App Clips is one of the latest features coming to iPhone and is designed to make it easier to access app content without having to navigate the entire app. The new iOS 14 feature was announced by Apple during its WWDC event, along with a bunch of other Apple platform-related improvements and features.
Apps are an essential part of the current smartphone experience, although accessing apps can often lead to other problems. For example, apps require the user to download them onto a device which opens up the issue of storage, app permissions, and privacy. Even when apps are installed, developers often add multiple new features and additions which can make the app more difficult to navigate, and especially when the user is looking to do one specific thing, quickly. Due to these issues, mobile operating systems have been looking at ways in which they can better utilize apps on a smartphone, even when those apps are not actually installed on a mobile device.
During the company’s developer event, Apple announced App Clips as a new way for iPhone users to access a part of an app more quickly and efficiently. Instead of having to download (or wait for a download to complete) to perform a certain action, App Clips allow for just the part of the app needed to complete a certain task to be downloaded instead. Even in cases where the app is already installed, the feature will still be available and act as a shortcut to a section of the app without the app having to be launched or navigated. App Clips will be accessible through QR codes, NFC tags, and can be shared between users as links.
A Closer Look At Apple’s New App Clips
While it might seem like Apple’s new App Clips are designed to deter users away from downloading an app, nothing could be further from the truth. Instead, this feature is designed to increase iOS app engagement. In fact, this is not something that’s exclusive to iOS, considering Android has a very similar feature called Instant Apps. In principle, both work the same way by making it easier to surface apps in front of the user, and for mobile users to actually complete a task or transaction using the app. Some of the examples Apple gave as tasks that can be completed with App Clips included, renting a scooter or purchasing a coffee. Furthermore, for those don’t have the app installed already, this could prove to be a gateway action to encouraging the user to download the app.
iPhone owners should probably not expect this to be a radical change to their daily phone experience, and certainly not in the short-term. If anything, it appears to be more of an extension of the use of Apple Pay, with iPhone users able to quickly and easily pay, rent, or purchase something from a service or business without having to focus on the actual corresponding app. A move that’s likely going to not only be beneficial to services and iPhone users, but Apple as well.
Source: Apple
