Google has announced that it will be discontinuing its Android Instant Apps feature, a unique app discovery method that allowed users to launch parts of apps without installing them. The decision comes eight years after the feature was first launched in 2017.
To support Instant Apps, developers had to create slimmed-down versions of their apps, with a maximum size limit of 15MB. However, this proved challenging for many developers, especially those working with heavy libraries or code bases.
Only a handful of developers, including Vimeo and Wish, implemented Instant App support initially. Despite its promise in theory, the feature failed to gain traction among developers, resulting in Google’s decision to discontinue it.
Google has not updated its official developer documentation yet, but the move is largely seen as a sign that web-based discovery tools and App Clips experiences will continue to be pushed through the Play Store instead. Most Android users are unlikely to notice the change, but it marks another milestone in Google’s shift towards new app discovery methods.
Source: https://www.androidpolice.com/rip-android-instant-apps