Android Instant Apps:The attempt to erase the borders between websites and mobile apps is still relevant. The feature implemented by Google that is called Instant Apps, intended to remove this obstacle. What if you could partially replace websites with apps? That's how this technology works. It allows users to use apps without installing them. Are you already intrigued? Let's find out what all that stuff is about.
What is Instant Apps technology?
Let's take a closer look at what Google Instant Apps technology is capable of. Instant Apps were announced at the conference Google I/O 2016. One-year later, at I/O 2017, the company officially declared that developers can start using this technology for their projects.
The concept that was realized in this technology allows programmers to develop applications that can be launched directly from Google Play without the necessity to be installed. When launching, the software written for this technology acts similarly to web apps. These apps are dynamically loaded, and after the work is completed -- they do not remain in the system. An ordinary link is enough to launch the software supporting Instant Apps.
Let's say you are searching for certain goods on the web by using your Android-powered smartphone or tablet. As soon as you find an attractive link in the search results and tap on it, your device will load a so-called minimal version of a full app that the website already has on Google Play. It may contain the minimum set of features like information about the product and the 'Buy' button or adopt more of a variety of features from original app.
In order to adopt your app to this technology, you should build an app with an easily detachable part that can be downloaded separately. At the same time, it is not necessary to build a new branch of code. The main thing is to call the
Instant Apps Android programming interfaces to the right place. The rest is Google's magic. When the search engine decides that it is the right moment to show the app instead of a website -- it will make a query to Google Play to run the application.
Android Instant Apps example
Besides, Android Instant Apps can use the same technologies as ordinary apps that are installed on users' devices. Talking about compatibility issues, the technology supports devices with Android 4.1 and higher. In turn, they should also have the current set of Google Play services. Of course, the solution that Google provides us with does not give the full functionality of an app. Nevertheless, it allows users to dramatically save time and facilitate interaction with the Android ecosystem.
By the way, developers are willing to choose those features that will be accessible when Instant App mode is on. Moreover, you do not have to re-write the software code. It is enough to make some corrections in order to make the app run properly. With the launch of Android Studio 3.0, the company has provided mobile developers with all the necessary tools to modulate their apps. So, to get Android Instant Apps SDK you should have the version of Android Studio no lower than 3.0.
What about load time and traffic? Nowadays, a lot of websites are obese. It is not uncommon to meet a resource consuming 10MB of your users' traffic and even more sometimes. Such sizes are almost entire applications. Taking into account the fact that Instant Apps are only a part of the original app, their size tends to be smaller.
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