Android O Users Will Be Able Pause and Resume System Updates

It seems like folks at Google have finally provided a solution for a long-standing issue with the platform as the search giant has now added the option to pause system updates with Android O's second developer preview. This means that if you have to download an extremely large update and head out of your home, meaning away from Wi-Fi connectivity, you can choose to pause the update and resume it later as per your convenience.

After the feature was initially spotted by Android Police, Elliott Hughes, an engineer at Google, clarified that this feature is not just limited to large downloads but also works for the smaller downloads on Android O. However, Hughes also mentioned that it might be difficult for users to notice this feature while downloading smaller files. The ability to pause system updates was added with a Google Play Services update but the version number is still unclear, as per the Android Police report.

Hughes said that the downloaded parts of interrupted downloads should not be required to be downloaded again and should resume from where they left off. "The situation of being 'stuck in a whole loop of re-downloading the same portion of the update every night' shouldn't ever have been the case: an interrupted download should always have picked up from where it left off. (And I don't remember seeing any bug reports to the contrary!)" Hughes said.

Addressing real world issues that are faced by users on daily basis should be an integral part of platform development and this step from the company to improve Android O definitely seems to be in right direction.