This new Android 16 feature might give a big performance boost to older phones - here's how

Kerry Wan/ZDNET

Android 16, which might arrive as early as June, should bring a number of exciting changes and upgrades when it debuts -- but one upgrade is specifically designed to give older phones a boost when installing new apps. 

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Google calls the new feature cloud compilation. Android Authority, who first discovered this trick in the code for an Android 16 beta, dives into the technical specifics of the new feature, but here's how it works in short.  

When you install an app, your phone processes parts of the code (artifact files) to ensure the app runs properly. This can take some time, especially on an older device with a less powerful processor. With cloud compilation in Android 16, you'll get the app and the processed artifacts all at once. 

This makes for a larger file size, but it also makes for a shorter installation time. New or flagship phones might not notice much of a difference, but the change should be noticeable on older or lower end ones, especially on larger games or apps. 

Since this increases the data you need to download, this might not be a great option if you have a slower than usual internet connection or you're concerned about data caps. 

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The feature isn't live yet, Android Authority explains, because Google likely needs a little more time to set up the Play Store to properly generate these artifacts instead of just the installation files. 

We don't know a lot about what's on the way with Android 16, but Google has revealed a little. We know that Live Updates, a new  style of notification in on the way, along with improvements to Google Wallet, support for advanced video codecs, camera software upgrades, new health monitoring tools, and more.

It's likely we'll learn more about Android 16 at next month's Google I/O.