Useful function frees up more space for apps

Google has introduced a new Android feature that frees up space on smartphones and tablets. The storage space is to be compressed by up to 60 percent so that new apps can be installed. Automatic app archiving has been around on iPhones for a long time.

Android: Google introduces app archiving

When the storage space on the cell phone or tablet is full, it is actually no longer possible to install new apps. That’s exactly what Google is changing with a new feature called app archiving. be here rarely used apps automatically archived and compressed. According to Google, the storage space required by apps can be reduced by almost 60 percent. User data and app settings are retained.

Archived apps are identified by a new cloud icon superimposed over the actual app icon. Tapping on the archived apps will make them re-downloaded and fully restoredas long as the app is still available on Google Play (source: Android Developer Blog). The function should make sense above all on Android cell phones and tablets where the memory cannot be expanded via a microSD card.

Automatic app archiving is disabled by default. It only becomes noticeable when the memory is already full and users have decided on a new app in the Play Store. In this case the smartphone or tablet reports with a pop-up message. This allows users to activate app archiving. Google does not plan to activate it as a precautionary measure.

In the video: That all changed with Android 13.

Android: App archiving like iOS

With the automatic archiving of apps, Android now offers a function that has been available on iOS for years. It was introduced for iPhones and iPads in September 2017. Here, too, rarely used apps are archived without deleting user data and settings.