Edgar Cervantes / Android Authority
TL;DR
- Google is starting to roll out an auto-open toggle for when you download apps.
- When enabled, the app you’re downloading will open automatically.
- You will receive a notification with a five-second countdown before the app opens, giving you a chance to cancel.
Google has long been working on a feature for the Play Store that automatically opens apps after they are downloaded. This feature was first spotted in one of our APK teardowns in September of last year. We then caught it again in June and shared a screenshot of it in action. Now the feature is finally starting to roll out widely.
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Some Android phone users are starting to see the auto-open feature live on the Google Play Store. 9to5Google also reports that they have spotted the feature on their Galaxy Z Fold 7 and slightly outdated Pixel 9 Pro XL. However, the Pixel 9 Pro XL appears to use a different UI for the same feature.
When you download an app, the auto-open feature will appear as a toggle below the installation progress bar. This toggle is set to off by default, so you’ll need to enable the feature if you want your phone to open the app for you. Once the app is installed, it won’t open immediately. Instead, you’ll receive a notification with a five-second countdown, warning you that the app is about to open. This gives you a chance to cancel the process if you’re busy doing something else.
Such a feature could come in handy if a download is taking a long time. It would allow you to do something else until the app is ready for you to jump in.
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