Google has listed a change to how the Play Store shows app downloads on phones in its own Google System Release Notes, in an entry for Google Play Store v53.7 dated 19 October 2026. The entry says the store shows an estimated time remaining or a download size remaining instead of a percentage for downloads in progress.

The entry is in the October 2026 section of the page, above a Google Play Store v53.6 entry dated 12 October 2026. A Google Play services v26.40 entry, also dated 12 October 2026, sits between the two.

The entry is Google’s own description of what v53.7 does, and it runs to two lines. The line names two possible indicators, estimated time remaining and download size remaining, joined by the word “or”. Google does not say which one a given download shows or when each appears, and the notes add no detail beyond that one sentence.

What Google’s notes say

The entry reads: “Google Play now displays an estimated time remaining or a download size remaining indicator instead of the percent progress for active app downloads.” The page adds no explanation of how the two indicators relate, whether a user can choose between them, or what counts as an active download.

The [Phone] tag appears on both lines in the entry, and no other device type is listed, so the change applies to the Play Store app on phones.

The same v53.7 entry lists one other item, also tagged [Phone]. It says users “can now discover device offers tailored to your interests right at the top of your Apps Home.” That is the full entry, two lines under the 19 October 2026 heading.

A Google Play services v26.41 entry carries the same 19 October 2026 date.

The release notes page gives no rollout timetable for v53.7. It does not say when phones receive the update or whether every phone gets it at once.

What it means for you

On a phone with v53.7, an app download in progress shows how long is left or how much is still to download, instead of a percentage. The line applies to what it calls “active app downloads”. The notes do not say which of the two a download shows.

The entry mentions nothing else about downloads, so no other change to the download screen is confirmed.

The line says “instead of”, so the new indicator replaces the percentage, and the percentage does not appear alongside it.

The Google Play Store v53.7 entry is dated 19 October 2026, and the page lists no rollout timetable.

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