Google's introducing a new App Install Optimization feature to the Play Store, studying an application's usage in order to make updating and launching freshly-downloaded apps smoother and more efficient.
Applications are a hassle to manage on anyone's phone, really. The amount of storage space an endless stream of updates and add-ons consume only compounds on what is already a rather difficult balancing act to maintain. And while it's always within an individual's power to simply delete older apps as they lose relevancy, or simply avoid unnecessary updates, what would prove even more convenient are work-arounds to such app malfunctions.
This latest feature isn't even the tech conglomerate's first attempt towards bridging functionality with app storage. Previously, Google has released the App Bundles feature, allowing users to build different versions of their favorite apps to serve different functions across multiple devices. The Play Store then automatically downloads the relevant builds to their appropriate devices, with and without their distinct updates and markers. This time, though, Google's looking to make things a tad bit more efficient than making entirely different versions of apps for different devices.
The App Install Optimization feature aims to directly target the process of updating and starting an application in order to improve smooth running and efficiency. How does it do this? Well, by following a two step process. First, Google will note what parts of an app are commonly used, and which are not, involving large swaths of their userbase in these preliminary tests. After finding a certain trend emerging from users with regards to more unused and ignored features, Google will then allow the Play Store to only dish out the relevant parts of an application for download. If the more ignored features need to be called upon, they will also be downloaded as soon as a user either attempts to use them, or connects to better internet.
The process will also reduce a lot of workload on a device's RAM, allowing mobile devices to only load and run the relevant parts of an application, thus improving both the their speed and response. It should be noted that while some users will find their personal data being used to visualize these new minimalistic builds for common apps, the information taken will in no way compromise a user's safety, and the process is approved by Google's own headlines.
Currently, this new build isn't available across mobile devices, having only been spotted by the 9to5Google online tech journal as being listed in a support document instead.
Read next: Google Claims Its Play Store Has Become More Efficient At Dealing With Data Siphoning Apps Via Machine Learning and Better Policy Enforcement
Applications are a hassle to manage on anyone's phone, really. The amount of storage space an endless stream of updates and add-ons consume only compounds on what is already a rather difficult balancing act to maintain. And while it's always within an individual's power to simply delete older apps as they lose relevancy, or simply avoid unnecessary updates, what would prove even more convenient are work-arounds to such app malfunctions.
This latest feature isn't even the tech conglomerate's first attempt towards bridging functionality with app storage. Previously, Google has released the App Bundles feature, allowing users to build different versions of their favorite apps to serve different functions across multiple devices. The Play Store then automatically downloads the relevant builds to their appropriate devices, with and without their distinct updates and markers. This time, though, Google's looking to make things a tad bit more efficient than making entirely different versions of apps for different devices.
The App Install Optimization feature aims to directly target the process of updating and starting an application in order to improve smooth running and efficiency. How does it do this? Well, by following a two step process. First, Google will note what parts of an app are commonly used, and which are not, involving large swaths of their userbase in these preliminary tests. After finding a certain trend emerging from users with regards to more unused and ignored features, Google will then allow the Play Store to only dish out the relevant parts of an application for download. If the more ignored features need to be called upon, they will also be downloaded as soon as a user either attempts to use them, or connects to better internet.
The process will also reduce a lot of workload on a device's RAM, allowing mobile devices to only load and run the relevant parts of an application, thus improving both the their speed and response. It should be noted that while some users will find their personal data being used to visualize these new minimalistic builds for common apps, the information taken will in no way compromise a user's safety, and the process is approved by Google's own headlines.
Currently, this new build isn't available across mobile devices, having only been spotted by the 9to5Google online tech journal as being listed in a support document instead.
Read next: Google Claims Its Play Store Has Become More Efficient At Dealing With Data Siphoning Apps Via Machine Learning and Better Policy Enforcement
