The Google Play Store can finally update multiple apps at the same time

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The Google Play Store is probably the most trusted repository for Android apps.

The Google Play Store is probably the most trusted repository for Android apps. However, it has several limitations ranging from occasional malware-laced app uploads you can avoid if you're careful, to functional irritants like ads and app promotion carousels littered across the UI. One of the biggest complaints from users over the years has been the Play Store's sheer inability to update multiple apps simultaneously. It appears Google is finally fixing this limitation.

In April this year, Google gave everyone the ability to concurrently install multiple new apps they discovered on the Play Store. It might not seem like a big deal until you have to set up a new phone and install all the apps all over again, or just download multiple larger apps tied to working together. However, most Android users may not install new apps nearly as frequently as they would need to update the ones they have already installed on their devices.

Unfortunately, the Play Store only starts the next app update download after the current one has been installed. However, we reported on parallel download testing for updates even before that, in March this year, with reports dating as far back as 2019 as well. Several AP contributors, including founder Artem Russakovskii, recently found this capability rolling out to a wider audience recently (via 9to5Google).

With hundreds of apps installed on most Android devices, support for concurrent downloads is certainly appreciated. 9to5 reports you can update three apps at once, which is just as many as the Apple App Store permits as well. On the bright side, this limit also applies to new app installs, of which you can only perform two simultaneous tasks.

The feature's visibility across multiple devices and user accounts suggests it is rolling out as a server-side change on a large scale, and you might not need to wait too long either. There's no telling when exactly this feature will be available on your device, though. We just hope it isn't a short-term test at scale.

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