After an extended delay Google has today announced that limited trials of Instant Apps, a feature announced at Google I/O last year will start today.
Google has worked with a limited number of partners for Instant Apps including BuzzFeed, Wish, Periscope, and Vik, with thousands of developers showing interest in implementing Instant Apps in their own offerings.
Instant Apps allows users to use functions of an app without installing the full APK, allowing limited functionality without the hassle of a full install. The implementation of Instant Apps does allow for a full install to be performed in the background, or you can continue to keep using the limited ‘Instant’ part of the app as you see fit.
The ability to use part of an app is up to the developer who will have to modularise their apps and take advantage of a full SDK for Instant Apps that will become fully available in the coming months.
Instant Apps will let users get a lot of functionality from theoretically a small amount of data. No longer will you need to download a large file to install, instead a smaller portion can be used – something important to Google and their focus on emerging markets.
