Where does Google Play Store downloaded files?
The Google Play Store is the official app store for Android-based devices. It allows users to browse, download and install apps that are developed either by Google or third-party developers. In this article, we will take a closer look at where the Google Play Store downloads apps and other files onto Android devices.
App Packages
Apps downloaded from the Google Play Store are distributed as APK files. APK stands for Android Package Kit and is the file format used to distribute apps for Android. The APK package contains all of the app’s code, resources, assets, and manifest file. It allows the app to be installed on an Android device.
When you download an app from the Play Store, you are downloading the APK file for that app. This single package file contains everything the app needs in order to run on your device. After downloading, the Play Store handles the installation of the APK file on your device.
One advantage of the APK packaging system is that it allows the app file to be easily distributed outside of the Play Store. APK files can be installed directly on devices by enabling a setting to allow installation from “Unknown sources.” However, installing APKs directly comes with security risks and bypassing the Play Store is not recommended.
Sources:
https://www.apkmirror.com/apk/google-inc/google-play-store/
Internal Storage
By default, the Google Play Store downloads apps and their associated files to the device’s internal storage. Specifically, app packages get stored in the /data/app folder on the internal storage partition (Citation: https://www.alphr.com/google-play-how-to-change-download-location/).
When an app is downloaded from the Play Store, all the components of the app get bundled into an Android package file (APK). This APK file contains the app’s code, resources, assets, certificates, and manifest file. The Play Store places the APK in the /data/app directory, which only allows apps with root access to write data to this protected folder on internal storage (Citation: https://support.google.com/googleplay/thread/3831377/how-can-i-change-my-google-play-download-path-from-internal-storage-to-micro-sd?hl=en).
So by default, without any special configuration, newly downloaded apps and updates will be saved by the Play Store to the /data/app directory on the device’s internal storage. This helps protect the app packages and ensures only the Android system can access and manage the files.
External SD Card
By default, apps downloaded from the Google Play Store are automatically saved to your phone’s internal storage. However, it is possible to set the Play Store to download apps to an external SD card instead. This can be useful if your phone has limited internal storage and you want to free up space by storing apps on a removable SD card.
To download apps directly to your SD card, first make sure you have an external SD card properly inserted and mounted. Then go into the Play Store app settings and look for the “Install location” option. Here you can choose “External” or your SD card name to set the default install location. The next time you download an app from the Play Store, it will automatically save to your external SD card rather than internal storage.
Some caveats: Not all apps support installation on external storage, so you may still see some apps continuing to install to internal storage only. Also, your phone must be rooted in order to fully move an app to external storage. Non-rooted phones can download to SD card, but some app data will still take up internal storage.
Overall, installing apps to SD card via the Play Store is a convenient way to free up valuable internal storage space on your Android phone. Just be aware of the limitations.
Managing App Storage
Users have some control over where apps are stored on Android devices and can move apps between internal storage and external SD card storage. By default, apps are installed to internal storage, but users can change this in the device settings.
To manage where apps are stored, go to Settings > Apps. Tap the menu button in the top right corner and choose “Default install location.” From here, you can choose to install new apps to either internal device storage or external SD card.
To move an already installed app, go to Settings > Apps and select the app. Tap Storage, then click the Change button to move the app between internal and external storage. Moving large apps can take some time as the data has to be redownloaded.
The ability to install apps on the SD card depends on the device model and Android version. Older Android versions restricted installing apps to internal storage only. Newer versions allow installing to SD card, but the phone must support this feature and have an external SD card installed.
Managing app storage this way allows users some flexibility over where their apps are located. For devices with limited internal storage, installing apps to an SD card can free up that precious internal space for media, files and other data. It provides more control over managing the total storage space on Android devices.
Auto-Update Settings
The Google Play Store has auto-update settings that allow users to control when and how apps get updated on their device. By default, auto-updates are enabled which means app updates will be automatically downloaded and installed over WiFi without any user action. Users can modify this default behavior via the auto-update settings.
To change auto-update settings, open the Play Store app and tap on the profile icon in the top right. Then go to Settings > Auto-update apps. Here you can toggle auto-updates on or off. There is also an option to only allow auto-updates over WiFi which prevents large downloads from using mobile data.
If auto-updates are disabled, users will have to manually trigger app updates by going to the Play Store updates tab. With auto-updates off, update files are not automatically downloaded in the background. This means the user will need to have an active internet connection to retrieve the latest update when they decide to manually update.
The auto-update settings primarily impact where and when app update files are downloaded to the device. With the default auto-update behavior, updates are silently downloaded over WiFi. Disabling auto-updates gives the user more control over managing data usage for large downloads.
Overall, the auto-update settings allow users to customize where and how Google Play app updates are delivered to their device.
Network Download
When you download an app from the Google Play Store, the app package is downloaded directly to your device’s storage over the network connection. The Play Store does not store or cache the app packages on Google’s servers. Instead, each app download is streamed from Google’s servers directly to the device requesting the download.
This means you need an active internet connection on your device in order to download apps from the Play Store. The download happens in the background even if you switch apps or lock your screen. You’ll receive a notification when the download is complete and the app is installed on your device.
Some key points about network downloading from the Play Store:
- Apps are downloaded directly to your device storage, not stored on Google servers
- An internet connection is required on your device to download apps
- Downloads continue in the background even if you switch apps
- A notification alerts you when the download and install is finished
So in summary, the Google Play Store delivers app packages straight to your device over the internet connection, not from cached copies on their servers. This allows you to quickly access the latest version of apps as soon as they are published.
Caching on Google Servers
When you download an app from the Google Play Store, the app package is temporarily cached on Google’s servers before being sent to your device. This caching helps improve download speeds and availability. According to a Reddit thread, “Google Play Store caches app packages on servers globally to provide fast, reliable downloads across regions” (https://www.reddit.com/r/sysadmin/comments/17pwlba/google_play_store_app_cache_server/).
The Google Play Store servers will hold a cached copy of the app package as it is transmitted to your device. If the download is interrupted, it can resume from Google’s cached copy instead of starting over. This cache also allows Google to distribute the same app package efficiently to multiple users downloading it around the same time. Overall, the caching servers help ensure a smooth, fast, and reliable app download experience through the Google Play Store.
Security
Google Play Store employs various security measures to protect app packages downloaded from the store. When an app developer uploads an app to the Play Store, the app package must be digitally signed with a certificate before it can be published. This process is called app signing and helps ensure the authenticity and integrity of the app package. As stated by Google, “App signing lets you publish updates signed with your upload key to Google Play Store. Google Play Store will re-sign these updates with its own key before delivering them to users” (source).
In addition to app signing, another core security feature is Google Play Protect. This is a security service that scans over 100 billion apps daily across devices to check for harmful behavior and potential security risks. As Google notes, Play Protect “looks for PHAs (potentially harmful applications) on your device and warns you about any that are found. Play Protect also regularly scans your apps to make sure they’re safe” (source). By automatically scanning apps, Play Protect provides an extra layer of security against malware.
Google Play Store also provides transparency into app security and privacy practices. In the Google Play listing for each app, there is a Data safety section that outlines the information the app collects, how it’s used, whether data is shared with third parties, and other security-related information (source). This allows users to make informed decisions about the apps they choose to download.
Overall, through app signing, Play Protect scanning, and transparency in data practices, the Play Store aims to provide a secure app download experience that protects user privacy and data.
Conclusion
In summary, apps downloaded from the Google Play Store are stored in different locations depending on the type of storage available on an Android device. New app installs and updates are stored in the device’s internal storage under /Android/data and /Android/obb folders. Existing apps that are updated are stored in the same location as the original install. SD cards provide external storage, so Play Store downloads can be set to save directly to the SD card through the App info menu for each app. The Play Store caches app downloads and updates on Google’s servers, providing faster downloads if an app needs to be re-installed. Overall, the Play Store offers flexibility in managing where apps are stored, while ensuring a smooth and secure download process.