Here's how Google plans to optimise installation of apps from the Play Store

The company will reportedly study which parts of apps are used the most and then load and install them first so users spend less time getting to their apps.

Google could let you download, install and use your apps a lot faster than before.  (Obi Onyeador/Unsplash)

Downloading apps from the Google Play Store has changed for the better over the past few years, with the company adding useful optimisations (like App Bundles) to the operating system to allow for faster downloads and improved performance. The company is reportedly working on another way to optimise installing apps from the store.

According to a report from 9to5Google, the company is working on a new feature called “App install optimisation” which will be able to “prioritise” some parts of an application that will then be downloaded before other parts so that people can get started with their favourite apps faster.

The feature will likely involve downloading “portions” of an app based on how people use them, meaning Google will be studying which parts of an app are most used by people, according to the report. So if most people use TikTok a lot to view videos while a smaller subset also uploads content, then the Play Store is likely to prioritise the app installation in such a way that users can get to their content faster.

The report also states that the company boasts of three benefits of these optimisations - faster installation times from the Play Store, reduced opening and run times (presumably due to optimised app sizes) and lowered strain on device resources like CPU, RAM, storage and battery. However, there is no mention of whether the other “portions” of the app will be downloaded immediately when a user needs the capability later or offered when the app is launched for the first time according to the report.

While this is a crowdsourced feature, the company says it will not collect details of the content you consume or upload in your apps, or your personal details like your email address or even your name. The anonymised learning feature can be switched off completely, according to the report, which states that Google will still provide those benefits to them thanks to data gathered from other people.