Soon we will be able to use Android apps without installing them. That was at least the promise made by Google during its last big conference dedicated to developers last spring (Google I/O 2016). Since then some time has passed, certainly, but it seems to be the perfect time to make that promise come true: lnstant App is already with us and the first limited circle of users who have already been able to use it on their smartphones has shown some of the novelties and advantages of this new idea.
In the intentions of Google, lnstant App serves for several purposes. As of now these are unknown to us, Mountain View company has started by showing potential users a preliminary idea of this concept, by downloading a demo version of the real app. It will also allow users to enjoy the most important services (such as airline check-in), without downloading a dozen applications and tens of megabytes to use them once. Above all, however, is the fact that with this feature available to developers you can provide access to content within a controlled and secure environment rather than compromising all that by writing in a mobile version rather than through a more uncomfortable web platform.
All this happens without the end user having to visit the Play Store, download the application and wait until the installation is completed: the process is carried out in real time thanks to faster connections and software written in separate modules that are downloaded progressively and only if necessary. Google has been working in advance with a handful of people who have served as beta-testers of this new functionality. BuzzFeed, Viki, Wish, and Periscope are some of the names involved in this first phase, during which the Mountain View brand will hear user feedback and developer demands to improve the execution of the Instant App waiting for its final release, which will take place shortly.