Android will automatically get rid of unnecessary applications
Users will be able to squeeze up to 60% of free space without uninstalling the application
Google is making it easier to free up flash memory on Android phones by introducing a simple toggle to do so. By enabling this switch, you can free up to 60% of the space that was occupied by an unnecessary program. The option works on the basis of the app archiving feature in the Play Store settings.
The program archiving option automatically reduces the use of flash memory by programs if they have not been used for a long time. Previously, to launch this option, you had to go through an unnecessary process to activate it. Now Google is rolling out a simple toggle for this in the Play Store.
Previously, automatic archiving was only available when the free space on the smartphone’s storage was running out and the user was asked if they wanted to enable this option to save space.
Now the user can start this automatic archiving option at any time. The switch is located in the Play Store settings in the General section. This makes it much easier to prevent notifications about lack of space that can appear at inconvenient times.
Automatic archiving of programs uses the Android App Bundle format. It replaced the traditional APK and divides apps into classes for different phones. In an APK, all the data for all types of phones is in one file, so it can require many megabytes of free space.
Google says that with archiving, you can save up to 60 percent of your memory without losing data or deleting the app. To open the app again, your phone will have to download certain additional files.
Archiving an application actually deletes it from memory, but leaves certain settings and authorization files. Thanks to this, when you re-download an archived application, you don’t need to set up your account again and do other things as you would when installing the application from scratch.
The archived apps will remain on the home screen, but they will have a small cloud icon to indicate that they are not fully available for use. The archived apps will also appear in the Manage apps and device section of the Play Store under Manage. Here you’ll find a new “Archived” tab that you can turn on to show only archived apps.
The automatic archiving option is now available to all users. People report that they first noticed it in the Play Store versions 37.4 and 37.5.
