New Algorithm Reduces App Update Size in Google Play Store

A new algorithm has been added to the Google Play Store and it bears good news for users who are constantly fighting with the storage limitation.

According to an Android Developers blog post, the algorithm can reduce the size of the updates released for Android apps, while also displaying to users the actual size of the updates they install.

Google also revealed that over the last year, more than 65 billion apps were downloaded from the Google Play Store. Given the rapid growth that’s visible on the app front, developers are being forced to release more frequent updates so they can keep up with the new content.

At the same time, many updates include fixes of security issues and changes required by the users’ feedback. It didn’t take long, however, for Google to realize there was a problem regarding certain users who rarely connect to Wi-Fi networks.

Updates are straining in terms of data they require to download and install. That’s why the search giant looked for ways to reduce the size of app updates, while also showing to users how much data they require to download.

Google announced that, now, only the changes brought to the apps in the Google Play Store will be downloaded (changes known as deltas). Then, they are merged with the apps that are already installed on smartphones, significantly reducing the size of the updates.

In the blog post, the company illustrated the power of the new delta algorithm with the help of two recent fixes to the Google Chrome browser for Android.

Originally, the major update from M46 to M47 had a size of 22.8 MB, while the M47 minor update was 15.3 MB. After the new algorithm was applied, the updates’ sizes were reduced to an impressive 12.9 MB and 3.6 MB, respectively.

While these updates can be reduced in size almost by 50 percent, Google also hopes to reduce the data strain of the expansion files required by some apps, such as mobile games. These additional downloads to a main app are much larger, but they will soon be reduced by 12 percent, on average.

With the news of the algorithm also comes the update that will display the amount of data necessary to download apps and updates in the Google Play Store. This will help users with limited data plans to be aware of how much they’re consuming.

Image Source: XDA Developers

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Deborah Campbell

Deborah Campbell grew up on a steady diet of fantasy stories, 19th century poetry and Greek mythology. It’s no wonder she turned into such a hopeless romantic. She has always had a knack for writing, but she has yet to publish any best-seller yet. At the beginning of 2013 she decided to try something a little different: she started working for a web design firm, as a creative artist. That’s where she discovered her second calling. Although seemingly opposite, fantasy and technology are Deborah’s two main passions. She is now part of the argyllfreepress.com team, for which she creates detailed tutorials & reviews for some of the world’s most exciting gadgets. She also tries to squeeze a verse or two in her reviews from time to time.