Abstract
- Archiving apps will help save storage space by removing unused apps while keeping user data intact.
- Archiving an app uninstalls it but retains user data, making reinstallation easier.
- App archiving is likely to arrive in Android 15 later this year.
Last month, certified Android ace Mishaal Rahman shared evidence of an in-development app archiving feature. Presumably aimed at Android 15 stable, app archiving allows you to save storage space by freeing up most of the unused app while retaining your user data, allowing for a smooth transition if you decide to reinstall it. Today, again via Android Authority, Mishaal shared a closer look at how the process will work. It looks like you’ll have options to archive apps on demand or have your phone do it automatically, and the whole system relies on what Google calls archived APKs.
On today’s Android, when you uninstall an app, all associated data is deleted from your device along with the app itself. Depending on the type of app, this can mean the loss of locally stored files or media, and any app that relies on user accounts will require your credentials again if you download it again later.
In contrast, archiving an app uninstalls the actual app but keeps your user data on your device. It’s kind of like how you can uninstall video games from consoles or PCs without losing your local save files. Along with all your personal app information, what’s left behind is an “archived APK”, which is more or less just a link in your app drawer to re-download the app from the Play Store.
Archiving might be great for apps you only need occasionally
It could arrive on select phones later this year
The vast majority of storage taken up by most Android apps and games is from the app itself; in most cases, your specific data is only a small fraction of the storage used by any application. In his article for Android Authority, Mishaal said he tested app archiving using the Uber app on the Pixel 8 Pro.
Before Uber was archived, Mishaal says, the app took up 387 megabytes of storage space on his phone. After the application was archived, that space shrunk to about 18 megabytes — a huge savings. After reinstalling the entire application, Mishaal was already logged in and ready to go, as if nothing had happened.
It seems likely that we’ll see app archiving in the Android 15 stable release
The feature will be killer for apps that you need occasionally, but not often enough to install all the time. Assuming you have a fast connection, reinstalling the archived app should only take a few seconds and everything should be right where you left it when the app was archived. When you’re done, you can archive it again, knowing that your data will be intact the next time you download the app again.
Mishaal notes that unlike iOS’s system-level app download feature, the ongoing version of Android app archiving is actually a Play Store feature. This means that apps installed from other stores, such as the Samsung Galaxy Store, will not have the same backup and restore functionality.
Although Mishaal was able to get the app archiver running in the latest Android 14 QPR beta, it took some tinkering. Google hasn’t announced anything yet, but with the current implementation apparently feasible, it seems likely that we’ll see app archiving in the stable release of Android 15, which we expect to hit Pixel phones this fall.
When will my phone get Android 15?
For now, all you can do is wait patiently