Google introduces auto-archiving feature for Android apps and games

At one time the majority of Android smartphones offered the user the option of expanding storage space with a microSD card, but in recent years we've seen fewer and fewer models following this policy, either for reasons of saving space inside, or simply because they have enough storage space for the average user anyway. The shift of many users to cloud storage services (see Google Photos, iCloud, Microsoft OneDrive) also enters the equation.

Either way, the advanced camera capabilities of many modern Android smartphones result in a large portion of users consuming a lot of storage space for high-resolution video, while many mobile games are really demanding not only in terms of processor and memory performance, but also in the volume they take up on the device.

Google decided to provide a solution in a different way by announcing the new auto-archiving feature, which essentially uninstalls the apps and games on the device that the user doesn't use often, without affecting their personal settings or saves. This way, up to 60% of the space they take up can be saved, and in case the user tries to open any of the archived apps again, then they will have to wait a while to go back down to their device.

The company has for now provided the corresponding API to interested developers in order to integrate the auto archiving feature in their apps, while emphasizing that the whole archiving process is done in the background without the user noticing anything. Archived apps remain with their icons on the user's device, you will simply see a cloud on them indicating their status.

So far it is not known when the feature will be officially launched and it may take some time before we see it.