Google Play Store now allows simultaneous Android app downloads and updates

The feature is available widely across multiple devices and allows up to three apps to be downloaded, installed and updated at the same time

Google Play Store has started allowing users to install and update multiple Android apps at the same time. Up till now, the Play Store only processed one app at a time and users had to wait for one app to be downloaded and installed for the next to start downloading. But now, according to technology news website The Verge, up to three apps can be downloaded, installed and updated, simultaneously. 

Google reportedly experimented with parallel apps downloading back in 2019 and in March last year. This feature can be especially helpful for restoring from a backup or setting up a new device. Google has not announced a launch schedule or specified which devices have received the feature but the functionality is available widely across multiple devices. It is assumed that this is a server side update from Google.

In April, Google Play Store started letting users download two apps simultaneously but the feature worked for new app installations only and not for app updates. 

Apple also supports installing up to three iOS apps from the App Store. Android app stores from companies like Samsung, Xiaomi, and OPPO already allow concurrent app downloads. 

In related news, Google has updated its minimum quality standards for Android apps, stating that apps failing to meet these requirements will not be permitted on the Play Store starting August 31. Additionally, apps that do not comply may be removed from the Play Store.

Google is also reportedly developing a feature called ‘App Auto Open’ that will automatically launch an app immediately after it is installed. According to Android Authority, recent updates to the Google Play Store contain code indicating that this feature will, by default, open the app as soon as the installation process is finished.