Our digital world is an enabler for instant gratification, but it still isn't that instant. You must wait for minutes for your large apps and games to finish downloading and installing, depending on your network quality, before you get to use them. The new file system that Google is working on for Android may change that by letting you open apps while they pull the remaining data in the background—much like what Sony and Microsoft game consoles have been doing for years.

According to XDA Developers’ learnings, Google is calling this the Incremental File System in the documentation it submitted in May. What it’ll basically do is call for the data packages that need to be executed first, like a game’s intro file, as noted in the outlet’s example, while those required subsequently can follow. To avoid showing you a transitional blank or loading screen, in case a data block hasn’t fully downloaded, “hot blocks” will be loaded in advance, possibly as fillers. The feature is aimed at large apps and can come handy, particularly with modern, heavy-weight games, but we might not get to see it anytime soon.

Google is using a Pixel 4 XL to test this new file system, which has been in the works for close to a year. However, the feature is unlikely to debut with this year’s Android 11 and might instead accompany the 2021 Android version. From what we currently know, apps won’t require a rework to implement these capabilities, though things can change over time.

  • Source:
  • Google’s submissions (1),
  • (2)