Android Instant Apps are now available for limited testing

Android’s Instant Apps were one of the most interesting things Google announced at its I/O developer conference last year, and now they’re making their first steps into the wild. Google said yesterday that it was running a limited test of the technology — which can load up a bitesize version of an app without needing users to install it — for Android users ahead of a wider rollout.

BuzzFeed, Periscope, Viki, and Wish are among the handful of apps included in this early trial, but Google says that it will be able to “expand the experience” once it gets more feedback from users. Instant Apps will come into play whenever Android users click a link with an associated app they haven’t already downloaded onto their phone, but it’s not exactly clear how widespread this initial test will be, nor when exactly Google plans to widen the trial.

Further down the line, Google says developers interested in the system will need to update their software with Instant App functionality, then “modularize” it so a small segment can be downloaded and run on the fly. The SDK for such an update isn’t available yet, but Google points out some important steps developers can take already, starting with trimming their apps down and supporting URL-based navigation.