Having top-notch performance in your Android app in 2024 is mandatory. As smartphone processors get more powerful, people expect fast and smooth performance across the board. This is why you need Android app performance optimization to deliver seamless experiences.
In 2024, we’re talking about loading speeds that take less than a second, buttery-smooth animations, and consistent user experiences. Gone are the days when you had to build lightweight applications. Today, smartphones are capable of running high-end games with ease. Mobile apps are not a challenge. Mobile app developers need to focus on delivering excellent experiences.
In this blog, MAD will share the techniques we use for accelerating app performance on Android.
Better performance equals a larger market impact. Android app performance is not an area of compromise. So, let’s look at some strategies for smoother user experiences.
This is a small step that doesn’t even require coding prowess. Having large, unoptimised images can significantly slow down your app. Even with fast network speeds, large images can take time to load. However, compromising on image quality can affect the overall appeal of the app.
Today, there are multiple methods available to compress images without significantly affecting their quality. With lossless compression, you can preserve the image data and reduce its size. There are many online tools you can use for the same.
You can also consider reducing the image resolution. As smartphones have smaller screens, having Hi-Res images can be overkill. Compressing Hi-Res and 4k images to HD quality (1080p, 720p) won’t have any noticeable difference in quality but is crucial for boosting app loading times.
Similar to images, videos can be compressed using different codecs that offer varying levels of quality. Ideally, go for the H.265 codec, as it offers great quality while reducing file size. As mobile screens are small, you can compromise on video bitrate without having any visible difference in quality.
Just like a cluttered room makes everything harder to find, a memory-hungry app can lead to poor performance. Not only that, if people find your app to be draining resources and battery life, they’re very likely to uninstall it. Let’s look at some ways you can keep your memory footprint in check:
Avoid creating unnecessary objects, especially in loops or frequently called methods. Reuse objects whenever possible.
Choose memory-efficient data structures for your Android app. Consider using libraries like Apache Commons Collections that offer memory-optimised collections.
Memory leaks occur when your app holds onto objects longer than it needs them. This causes memory to be unavailable for other tasks. Use leak detection tools provided by Android Studio to identify and fix leaks.
The Android platform offers the LruCache class for implementing a Least Recently Used (LRU) cache. This cache automatically removes the least used items when it reaches its size limit, reducing app crashes and freezes on Android device.
A clean and optimised code is the foundation of mobile app speed improvement. Inefficient code can lead to wasted processing power, slow rendering, and ultimately, a frustrating user experience. Here’s how you can optimise your app code:
Profiling tools within Android Studio allow you to pinpoint performance bottlenecks in your code. You can find areas that consume extensive resources and fix them.
Analyse your code for redundant calculations or operations that can be simplified. Pre-compute values whenever possible to avoid repeated calculations.
Reduce the number of times a loop needs to run by restructuring your logic or using more efficient data structures. If a condition can be met to exit the loop prematurely, implement that logic to avoid unnecessary iterations.
Break down your app code into smaller modules that can be loaded on-demand. This reduces the initial load time of your app, thus improving app responsiveness on Android devices.
A fast and smooth UI is crucial to delivering positive user experiences. Having inefficient UI rendering can lead to lag, dropped frames, and a janky feel.
When optimising UI, strive for a flat and balanced layout. Avoid deeply nested layouts with excessive view groups. Flatter layouts are easier for the system to render, accelerating app performance on Android.
Overdrawing can affect app performance negatively. It occurs when multiple UI elements are drawn on top of each other in the same screen area. This wastes resources and can lead to performance issues. Use tools like the Android Studio Layout Inspector to identify areas of overdraw and optimise your layouts to minimise them.
With hardware acceleration, you can significantly improve rendering performance for complex UIs with animations or heavy graphics.
In the era of 5G, people expect things to open instantly, regardless of their network connection. Network calls can significantly impact your app's performance, so optimising network usage is essential. Here’s what you can do for minimising app latency:
Cache frequently accessed data locally to avoid redundant network requests. Implement a caching strategy that considers data freshness and expiration to ensure users have up-to-date information. Also, combine multiple small requests into a single larger request whenever possible. This reduces the overhead associated with individual network connections.
Only transmit the data your app truly needs. Avoid sending redundant or unnecessary information in your requests. Choose data formats like JSON or Protocol Buffers that are compact and efficient for network transmission compared to plain text.
Network requests can block the main UI thread, causing lags and freezes. Utilise asynchronous libraries like Volley, Retrofit, or OkHttp to perform network operations off the main thread, improving app responsiveness on Android devices.
MAD is a top Android app development company in the UK, with access to skilled resources and advanced technologies. We have 25 years of experience and in-depth knowledge of multiple industries. We know where the market is headed in the next few years and can help you conquer it.
Our Android app developers will handle your project from concept to launch, guiding you through the process. With MAD, you get all the required services in one place.
Let’s work together to build a blazing-fast Android app!
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