If you have a superfast internet connection, you might have thought about downloading more than one Android app simultaneously on your smartphone. Google seems to be working on adding support for parallel downloads in the Google Play Store, according to TheSpAndroid.
The website found that turning on some flags in Google Play Store v40.0.13 on a rooted Android device enables the parallel install feature Google is experimenting with. However, previous reports and screenshots shared on Reddit reveal this isn"t the first time the company has thought about bringing parallel downloads to Google Play.
By default, the feature is configured to download two apps simultaneously, but you can increase that limit to five by enabling a flag. However, you can"t use it to update multiple apps at the same time, the website noted.
There is no word on when (or if) the feature will be released to the general public or whether Google will stick to the two-app download limit. Google was testing the ability to download multiple Android apps around four to five years ago, but the company might have abandoned the feature back then and never released it.
For comparison, Apple is already a few steps ahead in the game as you can download multiple apps on an iPhone. Moreover, you can update several apps at a time by tapping on the Update All button in the App Store.
Google Phone Started Showing whatsapp calls in the phone dialer app like an iPhone. @MishaalRahman @AndroidAuth @androidcentral @Android pic.twitter.com/mmahtYvcHw
— Kishore Krishna (@Kishore9196) March 6, 2024
In separate news, a user reported on X (formerly Twitter) that the Google Phone app has started showing WhatsApp call entries alongside regular call entries. Mishaal Rahman noted that "third-party calling apps could opt in to have calls logged in the system call log" since Android 9. Again, this feature is already available on the phone dialer app on iPhone.