this post was submitted on 30 Oct 2025

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Android 16 makes app updates nearly instantaneous with this clever change (www.androidauthority.com)

submitted 3 days ago by limerod@reddthat.com to c/android@lemdro.id

31 comments fedilink hide all child comments

TL;DR

Android 16 introduces “seamless app updates” to make installing app updates faster and less disruptive.
This feature significantly reduces the time an app is frozen during an update, cutting it from seconds to milliseconds.
The improvement is achieved by running optimization scripts earlier in the installation process, reducing app downtime.

top 31 comments

sorted by: hot top controversial new old

[–] skuzz@discuss.tchncs.de 9 points 1 day ago

Awesome, so pointless manifest revisions to manipulate store reviews and falsify user engagement will update even faster? (Which are most "Bug fixes and quality improvements!" updates these days.)

Really can't wait for this terrible "app" update concept to go away. The market manipulation aspect drove shipping shittier code out the gate and generalized FOMO.

Or better, apps can go away entirely, lets go back to everything lives in the browser, it's generally safer, and most "apps" are just browser containers that only exist to harvest device telemetry.

[–] gigachad@piefed.social 40 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Great, so I will get version 1.294.2774.2028.38.2 without change log even faster!

[–] lka1988@lemmy.dbzer0.com 14 points 2 days ago

"Squashing bugs and bringing continuous improvements!"

Every. Fucking. Time.

[–] lka1988@lemmy.dbzer0.com 12 points 2 days ago

That's nice. Where are the Pixel source trees, google?

I'm still on 15 because of that.

[–] tomalley8342@lemmy.world 13 points 3 days ago (2 children)

cutting it from seconds to milliseconds.

Who in the world is in that much of a hurry to continue using their phone 😅

[–] Fisch@discuss.tchncs.de 7 points 2 days ago (2 children)

It's honestly pretty annoying when you have to update an app and after it's done downloading, you just sit there for like 10 seconds while nothing happens (at least nothing you can see)

[–] victorz@lemmy.world 1 points 2 days ago (2 children)

Never ever had that happen to me on my phone, but I bet waiting ten seconds for anything is the worst, right?

[–] Fisch@discuss.tchncs.de 0 points 1 day ago

I just said it's annoying and making that waiting time shorter is a good change

[–] blackn1ght@feddit.uk 0 points 1 day ago

It is kinda annoying when you're in a rush and need something right there on the spot, but it says it has to update before you can use it, and then you're there for what feels like an eternity.

[–] lka1988@lemmy.dbzer0.com 0 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Downloading software isn't the same thing as installing it.

[–] Fisch@discuss.tchncs.de 1 points 1 day ago (1 children)

I know, what's your point?

[–] lka1988@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 points 1 day ago (1 children)

The app has to be installed after downloading....

[–] Fisch@discuss.tchncs.de 1 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Yes, I know but why are you telling me that?

[–] lka1988@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (1 children)

Yes, I know but why are you telling me that?

???

Because you said this:

sit there for like 10 seconds while nothing happens

That "10 seconds while nothing happens" is the app being installed. That's it.

I understand now that you may have just been expressing frustration, but text doesn't convey sarcasm or hyperbole the same way as actual speech. I would suggest amending your comment to reflect the use of hyperbole. Don't be an idiot by pretending other people are dumb for misinterpreting.

[–] Fisch@discuss.tchncs.de 1 points 1 day ago

I wasn't using hyperbole and I specifically added this at the end:

(at least nothing you can see)

I know that it's installing but as a user, I don't really see anything happen or any indication of the progress. I just have to wait for some amount of time without any idea of how long I will have to wait. That makes it feel so long.

And don't call me an idiot for doing something I never did. I don't even know what you misinterpreted. This whole post is about how the time it takes to install an app was reduced and I shared my own experience to show why I think that's a very good change. In response, you told me that an app has to be installed after downloading it. I never said that that wasn't the case, so I didn't understand what point you were trying to make, which is why I asked you.

[–] limerod@reddthat.com 3 points 2 days ago

Try updating more than 20 apps at once. Especially if a few are large. You will notice the speed difference especially on a non-flagship phone.

[–] 30p87@feddit.org 15 points 3 days ago (2 children)

Linux just doesn't care. There's no downtime or freezing to begin with.

[–] scholar@lemmy.world 15 points 3 days ago (1 children)

That's because on (most) Linux distros, updates aren't recompiling the program to get the most performance.

[–] hexagonwin@lemmy.sdf.org 2 points 3 days ago (1 children)

i don't think that's what happens on android while installing an app.

[–] limerod@reddthat.com 36 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago) (3 children)

That's exactly what happens on android.

You need to re-optimize the dex file, and re-compile the odex file to native code for performance.

[–] First_Thunder@lemmy.zip 19 points 3 days ago

So android is gentoo for beginners

[–] hexagonwin@lemmy.sdf.org 6 points 3 days ago

TIL, thanks

[–] SexualPolytope@lemmy.sdf.org 0 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago) (2 children)

Yes, but that shouldn't have anything to do with downtime. This is exactly what happens when you install something from source à la any -git package from AUR. It's slower than installing binaries, but downtime is a completely different issue. Am I missing something?

[–] Fisch@discuss.tchncs.de 3 points 2 days ago

Downtime in this context means the time where you can't use the application while its update is being installed

[–] limerod@reddthat.com 0 points 2 days ago

This process was not started until the app was frozen until android 16. This added a few seconds to every app install.

[–] CallMeAnAI@lemmy.world 10 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago)

Because it doesn't run any actual apps and none of them are compiled to byte code.

Linux phones are barely usable as phones much less gp device. Be supportive but not clueless.

[–] TechnoCat@piefed.social 4 points 2 days ago (2 children)

Cries in GrapheneOS' slow application installs and updates.

[–] skuzz@discuss.tchncs.de 3 points 1 day ago

If apps didn't suck, and app devs weren't manipulative shits, updates would be rare anyway.

[–] limerod@reddthat.com 3 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Android 16 on graheneOS should also get the same speedup. Custom ROM developers can also choose to backport this patch to older android ROMs.

[–] TechnoCat@piefed.social 2 points 2 days ago (1 children)

GrapheneOS' really slow installs is because of its hardening I believe.

[–] limerod@reddthat.com 2 points 2 days ago

Wow I just read a thread about an app update taking 45mins after install. That is nuts.

Disabling JIT on modern day smartphones is too much. It will be like the android 5 Lollipop where apps took a while to install after each update. Plus, the long update cycle. Good riddance, I jumped from that time period.