Google recently introduced the ability to download up to three apps at a time from the Google Play Store. We’re excited about this feature, but it looks like another download feature is coming to the app market. A search of Google Play Store (version 43.5.26-31) reveals that Google is working on a new feature called Smart Resume, which appears to allow users to resume previously canceled app or game downloads. One of these code snippets suggests that previously canceled app or game downloads can be resumed through notifications.
Note that Play Store saves downloaded app files to a temporary directory before installing them. These temporary files are deleted after the app is installed or after the app download is cancelled. However, the third snippet above suggests that Smart Resume keeps these temporary files. The files are expected to be kept for up to 24 hours after the app download is cancelled. Also, the feature appears to work with apps up to 2GB in size, but requires at least 5GB of free space.
Either way, if you’ve cancelled app downloads due to concerns about mobile data usage, or are in an area with poor internet connectivity (e.g. rural areas, airplanes), this can be a useful addition. This effectively pauses the download until you reach a location with a better internet connection.
