Smart app updates for Android have gone live on Google Play – promising to save users both time and bandwidth.
When an update to an application hits the market, the Play Store typically downloads it in full, which can be quite painful for large apps.
Essentially, smart app updates allow users to download only the incremental difference (aka the delta) between the old and new apks, saving a significant amount of data and bandwidth for Google, carriers and Play Store users.
“How about an example? The ezPDF Reader app weighs 6.34MB, but the delta is only about 2.7-3MB,” wrote Artem Russakovskii of Android Police who first spotted the new feature earlier this morning. ”It’s even more drastic with Instagram’s update from this morning – the Play Store only has to download about 3MB out of 13.”
In other Google Play related news, Mountain View is reportedly poised to offer redeemable Play Store gift cards, a long-awaited feature rumored to be forthcoming since the advent of paid apps, and recently teased in the form of a Play Store balance for those who purchased a Nexus 7. It seems as if Google may also be prepping a wishlist where users can add apps, books, TV shows, movies, music and magazines.
