5 Ways To Boost Android Application Performance

Performance is the key to mobile app success. The increase in adoption of Android devices has fueled more demand for Android app development. More and more Android developers can be seen initiating Android application projects. But developing well-performing and fast applications is a challenging task for developers. However, there are several factors that affect the performance of your Android app such as following best coding practices, avoiding the use of main thread for blocking operations, keeping layouts simple and elegant, tailoring resources to devices, or using trace view and other profiling tools.

These factors, if neglected can lead your app towards failure. As a result, every Android software development company should consider the following tips in order to boost the performance of Android applications.

1. Carefully select the screen size and resolutions: A major issue developers need to take into account while developing applications is the screen size. There exists a wide variety of screen sizes in the market. This is due to different manufacturers using their own screen detailing to build mobile devices. This, in turn, requires Android developers to ensure that the screen size they select for their app is functional.

2. Use loading validations: The perception of app performance is essential to consider as users often perceive the app performance to be 15 percent slower than what it actually is. Developers must ensure that their app loads in a way that seems to be going faster. One way to do so is to display a visible, instant feedback while your Android application awaits the background response. Putting something up while the loading processes will provide users the perception that the app is loading quicker.

3. Create an offline mode: Users often feel annoyed if the network connectivity drops when they are in the middle of completing an online transaction or activity. A smart thing to do in such an instance is to alert them as to why their action cannot be completed. Thereafter provide them with an option to save their data for later so they can resume the activity once the app is re-connected to the network.

4. Test for performance early and often: Applications must undergo all types of testing to ensure that they work as intended across all devices and networks. You must also ensure that they are rigorously tested for performance and are monitored as frequently as possible. Developers often have the misconception of testing the application when the development ends. But in reality testing your application as you go proves to be time and cost efficient as bugs and performance issues are minor and easier to fix during the development phase.

5. Implement application performance management system: Application Performance Management (APM) refers to performance monitoring and management of your application. APM enables you to detect and diagnose in-depth app performance issues to maintain an expected level of service across the board. There are various tools that provide Application Performance Management services such as AppDynamics, New Relic, Flurry, HockeyApp, and Apteligent. These tools help to monitor two sets of performance metrics: those that are specific to user experience (for e.g. average load times) and those that measure computational resources that the app utilizes.

The above-mentioned Android application performance tips will help you ensure your app performs well across a variety of devices while maintaining the efficiency of your code at all levels. What are they ways to boost the performance of an Android application? Share your tips with us in the comments section.