It has usually been suggested that if you were to download an app from the app store that you do it over WiFi. This is because some apps are too big and that downloading it would eat into your data allowance if you aren’t hooked onto WiFi. The same can be said for app updates, but Google is trying to change that with some improvements they’re making to the Play Store.
Google has recently announced that they will be making improvements to the Play Store in the form of a new algorithm that will further reduce app update sizes. Google has long championed the use of delta updates, meaning that instead of downloading the entire file of the app, only the changes made to the app are downloaded and then merged with existing files.
This alone saves users quite a bit of time and data, but this new algorithm which Google is calling “bsdiff” will further reduce patch sizes by up to 50% or more compared to before, meaning that not every app’s patch will be reduced by the same amount, but it’s still an improvement all the same and one that we’re sure users will be able to appreciate anyway.
In addition to this new algorithm, Google has made the Play Store more transparent in terms of data usage. They will now show users the actual download sizes of the app, not the APK file sizes, meaning you’ll get to manage your storage better. If you already own an app, it will also show you the update size.