This document discusses Android instant apps, which allow users to interact with parts of an app without installing it. It covers what instant apps are, how to use them, an example of Holidu's business insights instant app, limitations compared to installed apps, converting a regular app to an instant app including shrinking the app size, and releasing an instant app.

1. ANDROID INSTANT APP
Andrei Boeru
16 April 2018
Android GDG Meetup @ Holidu, Munich

2. ANDREI BOERU
software engineer @ Holidu
developed first versions of the Android apps for:

3. TALKING ABOUT
• what is an instant app and why should we care
• how to use an instant app
• real world use case: instant app @ Holidu: biz insight
• limitations apply, or how are instant apps different from
installed apps
• converting an installable app to an instant app
• how to shrink the app

4. –Carrie Fisher
“Instant gratification takes too long.”

5. INTRODUCING INSTANT APPS
• instant apps first announced at Google I/O 2016
for a limited set of companies
icon list from https://developer.android.com

6. INTRODUCING INSTANT APPS
• development open for all developers starting with Google I/O ’17
• March 2018: special Google Play category for games

7. INSTANT GAMES
• 19 March 2018: Google Play category “Instant Gameplay: Try now
install later”
• apk size limited to 10MB

8. HOLIDU BIZ INSIGHT

9. HOLIDU BIZ INSIGHT

10. HOLIDU BIZ INSIGHT:
SEASONALITY

11. HOLIDU BIZ INSIGHT:
SEASONALITY

12. HOLIDU BIZ INSIGHT:
SEASONALITY

13. REMOVING UNUSED APPS

14. THETEST NOW BUTTON

15. THE INSTANT APP BANNER

16. GOOGLE SEARCH RESULTS
http://newsredefined123.blogspot.com/2017/08/

17. GOOGLE SEARCH RESULTS
http://newsredefined123.blogspot.com/2017/08/

18. OPENVIA LINK

19. INSTALL POPUP

21. LIMITATIONS APPLY
apk size: maximum 4MB
app permissions
BILLING
ACCESS_COARSE_LOCATION
ACCESS_FINE_LOCATION
ACCESS_NETWORK_STATE
CAMERA
INSTANT_APP_FOREGROUND_SERVICE only in Android 8.0.
INTERNET
READ_PHONE_NUMBERS. (API level 26).
RECORD_AUDIO
VIBRATE
push notifications are not supported
however a notification can be displayed by the instant app

22. TIPS: HOWTO SHRINK
• use vector drawables icons:Android Studio builtin svg
convertor
• use proguard to remove unused code from the compiled
app
• use lint to find and remove unused resources
• where vector drawables fail: use the webp format - support
for webp with transparency starts from Android 18 (4.3).
for the Holidu app converting all the png files to webp
brought a 22% size improvement

24. APP LINKS

25. APP LINKS

26. APP STRUCTURE

27. APP STRUCTURE
https://developer.android.com/topic/instant-apps/getting-started/structure.html

28. RELEASING AN INSTANT APP

29. RELEASING AN INSTANT APP

30. QUESTIONS