Why it matters to you
No more cluttering your phone with one-off apps — Google’s Instant Apps will load when you need them without taking up space.
Every company has an app. Want to buy a camera? Buy one through B&H’s app. Want to refill your parking meter? Download the app and make sure your car doesn’t get towed. Sure, some of these actions can be done via a mobile site, but they don’t always offer the best user experience — and most people don’t want to install an app for a one-time scenario, like when you visit a museum or want to pay for parking.
That’s why Android will soon be able to open apps without the need for users to install them. It’s called Android Instant Apps, and it launched in limited preview on Wednesday at Google’s I/O developer conference.
Google took the wraps off Instant Apps last year, at I/O 2016. But it formally announced an Instant Apps software development kit (SDK) at a session on Google’s Mountain View campus in May. (Developers using Google’s Android Studio 3.0 Canary 1 preview should get it today.)
Instant Apps work by downloading only the parts of the app that are needed — when you tap a URL, it appears to launch instantly. This way, rather than having to download and keep the B&H retail app installed on your device, you’ll be able to access it via a link any time you browse through or decide to purchase a camera.
Instant Apps go hand-in-hand with Google’s Progressive Web Apps (PWA) effort. In the coming months, users will be able to add a link to PWAs — web apps that behave like native apps, in essence — to their device home screens, app drawers, settings menu, and notifications. They’re under 1MB in size — 10-20 times smaller than the average Android app.
Google Play product manager Ellie Powers said that the company’s partners have launched 50 instant apps so far, and that some had seen double-digit increases in purchases and videos watched as a result.
“As a developer, you won’t need to build a new, separate app,” according to the Android blog post. “It’s the same Android APIs, the same project, the same source code. You’ll simply update your existing Android app to take advantage of Instant Apps functionality. In fact, it can take less than a day to get up and running for some developers, though the effort involved will vary depending on how your app is structured.”
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If you do want to keep the app, you’ll be able to download it via a button in the Instant App. Developers will have to upgrade their existing apps to implement Android Instant App’s features — but it can only be a boon for both developers and consumers.
Developers get free advertising for their apps, which people may have never known existed. And users will be able to gain a fast, well-designed experience specific to mobile.
You also won’t have to re-enter your credit card information to make payments in Android Instant Apps, unlike how you would have to if you installed the app outright.
For people who can’t have too many power-hungry apps due to using an older device, this is also a solid benefit since it’s one less app to have installed. Google demoed the integration through a device running Android KitKat.
Android Instant Apps works through Google Play, so it will only work on devices that have Google Play Services enabled — that rules out devices in China and Amazon’s Android tablets.
Article originally published May 2017. Updated on 05-17-2017 by Kyle Wiggers: Added news of Android Instant Apps SDK launch and Progressive Web Apps.
