Google I/O is host to a lot of snazzy announcements showcasing Google's technological prowess. However, there are a ton of small QoL changes that are announced which slip by unnoticed.While it is possible to use some apps on older versions, a lot of them simply refuse to work if you don't have the latest version installed. Depending on where you live and your internet speed, it can take anything between a few seconds to several minutes for updates to install. Soon, that'll be a thing of the past. Google today announced a new API that allows apps to install updates while you use them.

The aptly-named 'In-app Updates API' gives applications more control over how they can check for and install updates. Here's how Google describes it:

We've heard that you'd like more controls to ensure that users are running the latest and greatest version of your app. To address this, we're launching an In-app Updates API. We're testing the API with early access partners and will be launching it to all developers soon. . You’ll have two options with this API; the first is a full-screen experience for critical updates when you expect the user to wait for the update to be applied immediately. The second option is a flexible update, which means the user can keep using the app while the update is downloaded. You can completely customize the update flow so it feels like part of your app.

The API is currently being tested with a handful of partners and will become available to all developers soon. It may be some time before we see in action, but we can expect to see industry bigwigs such as Facebook, Twitter and the likes implement it for their apps.

News Source: Android Developers