MB. This works for most apps, and smaller is usually better – every megabyte you add makes it harder for your users to download and get started,” wrote software architect Tim Bray. “However, some types of apps, like high-quality 3-D interactive games, require more local resources,” added Bray.

This radical increase in file size limit does not mean much for the end user, but it will work to ensure there is enough time to request an app refund if necessary. Many users have experienced a long download, and by the time they went into the app to get the full file the 15-minute refund period had already passed. The increased file size limit for developers aims to fix this issue.

Moreover, these expansion files will be added to the 50MB size of the application so that users know exactly how much space the app will take up. Knowing this from the start, issues such as running out of storage in the middle of the download can be easily avoided.

The size of mobile apps has increased more rapidly than many analysts expected, and while most new devices download expansion files automatically, with older ones you have to run the application first in order to download the expansion files. The Android Developers blog also features some “Helpful Resources” for developers willing to implement these expansion files into their applications.