By While modern phones have more storage than ever before, a large library of apps can still consume a significant amount of data on your device. Android recently added the ability to automatically “archive” apps that aren’t being used frequently, and that functionality is now easily accessible to all users.
Auto-archive on Android initially appeared on the Play Store in April 2023, allowing users to dump Android apps they aren’t actively using to make room for new app installs and updates. It’s a clever function, but it was previously only available if your phone ran out of storage space.
This feature would display for customers who had run out or were on the verge of running out, of storage space on their Android phones. The Play Store would then urge customers to enable auto-archive, which was the only option to enable the feature.
AssembleDebug reports that Google is now rolling out the ability to enable auto-archive for Android apps regardless of storage capacity. A new feature in the Play Store allows users to preemptively enable auto-archive, ensuring that they never run out of storage when installing new apps.
According to Google, auto-archive will still only activate if your device is short on storage, so even if you switch it on with plenty of space, apps won’t be offloaded until you run out.
To enable auto-archive, enter the Play Store, tap your profile picture, select settings, and then select “Automatically archive apps” under the “General section.”
When your phone starts archiving apps, you’ll notice them in your app library in the Play Store under an “archived” filter.
Views: 465
