14 DAY TRIAL // Last month, we reported that Google started a limited live trial for Instant Apps, after announcing the new feature during last year’s edition of Google I/O. Now it seems that some users can already enjoy the feature and Wish seems to be the first app to employ it.
The whole concept behind Instant Apps is to allow users to open and use applications from anywhere, without having to actually install them first. Google has been slowly but surely testing the feature, which has started to be made available to more and more users.
According to Ausdroid, Instant Apps doesn’t work for anyone, but some users can set it up and try it easily. They simply need to go to the Settings menu on Android phones, tap Google Settings, find Instant Apps setting and tap the switch to enable it. Users must read and agree to the terms and conditions before the feature can be enabled.
Instant Apps is already available to a number of services
Instant Apps seems to be available for Wish, BuzzFeed, Periscope and Viki for the time being, while it should reach other options soon. Users simply need to search for Wish’s website in their browser and get the option to use an Instant App. The application opens instantly, without having to download it from Google’s Play store.
It seems that whenever users tap on a link, Google Play checks if an Instant App exists and runs it without installation. Instant Apps are kept on the device temporarily, they should take up little space, but it’s unclear after how much time they’re automatically removed.
According to some reports, Instant Apps can be enabled on Google’s Nexus and Pixel phones running on Android Nougat. Google is expected to expand the service to other smartphones as well, but that might take a while.
Google has already advised developers to update their existing Android apps and integrate the new Instant Apps functionality. They would need to modularize apps so parts of them can be downloaded and run instantly.