Have you ever downloaded an app from the Google Play Store, and cancelled it because you realised you were on limited mobile data? Or simply your current download speeds are too slow? if either of this applies to you, then there’s a pretty niche form of good news. If you need to cancel an app download but intend to resume it later, the Play Store will soon allow for the partially downloaded data to be retained for awhile.
Android Authority reports that it has seen code within the APK of the Google Play Store – specifically version 43.5.26-31 – that hints at such a function. It’s called Smart Resume, and the report notes that “you’ll be able to resume app / game downloads that were previously cancelled via a notification”.
The way this is done is via the way the Google Play Store handles downloads. App data is stored in a temporary directory before being installed. This data is normally deleted after installation is complete, or when its download is cancelled. The report notes that what Smart Resume does is holding on to the partially downloaded data for 24 hours rather than immediately purging it. This feature works for apps up to 2GB ins ize, but it would need at least 5GB of free space to start.
All this means that you can effectively pause your Google Play Store downloads by cancelling it, as long as you retry within 24 hours, before the cached data is wiped. All that being said, there’s no indication as to when this Smart Resume feature will actually be rolled out.
(Source: Android Authority)
