It's annoying when you have to download an app on a smartphone just to carry out one function. Well Google wants to fix this pain point and has begun testing one of its hotly-anticipated features announced last year called Android Instant Apps.
The feature was previewed last year at the Google I/O developers' conference. Instant Apps works by letting a user hit a link and then opening a small part of the app required to carry out the specific task, without actually downloading it. The aim is to be as fast as loading a web page so an Instant App can be runnable in a few seconds.
One example Google showed off last year was paying for parking. If a person holds their phone near a parking meter with a special built-in chip, the Instant App will open to let people pay for parking.
On Monday, Google said in a blog that it had begun live testing of Instant Apps with a small number of developers including BuzzFeed, Wish, Periscope and Viki, with the aim of collecting user feedback.
Google also said that the software development kit (SDK) needed for developers to make Instant Apps, will be available "in the coming months."
Instant Apps gives the advantage of not having to download an app and store it on your phone which could take up a lot of memory space and even screen real estate. Sometimes and app is required just to do one specific task and then it needs to be deleted. But also, if you're out without Wi-Fi and need to download an app, it can use up a lot of a person's monthly data. Instant Apps could eliminate all of these issues.
