The biggest problem with mobiles apps is – downloading them. There are are millions of wonderful, breath-taking apps and at one point of time, you want them all. But then, you look at your beloved smartphone, and accept the depressing fact that its hardware has limited capability.
And, if you love playing games and be on Social Media, then the options of downloading newer apps makes the whole process even more cumbersome. In short, there is always this fight of retaining the best app, and the internal fight to decide which one to remove.
Google has clearly understood this problem, and has developed a system which can actually change the whole concept of app downloading. In fact, such are the possibilities, that it can revolutionize entire mobile ecosystem.
Welcome to Instant Apps
No Need To Download Apps With Instant Apps
Google’s newest project is called Instant Apps, using which Android mobile users can access contents of any app, without downloading it. Google had showcased a sneak-peak of this concept last year, during Google I/O Keynote address, and now, Instant Apps is live on some sites.
As per a recent blog post by Google Android team, it was revealed that Instant Apps is now active on 4 apps: BuzzFeed, Wish, Periscope, and Viki. Thus, Android users can now access these 4 apps, without downloading it on their phone.
Based on the responses and feedback from other developers who work on Instant Apps, it would be extended to other websites and apps as well. Right now, Google has said that Instant Apps will work on older versions going back to Jelly Bean.
How Does It Work?
Assume you get an email wherein the product mentioned in available inside an app.. Under the traditional model, when the user clicks on this link, he would be redirected to the Google Playstore and prompted to download the app first. Once downloaded, he will need to search that particular thing he was interested in the first place, then buy it. Once the buying process is done, he is forever stuck with that app, whether he wants to use it or not. Removing that app is the only option left if that app has no usage.
With Instant Apps, the user will not be prompted to download that app after he clicks on link he received on email. Rather, that particular section of the app would be opened right in the same window (email or search engine), allowing the user to complete the task which he wanted to. Once done, he would be presented with an option to download the app, if he feels so.
Here is a GIF which explains the process quickly:
Tech community is excited by the possibilities which Google Instant Apps brings: One one hand, newer apps can receive more visibility and get more visitors and subscribers; mobile users can now avoid downloading apps which consume more space. It’s a win-win situation for both.
