Google Play Store now lets you download two apps simultaneously: What this means for you

Remember the last time you bought an Android smartphone, and were setting it up? Well, you may remember that Play Store only allowed you to download one app at a time. This was more than a minor annoyance, to say the least. Well, Google has finally come up with a fix of sorts for it.

Simultaneous app downloads on Play Store: What you need to know

Google Play Store now allows you to download two apps simultaneously. Earlier if you chose to download more than one at a time, the app would push other download requests to a queue.

In the meanwhile, alternative app stores such as those from Samsung, Xiaomi, and Oppo allowed simultaneous downloads. Competitor Apple’s App Store, for reference, also currently allows for up to three downloads at once.

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For now, the number is still capped at only two downloads at a time. The rest are moved to a download queue. Secondly, it applies only to fresh app downloads, and not updates.

Reports do suggest that Google is planning to bring the feature for updates as well though, since you tend to do the latter more than the former, after you’ve set your smartphone up.

How to update Play Store to access the feature

The new feature to simultaneously download apps has already begun to widely roll out to Android smartphone users globally. To access the same, ensure Google Play Store on your phone is updated to version 40.6.31 or later.

To check if you have it, and to update Play Store on your phone, open the app, click on your profile picture in the trop right corner. Here, tap on Settings -> About, to see which version you have. To update it, find the button on the bottom, and tap on it.

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While it may not seem like a huge change, it can significantly cut down on the amount of time required to set your phone up, and allow you to access multiple apps together, quicker than earlier as well, as and when required.