Android: Can you use an APK file to install files to the device but not an application

Question

I have an application that uses files stored on an the SD card.. I want to release new "modules" which are just data files on the sdcard (but no separate application). I want to used the market to manage install/uninstall/updates.

is there a way with the APK files to create a "files only" installer?

I do have the main app which will place the "default module" files in the Asset folder, and then copy them to the SDcard when executed the first time, but this requires an app to be actually run. I want the "modules" to place files on the sdcard directly..

is this possible?

Answer 1

Looks like APK Expansion already does what you want. It says that the expansion files are unzipped to the shared storage, which I believe is the SD Card.

Answer 2

Google recently revealed "Smart App Updates" for Google Play. This allows users to only download the changes with that update, rather than the entire APK. I have yet to publish an app in the Play Store, but this should be covered in their submission process.

http://developer.android.com/guide/google/play/expansion-files.html