Google had announced Android Instant Apps back in 2016 during its I/O developer's conference. Google during the event claimed that Android Instant Apps will change the way how you manage your apps and also change how many apps you end up having on your Android smartphone. Since that one fateful announcement, not a lot has happened in this area, that is, until today. What are Andriod Instant Apps? Android Instant Apps allows users to test applications they might want to download without fully downloading and installing them on their devices. To use an Instant app the user just has to click on the link of a website, which offers instant apps, after which he can start using the app without installing it in its entirety. After using the app the users can decide whether or not they want to install it on their devices. Android Instant Apps now supported on more than 500 million devices Google today, wrote on their blog that Android Instant Apps have reached over 500 million devices, and many developers have started rolling out and deploying instant apps on their websites. The first of which is Vimeo, a video streaming platform like YouTube. Also on their blog, they had mentioned that Vimeo saw a growth in session duration by 130 percent. Onefootball, a sports company based in Berlin which provide real-time news, scores, fixtures, results, tables and stats on football after implementing Instant Apps saw a growth in the number of users reading their articles by 55 percent. Which Devices does Android Instant Apps Support? Google during I/O 2016 mentioned that Android Instant Apps will be supported by all smart devices running Android 4.0 Jelly Bean or above. So no need to worry if you have the latest device or not. How does Android Instant Apps work? This feature allows users to access multiple features of an app, without installing the whole app on their devices. This feature requires app developers to make their apps modular so that the user can download and use the only specific part of the app that is needed. Once, the developer implements this, The Google Play Store will detect it and will be able to provide the user with the necessary features. This has previously been demonstrated in apps like web link and NFC through the Google Search App. Are Android Instant Apps useful? These apps make actions that a user needs to do easier and much quicker, as the user doesn't need to download and install the whole app just to utilise a single feature. As per Google, this will help ensure that the users aren't clogging up usable memory with unnecessary apps. So, in short, Yes they are extremely useful. However, currently, this feature is in its infancy and will need a little time to mature.
