Based on materials from androidauthority.com
The day before yesterday kicked off Google's annual developer event for Android called Playtime. It provides Google with a unique opportunity to connect directly with hundreds of developers for Android and educate them about new tools and features that will help them create apps and games in the future.
And while Playtime 2018 is primarily a developer event, we're also curious to look at the announcements from Google, as it could provide insight into the future Android and the apps that we, the users, download.
This year Google has put a special emphasis on motivating developers to create lighter applications. According to Google research, for every extra 6 MB of app size, the conversion rate (i.e. the number of users who complete the installation) drops by about one percent. In other words, the smaller your application is, the more users will install it.
And as apps are getting bigger and bigger now, it's in the best interest of both Google and developers to focus on making Android apps 'thinner'. The problem is well illustrated by the graph of the change in the size of the average downloaded APK over time.
Google is convinced that this trend needs to be reversed, and we, as users, can only approve of these efforts, since the less space our apps take for Android, the more space is left on our devices for other apps, music , photos and everything else.
To help developers make apps for Android smaller, Google is offering them a new placement format called Android App Bundle. Without getting into the technical details, the bottom line is that when a user installs an app, the specific elements of the app that are used by most of the apps in the Google Play Store do not have to be reinstalled, and therefore the overall app size becomes smaller. It's like going to the store for ingredients for a dish, but without having to buy absolutely everything for cooking, since you already have an oven, frying pan, flour, spoons, plates, etc. in your kitchen. And when you go to buy ingredients (install the application), you only need to buy (download) what is missing.
According to Google, the new system will reduce the size of applications by an average of 35%. Very good!
In addition to reducing the size of applications, Google aims to make it easier for developers to create so-called. Instant apps. These are games and tools that you can try out without downloading the full app. Not only does this improve user experience, instant apps play a key role on devices like Android Go, where storage size is critical.
Previously, developers were forced to create two versions of their app or game, an instant app and a regular version. Now they will be able to create one application that includes all these functions, which greatly simplifies everything.
And a few more points voiced by Google at Playtime 2018:
- Google Play Instant will allow users to try games at Android even before they are released. This will help with conversions and draw additional attention to premium titles.
- The content of the developer communications for crashes and performance issues will be detailed. This will help developers learn about issues faster and hopefully resolve those issues more effectively.
- Google is testing tools that will allow users to temporarily freeze in-app subscriptions instead of canceling them altogether.
- Developers will be able to prompt users to update the application and then update without leaving the application.
Google is also launching the Academy for App Success training for developers to help them create quality apps with high conversions. It is still available in English, but others are promising soon.
What do you think about these innovations, dear readers?