Android devices can now archive apps automatically that is not majorly used. The new reported archiving feature will reduce the storage of an app automatically by 60% without even getting to remove the app from your device completely.
Android Devices Can Now Archive Apps Automatically
Google has started the rollout of its new auto-archive tool for Android devices, crafted to free up storage space without uninstalling applications from the devices of users completely. Initially teased in May of the previous year, Google claims that the auto-archiving feature can reduce the storage space taken up by infrequently used apps automatically by almost 60 percent without removing the application or its associated data from a user’s device entirely.
How the New Feature Works
Archived applications as you should already know by now can be distinguished by a cloud icon overlaid directly on the icon of the app. Tapping on the archived apps will re-download as well as restore them fully, provided that the app is still available on the Google Play store.
The feature should come in handy for those people making use of Android devices that lack expandable storage or users who are reluctant to completely delete apps in a bid to free up some space, although not every application on your Android device will be eligible for auto-archiving. Google however notes that the feature is only available on apps that are published making use of Android’s App Bundle format and that apps in question with archive support will not appear as frequently on uninstall suggestions of a device.
How to Access and Use the Feature
Android users on the other hand will need to opt-in in a bid to use the auto-archiving feature. The option as you should know will appear via a pop-up window when attempting to install a new app on a device that is out of storage. And once it has been enabled, the feature will archive all unused apps from the device. A disclaimer on the opt-in pop-up shows that the preferences of the feature can be adjusted in the settings menu.
The Feature Is Similar to Apple’s Offload Unused App Feature
The auto-archive tool for Android comes many years after Apple released “Offload Unused Apps” on iOS 11 which is a feature that also similarly deletes little-uses applications on iPhones while in the process keeping their data, and in the process letting users to get back to where they left off after they have restored the app.
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