At the beginning of 2022 Google announced the function automatic archiving of the Play Store, which allows you to save space by (precisely) automatically archiving apps rarely used, if the memory space is running out. It’s a shame that this feature has had some failures so far major limitations: first of all it is automatic, that is, the user cannot in any way force it at will or choose which apps it should act on, furthermore it is limited to the apps installed from the Play Store, so all the others are excluded. Fortunately, however, things could change with Android 15.
As discovered by Mishaal Rahman, in the Android 14 QPR code there are clear references to the possibility that archiving can be activated at the user’s discretion, on any app on the device, directly in the information page of each app. Mishaal also managed to activate it, at least partly because anyway still incompletethus giving us the opportunity to see it in action.
Considering the particularity of the function, which still requires intervention by the developers, it is unlikely that this will arrive with Android 14, which is why it is more likely that we will have to wait for the next major release of the operating system.
Look at the original file
Look at the original file
Look at the original file
Look at the original file
As you can see, archived apps will have a for symbol above them distinguish them from the regular version, which you can restore by pressing the restore button. Unused apps will be archived automaticallyif you select the appropriate option on the app info page.
We remind you that the developers of the app must have foreseen this possibility in the code of the same, which in fact creates an “essential” APK of the app, which will in fact occupy very little space because it lacks most of the app’s data, except for those used to restore it to its original state in the event of a user request. Ultimately it is a clever way to save space, without completely uninstalling the app, and therefore without having to configure it from scratch in case you want to use it again in the future.
