Tuesday 4 July 2017

Android’s Instant Apps and Progressive Web Apps: An Overview


The world of technology is progressing by leaps and bounds everyday with new innovations being added every second to make the experience better. The latest to be introduced are Google’s Instant apps and PWA’s (Progressive Web Apps). Originally announced at last year's Google I/O, instant Apps and PWA’s are a step towards revolutionising user experience.
Instant Apps?
Tired of always having to install an application to see if its of your use or not? Well then Android’s Instant Apps are for you, my friend! , Instant Apps are a way for developers to offer a lightweight version of their Android app without requiring a visit to the Play Store. Basically, instant apps give instant usability as well as functionality to the user by avoiding the need for downloading the app. Due to shortage of device storage, people abandon their apps to make way for new for a particular purpose. In such case, instant app can help you in satisfying that particular purpose without downloading the whole app.
To make an app Instant, developers need to make it modular and compatible with deep links, so users can click on a URL and end up in exactly the part of the app they're looking to use. Instant Apps were originally supposed to run on versions of Android as far back as 4.3, but right now they only support 6.0 or newer — though 5.0 support is supposed to be coming soon.
How to enable Android Instant Apps
  1. Navigate to your phone’s ‘Settings menu.
  2. Scroll down and tap ‘Google’ under the ‘Personal category’.
  3. Under the ‘Services category, select ‘Instant Apps’.
  4. Tap the toggle on the top-right of the screen.
  5. Read through the instructions card (and Play Terms of Service, if you really want to), then tap ‘Yes, I’m in.

Progressive Web Apps?
According to Wikipedia, Progressive Web App (PWA) is a term used to denote web apps that uses the latest web technologies. Progressive web apps are technically regular web pages (or websites) but can appear to the user like traditional applications or (native) mobile applications. This new application type attempts to combine features offered by most modern browsers with the benefits of mobile experience.
PWAs claim to develop a single app that works perfectly across all devices as well as platforms. The major impact of PWAs is to create a lot more favorable mobile web than mobile app marketplace.
Some PWA’s –
  • Voice Memos
  • Meatscope
  • Telegram
  • Emojoy
  • CloudFour
  • AliExpress
Conclusion

Mobile apps play an extremely vital role in our everyday lives so do web browsers; combining them to provide app-like features in a delightful native web experience is a genius idea and so PWA’s are the way forward from here on. Having said that, in the coming days, instant apps will play a vital role in marketing apps. Hence, just create an instant layer over the apps and tap on the potential of easy discoverability.   


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