Play Store testing simultaneous downloads
Ever get in a decent WiFi or coverage area and discover 29 updates you need to install for your phone? Ever upgrade to a new phone and watch each single app download, check, install, before the next one starts?
Well looks like Google is experimenting with simultaneous downloading now so if you’ve got the bandwidth you might get all the packages while the first app is still installing.
It seems to currently be an in the wild test, and there’s no way known to force it, so you either have it or you don’t. I personally don’t. I’m sad now.
You might wonder if this will actually speed anything up. Here’s what I’m noticing with my 16 app update that should have a screenshot here. Download starts of one app, download finishes, app installs, app finishes installing, Google Play recognizes a second or so later, next app downloads.
Repeat, repeat, repeat.
If Google Play had just kept the connection alive there would be about – guesstimating here, 16-30 seconds of downloading time saved.
I’m not sure where the major bottleneck on installing apps is, whether it’s the speed of the internal media, the processing load required to create the ART cache entries for the app, or what exactly, but pretty sure you’ll see some improvement by simply maintaining the connection.
If we could just download in one shot and then install everything that would be cool too. Doesn’t have to be simultaneous installs and downloads for me. Grab ’em, install while I’m in no-signal land.
[Android Police]
