They seem to be too big for what devs claim to be a ‘minor patch’ and yet too small to suggest a complete reinstallation of the app. Is there some technical reason behind it? I would like to request an ELI5 for this.

    • ono
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      1 year ago

      App stores and their systems don’t usually have the ability to deploy diffs

      Google Play has had this ability for over a decade. They call it smart updates, though the general idea is often called delta updates. Apple has the ability, too, though I don’t know when they started.

      • @abhibeckert
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        1 year ago

        I don’t know when they started.

        Apple added delta updates eleven years ago. How well it works depends on how the app is structured though.

        Even the initial install doesn’t give you the full app. They strip out resources that are for other CPU architectures, older OS versions, other languages, other screen sizes, etc.