Android 16: Google speeds up app installation
With Android 16, Google wants to give app installation a speed boost. Low-end smartphones in particular should benefit from this.
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With the upcoming update to Android 16, Google wants to give app installation a speed boost. The cloud should help here.
The update to Android 16 is due to be released in June and will, among other things, make the app installation process faster. According to Android Authority, Google is relying on the new Cloud Compilation feature for this. With this function, part of the app installation process is already carried out in the cloud, which should speed up the installation of larger applications from the Play Store, especially on low-powered smartphones.
Android 16 brings cloud compilation
Android smartphones normally rely on the Android Runtime (ART) to execute application code when installing apps. When a new application is installed from the Play Store, a tool called "Dex2oat" is used to generate one or more application artifacts from the .dex files of the APK (Android Package Kit), which contain the compiled code of the application. These artifacts help the operating system to load most applications faster and more efficiently.
While these artifacts can be assembled in no time on high-end smartphones, this can sometimes be a bottleneck on smartphones with weak processors and slow memory, especially for large apps with lots of code and .dex files.
"Cloud compilation" relies on SDM file format for incremental app installation
Thanks to Android 16's cloud compilation, the Dex2oat process can be bypassed during installation. Instead of generating the application artifacts on the device, Android 16 obtains them from SDM files that are downloaded from the Google Play Store.
SDM is a new file format that Google will introduce with Android 16 and contains the cloud compilation artifacts. The abbreviation SDM stands for "Secure Dex Metadata" and is signed with the same key that is used to sign the APK.
The new function for incremental app installation is not yet active in the Android 16 beta. Mishaal Rahman from Android Authority believes that Google must first configure the Play Store to generate the application artifacts using Dex2oat and deploy them along with the APK files during the installation of apps on Android 16 devices.
Android 16 is currently available for testing as the third public beta version for Pixel smartphones. According to Google, the final version will be released in June.
(mki)
