On 18 May, Google announced at its I/O developers conference and on the Android developer’s blog that it was launching Android Instant Apps – the ability to stream apps without them being downloaded to a device – and, in doing so, potentially completely changed the course of app development. 

ExchangeWire were keen to delve into this transformational move, seeking expert opinions from industry leaders. 

According to Google, developers have been crying out for the ability to be able to “bring users into their apps more quickly and easily”. So, developers can broaden the reach of app usage by allowing users to access them quickly and easily; and users can access content without being diverted to the Play Store and waiting impatiently while the app downloads.

According to Jason Cooper, general manager mobile, Integral Ad Science, Instant Apps address the need to reduce app-install friction: “Instant Apps could be a game changer for mobile advertisers, as not only does it remove a ton of friction in the traditional app install process, it also makes developing and deploying apps easier and faster – this includes the ability to monetise them.”

“Accessibility”, claims Yasser Hussain, co-founder, Mapp Media, “should encourage users to engage much more with instant apps, as opposed to mobile web, and allow developers to easily redesign and update Android apps.”

Android Instant Apps would effectively allow simultaneous and seamless browsing across mobile web and apps, bringing the two rather separate worlds together. As Maggie Mesa, vice president of mobile business development, OpenX points out, app developers can “provide their users with the opportunity to access their content in a more native experience”.

If any company were to launch such a product, Google would be the obvious choice. Whereas Apple are the app evangelists, the web is a hugely important commodity for Google. However, according to data from Nielsen, via Smart Insights, 89% of consumer time spent on media is within mobile apps – not really how Google would want its users to be spending their time. By opening up apps to be consumed as quickly and easily as a web page, Google are encouraging Android users to remain within the mobile web environment, while continuing to enjoy the app experience users have come to know and love.

“The fact that Google is trying to make that experience more like the web, without compromising the superiority of the native app experience over mobile web, reinforces the fact that the app ecosystem is a far more important touch point between users and publishers than the mobile web; a fact which is only going to expand further over time”, argues David Kurtz, chief product officer, Opera Mediaworks.

From a user perspective, it should feel no different from clicking on a link to a webpage, and it should also negate the ‘dormant app syndrome’, where apps are downloaded and left taking up valuable space on mobile devices, yet never getting used. According to Apple’s WWDC 2015 keynote, the average user has 119 apps – numbers for Android devices couldn’t be sourced, but there’s no reason to believe that Android app ownership is any different from iOS. “From a user perspective”, confirms Noelia Amoedo, CEO, Mediasmart, “the format [of Instant Apps] is strongly aligned with the usage data we’re seeing. Few apps are used every day, despite the number of downloaded apps being huge, and consumers are also reluctant to have apps installed on their phones that they rarely use”.

‘Measurement’ is a term on many peoples’ lips since Google’s announcement. We exist in an environment where measuring app downloads is a common key metric for success, with very few mobile advertisers caring about what happens beyond that. This leads to questions raised about the quality of app installs being generated and the potential for dodgy dealings in an effort to achieve this basic advertiser KPI, as well as the impact this form of measurement has on user experience.

Noelia Amoedo, CEO, Mediasmart hopes that it will encourage marketers to focus on actual engagement, rather than just installs: “Today’s campaigns that promote engagement with apps offer a sub-par experience for users who already have the app installed. For those who don’t, the experience is even worse: the customer must install the app and then remember to open it later. In a marketing campaign, this destroys user engagement. So, Instant Apps will provide a compelling remedy. It is definitely a positive step, even if there’s still a lot to do in this area.”

Andrew Dubatowka, senior director, strategy & solutions, Opera Mediaworks agrees, thinking it will shift some of the focus from pushing users to install an app and move to disseminating these instant-app experiences, getting people to dip their toes in the water and try it – which then, hopefully, will lead to the install outcome, only perhaps with a stickier result. Beyond that, Dubatowka conceives that Instant Apps will open up ad spend in mobile advertising, as it provides an entirely new KPI for marketers. “Instead of tracking full app downloads from the app stores, they can look at how many Instant App uses they received and be able to benchmark against that. Furthermore, imagine a new tactic where marketers retarget users who have engaged with their Instant App to push them to the full install phase.”

This won’t just positively affect app developers/advertisers looking to drive app installs and subsequent user engagement from a holistic marketing perspective; it could also help tie together the in-app ad experience and subsequent user action. “Right now”, explains Dubatowka, “most in-app ads tap through to a mobile web landing page where a user may convert in some way: watch a video, browse product pages, fill out a form. Or, in many instances, the user doesn’t tap the mobile ad at all and instead visits the mobile page later via search. Because the browser doesn’t ‘see’ the mobile user’s ad identifier, it’s hard to connect that conversion action back to the ad impression.” He maintains that Instant Apps will close that loop and the challenges of tying mobile web and in-app tracking together, as the Instant App should be able to capture the user’s ad ID like any other app. “This will create a more accurate and efficient mobile-ad economy, filling the void created by the lack of consistent cookie compatibility in mobile.”

The ability to give users instant access to the portion of an app that is most relevant to them at that time could also have huge implications on the success of m-commerce. With the ability for Instant Apps to be integrated with Google Pay, users can quickly and easily pay for a product or service on their mobile devices, boosting m-commerce revenue for brands. Picture the scene: I’m on a train and I search on Google for a pair of shoes. The link I click takes me directly into the app, where I can complete my purchase with my pre-saved credit card details in my Google Pay account. I am significantly more likely to buy there and then, rather than waiting until I get home to dig out my card details, by which point I may have lost interest. “Users who are put off mobile web because of time and security issues will be much more comfortable using an in-app experience and paying with their Google account.”, confirms Yasser Hussain, co-founder, Mapp Media.

It offers up some interesting thoughts: there are many ecommerce advertisers who haven’t developed apps or fully functional mobile sites and don’t believe that m-commerce should (or could) be a focus for them – this might typically refer to big ticket items or purchases that require research and planning. However, if their customers could complete their purchases safely on mobile just by clicking on a link and using their Google Pay account, could this open up a whole new set of doors for advertisers who are currently treading carefully in the mobile space?

Furthermore, it could open up more changes to mobile advertising. In paid search, for instance, will Google adjust its quality score algorithm to reward search advertisers linking to Instant Apps over mobile web pages? Could that cause a flurry of new apps being developed to take advantage of this? Are Google playing their part in pushing the industry to focus on device IDs and people-based marketing, moving further away from the reign of the cookie? Google have been banging the mobile drum for a very long time now, to the point where it has become white noise to many advertisers. This could well be an incredibly shrewd tactic to force advertisers into submission – after all, what better way to get an advertiser to sit up and take notice than forcing a change that could affect their bottom line?

Some question the ability to roll Instant Apps out across all app categories. “Instant Apps”, argues Ryan Griffin, SVP, strategy, Opera Mediaworks, “are not universally applicable. One would never really want to access part of’ a game, for instance”. True, but a smart gaming advertiser could use that limitation to its advantage, giving users access to a number of levels ‘instantly’ and encouraging them to download the full app on a reward-based model – download now for five free lives, for example. Endless possibilities.

Maggie Mesa, vice president of mobile business development, OpenX has concerns that users may not appreciate an inexorable popup prompting an instant in-app experience on mobile web and thinks it may take some getting used to. “I'm curious to see how users respond to what appears to be an automatic, and arguably more innate, mobile/app experience.”

In any case, Google have broken all the rules of mobile.

“With this”, says Yasser Hussain, co-founder, Mapp Media, “Google really are stepping up the app search war against Apple App Store and Safari in a big way”.

Ryan Griffin, SVP, strategy, Opera MediaWorks is fascinated: “Google just added an entirely new dimension to the way that designers and developers think about mobile experiences. The idea of grabbing contextually relevant portions of an app experience ‘as you need them’ is truly transformational.”

After their trials with partners, such as BuzzFeed, Hotel Tonight, and Disney are complete, we will all be waiting with baited breath to see how this plays out. Apple, it’s over to you.