One of the recent updates for GmsCore — a Google Play Services Framework implementation — ships with the option of pausing over-the-air (OTA) updates, some users have noticed. The functionality was initially spotted on Saturday, with first sightings being attributed to the new update for the second developer preview of Android O, though that notion was promptly dispelled by a Google engineer Elliott Hughes who took to Google+ to clarify that the feature is integrated into GmsCore. The ability to pause and resume Android system updates also wasn’t introduced with the latest GmsCore build and was instead launched with one of the earlier versions of the service, though Hughes didn’t clarify which one.
The feature itself is available for updates of all sizes, though users likely won’t notice it unless they’re downloading larger software packages. Hughes revealed that even internal Android testers didn’t observe the functionality at first as larger updates not only became faster in the last 12 months but were also being distributed to them overnight. Finally, the same source confirmed that both paused and interrupted system updates should continue where they left off after they are resumed, noting that he has never seen any bug reports that point to the contrary. Regardless, users who are conservative with their data plans and only download software packages over Wi-Fi networks will likely find the newly introduced functionality useful.
Though it wasn’t supported by any stock variant of the operating system until now, the ability to pause and resume system updates is not a complete novelty in the world of Android as Samsung already introduced the same functionality to its proprietary user interface a while back. Still, the rollout of the new GmsCore feature will now provide more users with the same luxury and it may even signal that Google is considering adding the ability to pause Android app updates in the future. Regardless of whether the Mountain View-based tech giant decides to expand on this option or not, an update on its Android-related development efforts will likely follow soon, especially as Android O gets closer to hitting the stable channel and new Google Play Services builds are rolled out.
