I/O 2016: What are Android Instant Apps?

At I/O today, Google announced Android Instant Apps, a way to use an app without installing it on your phone.

Android Instant Apps is the easiest way to make people use Android apps that they don't have installed on their phones. With deep-linking, Google will be able to pull a particular module/part of an app from the Play Store that is needed.

Say there is a sale on Amazon for the Nexus 6P, so as soon as you tap on the link to take to take you to the mobile website, instead with deep-linking the particular listing from the Amazon app would open up alongwith the checkout module allowing you to pay directly. Google Also showed off Android Pay integration with Instant Apps which was seamless and you won't have to enter your card information, address everytime you need to pay for something.

But Instant Apps needs developer participation, and later this year devs will be able to modularize their apps to make use of the feature. Moreover, Instant Apps would work with smartphones running Android Jelly Bean 4.1 or up. At present Google is working with a close set of developers and this would be later rolled out to more with Instant Apps showing up by the end of the year.