Instant Apps will introduce apps that will work from a simple tap of a URL instead of having to install a full program. Here’s what you need to know!
Many of us have become familiar with the process of heading over to the Google Play Store and downloading an app of our choice, using it, and then either ditching it or continuing to update it and use it. Instant Apps, first introduced by Google at it’s 2016 I/O, now threatens to up-end that process.
To be clear, Instant Apps are a largely positive advent for Android users, and promise to reduce the load required on both an internet connection and storage space to house an app. While the impact on developers and marketers is yet to be examined, Instant Apps promises to introduce one of the largest changes yet seen in the Android ecosystem.
Read: Reported mockups show that Apple intends to bring iMessage to Android
With a select few Instant Apps now open for testing, what do you need to know about Google’s big plan? Here’s the skinny!
Who needs a fully-installed app anyway?
One of the major issues that affects both consumers and developers on the Google Play Store is that of app abandonment; the process where a user might download an app for a specific purpose and either use it solely for that utility or forget about it thereafter.
You can imagine the frustration involved in that scenario; users leave the app to collect dust and take up valuable storage space (as well as the data to update it) while developers struggle to entice users back to the app through push notifications or other ideas.
When Google debuted the Instant Apps, Google Project Manager Michael Siliski offered a quick summary of the feature; “The experience of apps is great, but the challenge for developers and the frustration for users is getting into the app and using it for the first time is not as great as it could be… The idea behind Instant Apps is instead of reducing the friction of getting into an app, how can we remove that friction entirely?”
The introduction of Instant Apps bypasses a large part of the app abandonment conundrum. By clicking on a URL, Android users will be able to launch a specific function of an Android app without having to download the program in its entirety. Not only do users not have to worry about retaining an unnecessary app, but developers can start focussing on the functions that consumers enjoy making use of.
Save data, and get to where you need to be
Instant Apps promise to be far more economical on the proverbial wallets on prepaid and contract users in difficult data markets such as South Africa. Instant Apps, instead of arriving in a package that can take tens or even hundreds of megabytes – run as services that will drain just a few megabytes instead.
The added incentive for consumers and developers alike is that neither party will be expected to download a new service to make use of Instant App features. Developers will have the ability to update their Android apps to offer Instant App functionality, while users who don’t have a full app installed will be able to access specific services associated with a program from the Google Play Store.
Instant Apps will work on Android 4.4 KitKat and above
While Instant Apps might sound neat, we’ve all probably wondered just when we’ll get to use them considering the typically slow roll-out of Android 7.0 Nougat.
The good news is, then, that Instant Apps will function on Android installations from Android 4.4 KitKat and above; and considering that KitKat itself is now three years old, it would seem that Google is serious about punting the feature.
Instant Apps are really the future
Google sees Instant Apps as the next frontier for service apps; such as museum guides or shopping apps that might not serve a regular purpose for general Android consumers.
Instant Apps will change the paradigm as to how Android users engage with key services, and offer not only a navigational shortcut to get more things done quickly, but will further take less out of the pocket from users with limited storage capacities or internet connectivity.
While Instant Apps are, at present, not widely available, a select few are now available for testing while the general release of the feature is expected to take place later this year.
Read: Android tablets could become radically different with Google‘s “˜Andromeda‘ update
Have your say!
What are your thoughts? How do you see Instant Apps benefitting you in the near future? Be sure to let us know your opinion in the comments below!
Follow Bryan Smith on Twitter: @bryansmithSA
