At the recent Android Dev Summit, Google shared some announcements and updates which includes the In-app Updates API.
The In-app Updates API will offer developers more control over the apps they created by allowing them to urge users to update their apps in two ways. Users will either get a full-screen message display that forces them to update their apps immediately, or they’ll be faced with a flexible in-app update that allows them to update their apps while in use. The download will progress in the background while users are using the apps, and when the download is done, users will be told to restart the app to finish the installation. Users can also choose not to update the app immediately, unlike the first method that is meant for critical bug fixes.
Image credit : Android Developers Blog
Google also allows the developers to customise the update flow so the update interface will be different for different apps, and this is to ensure that the interface matches the app’s theme and design. While this In-app Update API has yet to be released to all developers, it’s already being tested through Android Google Chrome app with early access partners, and Google did say that it will be released to the rest of the developers soon.
