Google Play Store develops download manager that lists recently downloaded apps: report

According to a report, the Google Play Store may be developing a new download manager that tracks and displays recently downloaded apps on an Android device. The feature was discovered during an APK teardown of a specific app version of the Google Play Store and is intended to show Android users a list of details about the apps they have recently downloaded. When users exit the manager, apps that have been downloaded but not yet opened are reportedly highlighted.

Download the manager from the Google Play Store

According to a report by Android Authority, the download manager in the Google Play Store will automatically appear once an app installation is triggered. It was discovered after an APK teardown of Google Play Store version 42.9.16-31, which contains several strings pointing to the download manager. It also refers to sorting downloads based on installation time and scheduled time.

The report suggests that when a user opens the app mentioned in the list, it will exit and a screen will appear with the downloaded but unopened apps. Additionally, the number of apps and games downloaded will also reportedly be displayed as a badge at the top of the app details page.

The download manager in the Google Play Store was manually activated during the APK teardown and is not available to the general public. Features discovered during the above process are typically for testing by developers and there remains uncertainty about their public launch.

More new features

In the last few months, the Google Play Store has introduced several new features. This includes the ability to download up to three apps or app updates at the same time. Google also recently made a big change by stopping the generation of thick Android Application Bundles (APKs) and instead giving priority to Android App Bundle (AAB).

This potentially makes the process of sideloading apps a little more tedious as users now have to install an APK bundle installer beforehand.