I'm not sure how does this working with say for example - hibernating an app so it doesn't start itself on background (or is accidentally started) and it's temporary 'dead for good' until user decide to allow the app again.
The hibernation should be enabled - present as the option in app details - only for apps installed with an app store, that being so far Accrescent and or GPlay.
Now I have therefore (in general) apps, depending how installed, with one or both options.
As there are these two option that could fit this purpose. And so for a showcase after reading few posts here I chose to use Signal and Molly. Easiest for me to illustrate this and try it for real.
It's because Molly is from Accrescent and Signal can be installed with Obtainium from Signal .apk.
So I don't need to install GPlay.
And can see both options in action as they are the apps made for online connection (unlike AppVerifier or maps).
And cannot decide what option is better, or the tradeoffs.
Archive: is more transparent the state of an app as user can see the app being Archived from app drawer with the cloud icon.
So don't need to go for a search into the settings for it like when Disabled in case I do not use it for a long time and forgetting that actually already have it.
But when my device is offline - if the icon is clicked on to launch the app will disappear from the app for a while and than reappears again, still Archived.
When offline, seems to me I can't bring Archived back to working state.
If device is online, upon clicking on the icon of such app will raise Accrescent notification about 'Update finished' and the app is usable and ready to go.
But unlike 'Disable' where there is no icon present, this can happen with miss click, this is avoidable with Disable.
(That is unclear to me why is there the dependency on network connection. Understood it before testing that the .apk is frozen and will be unpacked while in demand, missed the necessity of downloading it again.)
Disable: does completely remove the app icon until enabled back again from the app list in the phone settings.
Enabling app back is a bit faster than waiting for the 'Install'.
Suppose that is because, reading the Android support (support.google.com/android), it does also deleting some data, so that needs to be transmitted again if the app need some files from state in cloud.
Not sure what should I use in general. Because Archive is tricky while offline I'm with the Disable option so far.
The 'Disable' option does have almost no coverage in the google android help apart from the info it can be used to debloat the OEMs distributions from the default unwanted apps.
Also if the option is greyed out for these outside of the store installed - there is still 'Manage app if unused' - that should do the same after some time app remain unused and it's enabled to tick the option on-off.
Does that work in general despite not being in the standalone option or is it dumbed down because app originated outside of the store in phone?
In general for both: the updates are stopped until the app is alive again?
The Accrescent does not see Archived apps and offer installing them again. For Disabled, it offer enabling.
If someone willing to share some more definitive info, that would be great.
Thank you in advance!