Google’s Instant Apps allows you to use apps without installing them

By Christian de Looper Published January 23, 2017

Google is finally getting started with Amazon’s Instant Apps. The company is rolling out a limited test run and says that users can try out “a few” Instant Apps now, including BuzzFeed, Periscope, and Wish. The goal is to collect feedback about the apps and eventually the experience will be rolled out to more apps and users.

Instant Apps were first unveiled at Google I/O 2016 in May and are basically a smaller version of a full Android app, and can launch on your phone without needing to be installed. Once the app is closed, it’s basically gone from your phone and there is no app icon on your home screen to launch.

Recommended Videos

So what is the point of Instant Apps? Well, when they were first unveiled, Google mentioned they would be helpful when you want to use an app that you might never use again — without having to install that app, then use it, then uninstall it again or keep an unused app on your phone.

Google also mentioned at the time that around “half a dozen” partners had signed up to use Instant Apps — Buzzfeed, B&H Photo Video, Medium, Hotel Tonight, Zumper, and Disney. Since then, the partner list seems to have changed a little and BuzzFeed is the only original partner that is on the launch list. Google has said that there is interest from “thousands of developers” for these apps.

It is about time that Google is testing the new feature. In May, Google promised that we would see the feature by the end of 2016, so it’s almost a month late with these tests. According to Google, full Android Instant Apps software developer kits will be available in “coming months.”

Topics

Christian de Looper

Christian de Looper is a long-time freelance writer who has covered every facet of the consumer tech and electric vehicle…

Mobile

Google One subscribers could get a hugely important eSIM feature

The Google Pixel 9a's screen.

In the modern world of eSIMs, you don't have to worry about keeping track of a postage-stamp-sized piece of tech to use your phone, but there is one glaring downside: if you break your phone, transferring the eSIM from the broken device to your new one leaves you at the whims of your carrier. A new update to Google Play Services suggests an alternative might be on the way in the form of eSIM backup as part of the Google One subscription.

Android Authority dug into Google Play Services v25.16.33, the latest beta version, and found references that suggested a SIM data backup. You can pretty safely rule out physical SIM cards here, since those aren't affected by data wipes. That leaves only eSIMs, and it would certainly make it easier to transition from one phone to another.

Mobile

What is RTOS and is it the answer to Google’s Wear OS problems?

The OnePlus Watch 3 seen from the top.

Smartwatches are now over 25 years old, but just over a decade ago, Apple helped kickstart the current smartwatch industry with the launch of the original Apple Watch. From a focus on fitness to a selection of apps and whimsical watch faces, early smartwatches bore little resemblance to the current best smartwatches with which we’re now accustomed.

The only problem with the Apple Watch is that it was, and still is, exclusive to the iPhone. To answer this and capitalize on the demand for smartwatches from Android users, Google and its partners developed an Android-powered alternative. After many iterations, Wear OS was born, but it still faces several challenges many years later.

Mobile

Google’s Find My Device tracking tool could soon serve Apple’s best trick

Google's Find My Device app showing linked devices on a phone.

It’s roughly been a year since Google launched its new Find My Device network, fortifying it with security features such as encrypted location sharing, unknown tracker alerts, and more. But so far, it has missed out on a notable feature that enables precise object tracking within Apple’s rival Find My network.

That is about to change soon, it seems. Talking to The Verge, Google’s Angela Hsiao hinted that the company will soon make an announcement regarding UWB integration within the Find My Device ecosystem.