Google's bonanza for smartphone users stuck on 2G networks: Customised Google Play Store, Wait for Wi-Fi and more

Indian smartphone users stuck on internet connections that offer 2G browsing speeds now have lots to cheer about as far as downloading of apps from the Google Play Store for Android is concerned. This is due to Google officially carrying out multiple experiments to improve online experience of Indian smartphone users in a scenario dominated by low-speed data and low internet bandwidth.

Google's new experimental aspects are: a Google Play app customised for low-speed data connections. With this, Google Play will pre-load all the most popular parts that users frequent on the Google Play Store. This process makes browsing faster apart from allowing relatively quicker access to the Store even when on low-speed connections.

The second of these features is the Wait for Wi-Fi which will be displayed during app installation. When Wait for Wi-Fi is selected, the app is installed when users connect to a Wi-Fi network only. Preferring to go online through the data pack would not do the trick here. Google says that, with this feature, users will be able to save data and overall internet costs.

Finally, Google has stated that via a new update users will be able to save as much as 67% data while watching MP4 videos when connected to a 2G network. Also, Chrome on Android will automatically optimize pages to their essentials when 2G-like networks are detected. These simplified pages load upto 2X faster, saving more than 90% of user data.