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The Best Feature Of Google's Android N Is Probably Instant Apps

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At a recent dinner in a Hong Kong sushi joint I was asked by the restaurant's manager if I wanted 15 percent off the bill. The catch was that I had to download some Hong Kong-made restaurant loyalty program app. These type of apps are quite common, and foodies probably love stocking up on them. But a foodie I am not. What I am is a gadget geek who likes to control every aspect of his phone, and the thought of downloading a fluff app that takes up precious real estate space on my LG G5's home screen didn't excite me (especially since the phone doesn't ship with an app drawer). But alas, my frugality overrode my gadget snobbery, and I sacrificed my phone's immaculateness to shave a few bucks off the bill.

It's good to know that come this fall, Google will fix that little first world problem for us tech geeks. The Android N, Google's newest version of its mobile software system, will come jampacked with new features, some of which are quite exciting. There's the dedicated VR platform that could make the still-niche tech more accessible for everyone (I'll write more on this in a later post); split-screen mode to run two apps at once for true multi-tasking; Doze-on-the-go for better battery management; and improved notification shade that lets users respond to messages directly from the panel without opening an app.

But the most useful new function might just be "Instant Apps." This feature allows users to quickly "stream" parts of an app without downloading the thing. So for example, in my restaurant case: instead of having to download the app from the Google Play store, then back out to my home screen to open the app, then sign up, etc, I could click on a link provided by the restaurant and immediately go to a pop-up page that is part of the app and sign up there.

At its recent I/O developer conference, Google showed off the function with a Buzzfeed video -- a click at a link immediately took the phone to a video played within the Buzzfeed app, even though the phone doesn't have the full app installed. They pop up really fast, too. Not quite "instant" as Google markets, but just a few seconds.

Imagine the possibilities. Let's say you're at the airport about to board a flight and you want to pull up your e-ticket. You could in theory click on a link in your email  and have an e-ticket app pop up, without having to already have the app installed on your phone. Or if you don't use Facebook but want to open a Facebook fanpage without dealing with its terrible mobile web layout or downloading the app -- it'll only take a click and two seconds. Of course, app developers have to build this feature into their apps -- they basically have to modularize their apps into little bits that each offer a specific function -- and it could take a bit of time before it's widely used. But it will happen -- especially from big companies who want as many people using their services as possible.

Exciting times ahead, especially if you're a cheapskate like me who wants membership rewards but not the app that comes with it.