How to make android app with add-on plugin?

Question

I'm making an android application with some features, but I think some people didn't need some features available, so I want to make this app with some main features and some downloadable features. Example : I have 10 features in my app, 5 features is main features, so it will available for all users app, and 5 other features is downloadable features, only users who download this features can use this features.

So is there any way to do this? From what I was thinking is maybe :

1. Using cloud server, maybe Google app engine,
2. Using a WebView on my android app,
3. Downloading java class resources and image manually, and then put it in specific android directory, so the apps can access the new plug-in features.

I really hope no.3 is possible, can we do this? if yes, can you share some tutorial about it. From what I know, desktop apps can use this method, especially for open-source apps. Thank you.

Answer 1

You might want to take a look at Dynamic Delivery with split APKs.

With that you can deliver a Base APK (your main features) and several Feature APKs!

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" Dynamic feature APKs: Each of these APKs contains code and resources for a feature of your app that you modularize using dynamic feature modules. Through Dynamic Delivery, you can then customize how and when that feature is downloaded onto a device. For example, using the Play Core Library, dynamic APKs may be installed on demand after the base APK is installed on the device to provide additional functionality to the user. Consider a chat app that downloads and installs the ability to capture and send photos only when the user requests to use that functionality. Because dynamic features may not be available at install time, you should include any common code and resources in the base APK. That is, your dynamic feature should assume that code and resources of only the base APK are available at install time. Google Play generates dynamic feature APKs for your app from your project’s dynamic feature modules. "

(From Android Developers)