You Can Now Archive Unused Apps On Android: Here's How

Are you tired of unused apps draining the battery and processing on your Android smartphone? Google has a feature that automatically archives your least-used apps, reducing their impact on storage by 60%.

No, don't worry - archived apps will not be removed from your smartphone and will still appear in your app drawer. Once your apps are archived and you try to open them, these apps will reinstall almost immediately and retain all of your original user data.

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How to turn on "automatically archive apps"

The "automatically archive apps" first showed up in April of 2023, but it only became accessible when a user was attempting to install an app with insufficient storage.

Now, you can enable the setting at any time. To turn the "automatically archive apps" on, open the Google Play Store and tap the Menu icon on the left side of the search bar. Head over to Settings and click on General.

Here, you should be able to see the "automatically archive apps" option at the bottom of your screen. If you don't see it yet, the feature may not be available on your device yet.

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Also read: How To Transfer Files From An Android Phone To Your MacBook

Google's rollout of the "automatically archive apps" setting was first spotted by a member of Mishaal Rahman's Discord server. It was later shared by Rahman on X (formerly Twitter), HowToGeek reported.

Google Play seems to be rolling out an "automatically archive apps" toggle for more people. This feature, when enabled, will free up space when your storage runs low by automatically archiving apps you rarely use.

Previously, to opt into app archiving, you had to attempt to¡­ pic.twitter.com/gTb1sZRokg

¡ª Mishaal Rahman (@MishaalRahman) September 16, 2023

Rahman explained how archival works on Android, by relying on the new Android App Bundle system. This way, the app size is reduced by providing device-specific APKs to users instead of forcing users to download multiple APKs.

Also read: Are Images And Clips Uploading In Bad Quality On Instagram? Here's How To Fix It

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Apps not published as Android App Bundles cannot be archived. However, now all apps are required to follow the App Bundle system. This way, you can save storage space on your Android smartphone - although this is a rare happening on Android devices, with many still offering external storage.

What do you think about this archive setting? Let us know in the comments below. For more in the world of technology and science, keep reading Indiatimes.com.