The Play Store currently shows the download progress in the notification panel and on the app’s listing. But this isn’t always convenient. Particularly when you are browsing the Store to find more exciting apps and games. You end up frequently pulling down the notification panel to check the progress. And if you have a slow internet connection, this can be pretty frustrating. Google is now preparing to make things a little more convenient for you. Decompiling the APK file for the latest version of the Play Store app revealed the ongoing work on the install progress bubble. 9to5Google found a new “Show install progress bubble” toggle in the app’s notification settings. “While installing, overlay a progress indicator on all screens in Google Play,” the company explains the feature. This download progress bubble is not yet live for users. However, the publication could enable it on their device. As you’d expect, it activates a floating bubble that shows the progress of the app that you are currently downloading. Similar to overlaid bubbles from other Android apps, the Play Store bubble can be dragged to move it around the screen. You can also drag it to the bottom of the screen to dismiss it. As the new report notes, this is “a minor feature in the grand scheme of things”. But it could come in quite handy at times. Google appears to be almost ready for a public rollout of this feature. Watch out for it in the Play Store in the coming weeks.
Google recently added app archiving to the Play Store
In March this year, Google announced that Android devices will support app archiving via the Play Store. Instead of uninstalling the app, you can achieve it and restore it whenever you want. The app will be uninstalled from the device, freeing up some storage space. But the app data will remain saved on the device locally. When you restore the app, you can continue where you left off the last time. You don’t have to start fresh again. Months after the initial announcement, this Play Store feature started rolling out to users last week. It should be available to everyone over the next few weeks.
