17 Android App Performance Optimization Tips For Your Projects

Users and Google both want a high-performing app. If your app fails, ensure a stable, responsive, and engaging user experience (UX). You need to achieve the bare minimum to avoid your app being purged from the Google Play Store. Preventing such a scenario requires constant monitoring and Android app performance optimization.

So, how do you optimize apps on Android?

First, you need to define the metrics that can be tracked while monitoring the app’s performance. These include measuring app performance regarding user interactions, interface responsiveness, etc. What matters most is the close alignment of performance metrics with your business goals.

This is why understanding the Android app optimization metrics and best practices is crucial. So, here is the ultimate list of tips and tricks for mobile app performance optimization with best practices and key metrics.

17 Tips and Tricks for Improving App Performance

Stability, responsiveness, and seamless navigation are three crucial UI design elements that define the performance of Android apps. While you can get all three elements right if you design your app well, there is always room for improvement. Maintaining performance requires dedicated efforts over the numerous iterations you release over the application development lifecycle.

Here is a list of tricks to make your application performance optimization efficient,

1. Configure Networking Optimally

Networking in your mobile app is crucial for users to exchange data and connect to the internet for different services. An optimized network helps establish a smoother connection between the interface and server, ensuring enhanced UX.

A key aspect of network optimization is configurations. You need to ensure that API-based configurations are optimal. For example, a common issue with Android apps is network request failure due to non-compatibility. Every Android app requires a code signing certificate to ensure the security of the source code.

If this code signing certificate is not configured correctly within the network, it can cause request failures. Configure the Android app to handle the SSL connection. If you have the wrong key bundled with the certificate, it can also cause connection failure.

Check if the code signing certificate is up for renewal. Expired certificates, too, cause network connection failure. You need a reliable API development solution to accommodate key network configurations for better connection.

Another important tip is to prefetch content and reduce the latency. It will help you reduce the delays in content display, enhancing the user experience.

2. Ensure Images And Videos Optimization

One significant mobile app optimization technique is optimizing images and videos. Images and videos are among the most impactful visual elements. Optimizing images and videos is one of the critical things to consider before IOS and Android development. However, loading these visual elements on your Android app can take a long time.

Lazy loading is one way to ensure that the user experience does not suffer due to image and video loading delays. However, you need a more comprehensive approach to images and videos to ensure Android app performance optimization.

Here are some best practices to follow,

1. Optimize The Image Size

While you are trying to increase application performance, image size optimization needs to be minimal. For example, an image with a size of 200px*300px is 200px wide and 300px high.

If you load an image of 800px*1200px, it will take 10 to 15 times more data than required. You must ensure minimal image size while maintaining the application’s aesthetic value.

2. Use The Right Image Format

This is the most straightforward trick for optimizing Android apps. Image format directly correlates to an Android app’s aesthetics and performance.

The best format for Android apps is usually PNG. However, if you plan to add natural stock images to the apps, consider using JPEG or WebP.

Especially if you are developing a traveling app, you must ensure images of scenic destinations are on point. Use optimal format to provide better aesthetics and Android app performance.

3. Consider Image Compression

Compressing images can reduce their size and improve Android app performance. However, a significant concern is ensuring the quality of the visuals doesn’t deteriorate. One way to achieve such image quality is by using lossless compression.

This method removes metadata; only images are displayed on the interface. It is far better than lossy compression with metadata, which reduces the image quality. You can also compress videos to ensure better rendering. One way is to add a YouTube video player to your Android apps. Integrating the YouTube API allows you to add the YouTube player and improve the Android app.

4. Leverage Progressive JPEG

Progressive JPEG is an approach that first loads a pixelated full image and gradually renders more pixels. This gradually improves the image quality, providing the complete picture.

You can leverage progressive JPEGs on your Android apps to improve user experience. It allows developers to get better visual feedback and fine-tune the UI.

Apart from compressing images or optimizing the videos through API integrations, you can reduce the loading time and enhance perceived performance.

3. Reduce Screen Size

Android devices come in different shapes and sizes. For example, you can have flip smartphones with two screens. One screen is on the outer surface of the smartphone, while another is a bigger screen that almost resembles a tablet.

These smartphones often provide a seamless experience for users to switch between screens. So, you need to adjust the Android app performance by making flexible UI components to enable seamless switching.

You must leverage mobile app performance optimization techniques and create a flexible layout accommodating screen sizes across devices. Include this process when creating an app from scratch because the earlier you get the UI design right, the more significant the impact.

Here are a few tricks to increase application performance through a reduction in screen size,

• Leverage the view dimensions to resize the layout
• Implement bitmaps for view scaling
• Build a more adaptive UI for use cases like flip screens
• Create layouts and conduct A/B testing
• Leverage modular design with multiple UI components
• Ensure optimization of HDPI and MDPI

The offline model is another major Android device usage shift impacting performance. Android device users in Low-intensity network areas need better offline capability.

4. Make Offline Model Efficient

The offline model of any Android app relies heavily on data synchronization. Data synchronizations can achieve higher application performance optimization. This approach allows you to create engaging apps that sync data to a web server acting as a backup.

So, if a device is inactive or has no network, the server sends data through an API connection. Data is also synced in real-time whenever a device comes online from offline mode. The backup server activates only when there is no network or intensity connection.

Caching is another critical method for reducing the impact of low network intensity. You can configure the Android app to cache specific data locally, which will always be available for users. Caching is also one crucial approach to reducing memory usage.

5. Optimize Memory usage

App performance optimization depends on many aspects, including system memory usage. These days, Android devices come with two types of RAM: physical RAM and virtual RAM, which OS software creates by leveraging some space in the device’s ROM or storage space.

You may know this process used in computers is often called “paging.” However, despite having physical and virtual RAM, Android apps struggle to cope with the demands of multiple apps using resources in the background.

So, you must ensure your application is optimized for better RAM usage. Adapting your app for reduced memory usage can prevent any disruption in user experience. Android has restrictions on how much your app can use the resources in the background, and thus, designing it to use reduced memory can help.

Here are some more tips to reduce the memory usage for Android apps,

• Reduce static references
• Use the event bus and recoup listeners from senders
• Employ static and non-static inner classes
• Conduct code quality reviews at the end of each iteration
• Reduce the code size if possible
• Design the architecture for efficient memory usage
• Minimize usage of external libraries and code components
• Use tools to analyze memory usage and optimize based on its data.

Reducing memory usage will help you optimize apps on Android devices. However, Android app performance is about more than just technical prowess to make it more memory efficient; it also depends on user perception. This is why you need to improve the app loading time to ensure better performance perception for users.

6. Reduce App Loading Time

The Android app performance optimization checklist must include the loading time aspect. According to Google, the bounce rate for mobile apps increases by 32% due to a 3-second delay in loading an app page. Optimizing the loading time can make or break your customers’ app experience.

You need an Android app that runs smoothly, allowing users to navigate pages swiftly. This Android performance optimization tip helps improve user perception of your brand.

Here is how you can improve the Android app loading time,

• Use a lazy loading approach to improve user perception of app load time.
• Prioritize the UI elements for rendering and use extendable placeholders.
• Manage memory allocation, keeping the issues of delayed loading at bay.
• Ensure better data sync across app UI for a smoother experience.
• Test your Android app for loading performance and adjust based on the testing.

Loading your Android app faster is one thing, but if it lags afterward, don’t expect the user experience to excel. A possible solution is to maintain the frame rate across applications.

7. Ensure Smooth Frame Rate

Smartphone frame rates are improving, and keeping it around 60 frames per second(FPS) has been a key Android trend. Plus, most Android smartphones now offer a 120Hz refresh rate for users. This enhances users’ different animations and scrolling experience. Especially if you have a gaming app, the refresh rate and FPS can make a massive difference to the entire experience.

The most significant challenge is supporting higher refresh rates on different Android devices. Many device manufacturers restrict refresh rates to more than 60Hz for customers. However, you can create a JavaScript extension to enable it for your app,

Another approach is to keep the rendering code within 16ms. Ensuring a 5ms garbage collection time for your app can improve the frame rate and user experience. This essential mobile app optimization technique ensures more graphical consistency, stability, and better performance.

However, executing such techniques requires technical prowess. You can hire Android App developers to build extensions to support higher frame rates and optimize the rendering code. Further, you must optimize the concurrent threads of executions to ensure better frame rates. How your app executes the user requests impacts performance, and this is where you need to leverage a strategic approach.

8. Make Threads Efficient

Every Android application has two types of threads,

• Primary Thread(UI)
• Secondary Thread(Background)

Optimizing the threads becomes crucial when developing an Android app. When users launch the app, the first and primary threads execute. They represent UI widgets and establish communication between different UI components.

If you overburden the primary thread with alternate task executions, your app can become unresponsive. Android app performance optimization requires blocking primary threads for other tasks.

You must ensure the primary thread does not execute tasks like database class, network operations, and loading specific components. For these tasks, secondary threads work in the background while the primary thread executes critical tasks concurrently.

Optimizing threading for your apps requires expert Android app development services to understand the task hierarchy and configure the execution concurrency. Concurrency optimization can also help improve latency.

9. Optimize Latency

Any app with latency issues can kill your entire experience. So, finding these latency killers and getting rid of them is essential. However, you don’t need to go all Sherlock on them!

First, understand the basics- “What is Latency?”

Latency in an Android app is the time needed for a signal to reach the system. This means that when a user accesses content on the app, the time it takes to get them through the system is called latency.

Let’s understand this by an example. You are playing your favorite game, and your character performs specific actions per your instruction. However, the feedback you receive on completing the task has been delayed. Audio latency is one of the most significant in Android apps.

Google’s recent OS version introduced a “fast audio path.” It bypasses internal processing for specific criteria met to reduce the latency of OS and hardware processing. However, you can’t rely on Google’s OS updates for improved latency.

So, here are some tips to use for Android app performance optimization by reducing latency,

• Try to employ cold startups for your Android app that are under 500 milliseconds.
• Reduce overdrawing due to the overlap of views in the UI.
• Leverage caching mechanisms to reduce latency
• Use asynchronous programming practices such as `AsyncTask.’

10. Minimize Activity Leaks

Memory leaks in Android apps happen when memory allocation for an object gets stuck. Yes, every Android app has two sets of classes. When the inner class has a more extensive lifecycle, it holds the outer class in memory longer, affecting the application’s performance.

This phenomenon of trapped memory is called a memory leak. Such leaks accumulate and result in reduced app performance. One way to minimize memory leaks is by using Android architecture patterns like ViewModel and LifecycleObserver.

You can use tools like LeakCanary to detect memory leaks. Utilizing the trace that the tool offers, you can block memory leakages. For example, you can reduce the storage of class-level variables or clean them in onDestroyView.

Reducing memory leaks has much to do with your Android architecture. You can improve Android performance optimization with strategic architecture design.

11. Adjust App Architecture

A significant answer to “how to optimize apps on Android” lies in adjusting its architecture. There are many different Android app architecture patterns that you can use to optimize performance. Some of the best app architectural patterns that you can use for Android performance optimization are,

• MVC(Model-View-Controller)– One of the oldest architectural patterns, MVC helps Android apps employ the separation of concerns. All three models are independent. The Model part handles domain logic, the View handles visualization, and the controllers have core logic for processing requests.
• MVP(Model-View-Presenter)– This architecture pattern helps optimize app performance by ensuring better code maintenance and separation of concerns. It has a contract interface that defines the relationship between the Presenter and View.
• MVVM(Model-View-ViewModel)– MVVM is a pattern that resembles MVP by abstracting the state and behavior of the View part. It is the best Android app performance optimization option due to its lower dependencies and best unit testability.

12. Autoboxing

Autoboxing works like magic when you want to represent a primitive type to an object. To understand autoboxing, let’s take an example of a box where kids place their toys. Considering Java, you will have two main types of toys: primitive types and objects.

Now imagine the box having toys that each represent a number. If you want to use the primitive type, it can be an int (for numbers), char (for letters), or boolean (for true or false). Autoboxing automatically puts the primitive-type toy into a toy box. This means that when developers need to use primitive type as an object, autoboxing will be executed.

For example, you don’t need to execute anything if you have the number 7, an int, and want to use it as an object. The inherent properties of a programming language like Java or Kotlin will help auto-box it. The compiler uses the Integer.valueOf() function to execute autoboxing, which takes too much memory and makes the Android app slower.

The best way to avoid autoboxing is to rewrite the code to increase the Android app’s performance from 500ms to 5ms. You can also replace conventional containers like HashMap with SparseArrays and ArrayMap, which Android provides.

13. Nested For Each loop

For loops are loops that Android developers use to repeat a code block. This approach is used for iterative operations. So, if you are playing a game where real-time updates on input, enemy position, and other elements are needed, there is a “game loop” in action.

Rather than using a standard for loop for your Android app, consider using nested for loop. Nested loops are much faster and help optimize Android app performance.

14. Optimize Concurrency API

Concurrency is the ultimate approach to optimizing Android app performance. If your Android application is exposed to several millions of requests, concurrency helps handle all those requests simultaneously. You must focus on robust API development and ensure optimal configuration.

However, handling the concurrency across API calls can take time for your Android app. Optimizing the concurrency API is crucial to achieving better scalability and on-demand capabilities to handle multiple requests.

Let’s understand how you can optimize API in different scenarios.

1. Sequential API Calls With Dependency

One way to handle sequential API calls with dependencies is to use the async and await functionality.

Here is an example code,

In the above code, you can observe usage of the coroutines to execute API calls asynchronously. Await function helps suspend the coroutine until respective API calls are complete. Each API call is initiated through the async function. Using the async and await functions, you can ensure that the second API call gets executed only after the first API call.

2. Concurrent API Calls Execution

When executing multiple API calls concurrently, you can use the awaitAll function to achieve better efficiency. Here is the example code,

Both API calls, A and B, are executed concurrently using coroutines and the awaitALL function. This allows you to execute both API calls concurrently without any dependency.

3. Executing Independent API Calls

If you execute API calls independently, it can provide quicker responses, ensuring Android app performance optimization. Here is an example of the independent API call execution,

You can use two coroutines to execute API calls independently, improving the concurrency and maximizing the app performance.

15. Improve Client-Server Interaction

Any application needs optimal client-server interaction, which becomes paramount. If this interaction is not optimal, the data exchange required to process a user request will experience disruption. So, improving the client-server interaction is one of the most important mobile application optimization approaches.

But how to achieve better client-server interactions?

Improving client-server interactions requires understanding how to establish a connection first. The client and the server are two entities that connect through APIs.

However, this is a rather complex architecture. A strategic approach is needed to simplify it and create a robust connection between client and server. Understanding and optimizing the elements of client-server interaction is an integral part of the app development process. Each interaction is controlled by a controller within the app server.

Here are some strategic tips to optimize this interaction,

• Minimize the total API calls by bundling data and reducing redundancy.
• Use caching to reduce latency and improve data access from local storage on the device.
• Compress data to reduce the payload size that the controller needs to process.
• Leverage network traffic distribution across servers for improved Android app performance.
• Adjust the resource allocation based on the system demand and ensure optimal concurrency.

16. Add Online Payment Security

Online payments have become more prevalent over the years. Security is quintessential, especially for eCommerce Android apps. However, maintaining online security amidst several cybersecurity threats can be challenging.

One of our clients needed to optimize their eCommerce marketplace platform for higher data security. We ensured that user’s financial data stored on the platform for transaction purposes is secure. Further, our team optimized the application performance and integrated payment gateways for transaction security.

By leveraging robust payment gateway integration services, you can ensure secure transactions and compliance with data regulation standards like PCI DSS.

17. Factor In Backward Compatibility

A key aspect of Android app performance optimization is versioning. Every app has several versions, each with new features and updates. When designing these updates, you need to ensure backward compatibility. The Android operating system has had several versions, from Marshmellow to the latest Android 14.

You must ensure that your app has official support for different Android versions. Lack of support for the older Android versions can lead to performance issues and hamper user experience.

All tips and tricks up your sleeve for Android app performance optimization need specific resources.

So, which are the tools and resources to use?

Top Tools for Measuring and Analyzing App Performance

Here are some of the top tools and resources you can use to execute mobile app optimization techniques,

1. Application Performance Monitoring (APM) tools

Application Performance Monitoring, or APM, is a process for monitoring Android app performance through software tools and telemetry data. It is one of the crucial steps to optimize apps and maintaining user experience. Using these tools, you can monitor business apps and make changes based on insights.

Some of the tools you can use are,

1. Logrocket

This tool combines session replay, product analytics, and error tracking to help developers monitor app performance. Logrocket can improve overall performance, especially if you have an Android app for online eCommerce.

It provides frontend monitoring capabilities at the sessional level, helping you monitor each layout shift, contentful paint, and input delay.

2. Dynatrace

Dynatrace offers a more unified tool for your APM, including a module for application observability, security, and infrastructure. It provides “Grail,” a central observability and analytics tool that monitors Android apps.

The best part about Grail from Dynatrace is that it uses AI to provide insights with full context and help developers make critical decisions on a large scale.

However, creating a custom AI model makes more sense if you have sensitive data. In this case, you can rely on expert AI development service providers to help customize AI models.

3. Datadog

Datadog is another APM tool for improving Android app performance optimization. It is an all-in-one monitoring solution that creates optimal visualization of app performance metrics, including networks, databases, infrastructure, and containers.

This tool best suits enterprises looking for a unified solution that offers reliable audit trails, observability pipelines, and data scanners.

4. IBM Instana

IBM Instana is designed to offer developers maximum observability, providing full-stack visibility. It comes with robust features for incident reporting, including AI-powered alerts and automatic tracking of pre-defined KPIs.

5. Grafana

Grafana is an open-source tool for monitoring Android apps full-stack. It comes with an “Agent,” which allows you to collect critical telemetry data like traces, logs, and metrics. Grafana is also compatible with OpenTelemetru, Loki, and Prometheus.

2. Real-time App Performance Monitoring Tools

Here are some of the best app monitoring tools you can use for real-time performance monitoring,

1. BlazeMeter

BlazeMeter is a real-time app performance monitoring tool with simulation capabilities. It simulates high-traffic scenarios to help developers assess the performance of Android apps. During these simulation tests, you get real-time analytics on app performance.

2. Android Profiler

Android Profiler is a tool that you can access within Android Studio. It offers real-time performance analysis of Android applications. You get real-time CPU, memory, and network data, helping developers optimize Android app performance in real-time.

3. Firebase Performance Monitoring

Firebase Performance Monitoring is a Google tool that offers real-time alerts for Android app performance bottlenecks. The tool can also create custom traces for better Android app performance optimizations.

4. Apptim

Apptim is a performance testing tool designed to track mobile app performance. It gives testers and developers real-time insights into how apps perform across devices. You also get vital data on CPU, memory, and battery usage.

5. New Relic Mobile

This is another tool developers can use to monitor mobile apps in real-time. New Relic Mobile offers comprehensive crash analysis, error rates, user interaction, and network response times. It also comes with a detailed dashboard for better data visualization.

Now that you have the tips and tricks with tools to optimize Android app performance, what else do you need? The answer is a set of best practices for maximizing the usage of these tools.

5 Best Practices for Continuous Performance Testing and Monitoring

Here are some best practices to follow for continuous performance monitoring and testing,

1. Automate Performance Tests With CI/CD Pipelines

Achieving continuous testing and monitoring involves executing automated performance tests. However, the most significant struggle for testers and developers is defining what to test in terms of performance.

You can plan specific scenarios to test Android apps and automate test runs. Start with fewer virtual users, run tests, and check for throughput(requests per second). You can partner with an expert mobile app development company to implement an automated CI/CD pipeline. Leveraging automated performance tests in the CI/CD pipelines can ensure an improved app experience.

2. Use Performance Monitoring Tools Optimally

Many tools are available for application performance monitoring. However, optimal usage depends on several factors, such as proper metrics definition, test data quality, and analytical skills.

Some of the essential Android app performance metrics that you can track using tools are,

• Load Time is a metric that helps you measure the duration between an app’s startup and fully becoming usable.
• Crash Rate measures an Android app’s stability and the number of app sessions that occur. For a better app experience, you must maintain a crash rate lower than 1%.
• API Latency refers to the application’s total time to request and receive a response.

Defining these metrics is crucial to maximize the potential of tools and get better results from continuous performance monitoring.

3. Setting Thresholds And Alerts

Set specific thresholds for metrics on the tools and activate instant alerts. This helps you make quick changes and improve Android app performance. For example, you can set the latency of app content so that it does not cross 25ms. If it crosses the threshold while testing and monitoring through the tools, you can add load balancers or configure the network to improve the latency.

4. Conduct Regular Performance App Audits

Regular app performance audits can be helpful, especially for evolving projects. Regular audits are crucial if you want to introduce new features with iterations and become part of the app experience. Ensure you have app audits after each iteration and in between as per requirements.

5. Incorporate User feedback for Continuous Improvement

Gathering user feedback after each iteration and integrating it into the next version can help you achieve continuous improvements. This is beneficial for your entire app experience and improves performance. It enables you to get feedback on intricate aspects of app usage, feature response to user requests, and perception of users. Using this data, you can achieve better Android app performance optimization.

However, continuous feedback integrations can be time-consuming and require a strategic approach. For example, a marketplace for IV therapy and MedSpa services needed a strategic approach to reduce the time necessary for feedback integration for its Android app. Our team leveraged the agile approach to help the marketplace platform with continuous improvements and feedback integration in no time.

How Excellent Webworld Can Help You Optimize Android App Performance?

Maintaining the Android app performance is challenging, considering several operating system versions released over the years. It is a crucial part of your app maintenance strategy. Implementing the optimization techniques discussed above does help, but you need expert maintenance and support services to ensure high-end performance.

Fortunately, Excellent Webworld has the expertise to optimize Android app performance. With our Android app development services, you get,

• Continuous improvement
• Scalable testing and monitoring
• Advanced observability capabilities
• Regular app audits and assessments
• Technical and security prowess

So, what’s keeping you from getting ahead in the Android race? Contact us to optimize your Android app performance.

FAQs: Android App Performance Optimization

Article By

Mahil Jasani

Mahil Jasani began his career as a developer and progressed to become the COO of Excellent Webworld. He uses his technical experience to tackle any challenge that arises in any department, be it development, management, operations, or finance.