What are App Clips and Instant Apps?

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At WWDC 2020, Apple rolled out App Clips for iOS. We explain what that — as well as Android Instant Apps — is.

A few days ago, at its worldwide developer conference (WWDC 2020, held in full virtual mode because of the coronavirus outbreak), Apple unveiled the next version of iOS. One of its innovations is App Clips, mini apps that can begin running on the device without having to be installed.

Apple requires these programs to be no more than 10MB so they can load and run instantly. If the app seems useful, the user will have the option to download the full version at any time and switch to it.

In addition, Apple recommends that App Clips be used in conjunction with the Sign In with Apple feature and, of course, Apple Pay. This eliminates another two painful stages preventing people from starting using apps quickly: registration and entering payment data.

Why App Clips?

Apple provided some practical examples of how App Clips could prove useful. Say you’re walking down the street, see an electric scooter, and decide to rent it.

Before App Clips, that would have involved downloading and installing an app, registering, and linking it to a payment card. Then you might face a wait while the rental system carried out the necessary checks.

However chic the scooter, its appeal fades in the face of such virtual red tape.

In the shiny new world of App Clips, it should all be a breeze. You scan the graphic code or NFC tag with your smartphone; the mini app starts instantly; you log in through Sign In with Apple, pay the fee through Apple Pay, and scoot off into the sunset.

The graphic code or NFC tag is designed to simplify user interaction with physical objects in the real world, like the aforementioned scooter or a billboard. Links perform an analogous role in the virtual world.

For another example, say you search for home food delivery. You see an ad in the results and click on it. With App Clips, the corresponding mini app starts instantly, and you can use it to select a tasty-looking meal, pay with Apple Pay, and just wait for the delivery.

A third example: More and more cities worldwide are introducing app-based parking payment, but at the same time, traditional parking meters (not to mention staffed payment booths) are expensive and becoming obsolete.

But occasional or one-time city visitors are unlikely to waste time searching and installing — and registering with, and linking a credit card to — a local parking app. Here again, mini apps can come to the rescue. You run the app instantly, use Apple Pay to pay for parking, and go about your business.
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