Google starts rolling out auto-archive feature to Android users: Here’s how it works

If you want to use the app again, just tap on it and Android will automatically re-download the archived parts from the Google Play Store and let users resume from where they left off.

Here’s how the Android auto-archive feature pop up looks like. (Image Source: Android developer website)

The new feature is useful for people who end up installing several apps but many of them remain unused for a long time or devices that do not have much storage space.

A recent blog post on the Android website suggests that users will get a prompt to opt into auto-archive when they try to install a new app when the device is almost out of storage, with a pop-up window asking them if they want to enable the feature. When enabled, unused apps will be archived to create enough storage space for the new app to install.

One thing to note here is that the new feature is only available on apps that are published in the App Bundle format and that one can opt-out anytime from Google Play Store settings.