Good news for Android users, Google is finally rolling out the ability to download multiple apps from the Play Store simultaneously, which has been awaited for a very long time now.
Until now, the Google Play Store only allowed you to download one app at a time. Additional apps waiting to download had to wait patiently for their turn. This is no longer the case. The new feature, which appears to be enabled for most users, Allows you to download up to two apps at the same time.
The ability to download multiple apps was first spotted by the team at 9to5Google, who noticed that the feature was available in the latest Play Store app version 40.6.31. On compatible devices, users can now start downloading two different applications simultaneously.
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Applications are downloaded two by two on Android
Any third application selected for installation will appear as “pending” until one of the two initial downloads is complete. The rollout appears to still be ongoing, with some users reporting that they have not yet received the update on their Android version or device.
It’s worth noting that, at least for now, this support for parallel downloads is limited to new app installations. Attempts to update multiple already installed apps will still follow the traditional one-by-one process, with updates queued in order. However, it seems that the groundwork is laid for Google to eventually extend this capability to app updates.
The ability to download multiple apps simultaneously has been a long-requested feature among the Android community. Google was even spotted working on supporting five simultaneous downloads on the Play Store in 2019, before shelving that.
Although this latest version does not allow only two parallel downloads, this is a step in the right direction towards a smoother app download experience on Android. Users could therefore save valuable time each time they install a large number of applications, especially when purchasing a new smartphone.