Last weekend, it was reported that the Google Play Store now allows Android users to install or update three apps and games at once. However, upon further investigation, it appears that the Play Store can actually handle up to four simultaneous installs or updates.
This finding occurred while installing apps and games on an iQOO Z9s Pro in India. The folks at GSMArena discovered this with Google Play Store version 42.4.22-31.[0][PR]663941805 It was possible to handle 4 app installations. With over a dozen apps and games queued for installation, the Play Store was able to download up to four apps at a time. However, the remaining apps showed the normal “Pending” status.
Google Play Store Starts Allowing Users to Install/Update Four Apps at Once
This functionality applies to both new app installations and updates to existing apps and games.
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While this may sound really exciting for users who tend to configure their smartphones frequently, it is not widely available. It seems that Google is selectively rolling out the update on the server side. So far, most Android devices in India still support only three simultaneous app or game downloads. It remains unclear whether Google will expand the ability to allow four simultaneous downloads across devices or retain the current limit. Interestingly, it is in line with the App Store’s download capacity for iOS users.
This change may not significantly impact Android users who have automatic app updates enabled in the Play Store (a setting that’s on by default) or users on slower networks or devices with slower storage. However, users who frequently manually update apps or set up new devices may find this feature particularly useful. If you’re a custom ROM installer like me, you’ll likely find this new feature a big plus.
We’ll continue to follow the thread to see if Google expands support for this. It’s an interesting addition that should make the process of installing apps and configuring new devices much faster.