Imagine you can make use of an Android App without the need of installation or download. This is nothing new but the same default functionality of world wide web (getting extended to the apps) where you simply need to type in domain and and press ENTER or click URL to fly to your destination.
Web and app are one but accessed from different interfaces, even on the same device too; you access web from browser and app directly.
So what is the need of downloading a heavy news app when its text is hosted on the servers online. Why download a complete app on your device just to make use of few of its features.
This is what Google has intended to offer Android users by introducing Android Instant Apps or may be the apps are going back to web.
As announced at Google I/O event, Android Instant Apps will dissolve the difference between the websites and apps by allowing users to simply tap URL for opening any Android app live without even installing it locally on the device.
Android Instant Apps will use your mobile device to the fullest, including the camera, GPS, and sensors to connect to the real world.
As advertised on developers blog, the new app kind is beautiful and immersive, with Material Design and smooth animations running at 60 frames per second. They use access to identity and payments to create seamless experiences. Just as on world wide web, you simply click on a link and land to the web page — it takes one click or tap and just a few moments. Now it should be easier for users to access a wider range of Android apps in the same way, and for developers to reach more people.
As a developer, you won’t be needing to build a new or separate app. But make use of the same Android APIs, the same project, the same source code to update your existing app by enabling the new Instant Apps functionality.
You modularize your app, and Google Play will download only the parts that are needed, on the fly to make it work. And when you do upgrade, your app will be available to more than a billion users on Android devices going back to Jelly Bean.
To learn more about Android Instant Apps head over to the Android developers website.
Likewise this is a big change to be implemented in the current behavior of the apps so it is going to take some time. The company said that they will be gradually expanding access for their developers and bring Instant Apps to users later this year. The update would be released via simple update to the Google Play Services software that comes installed on Android devices.