Indians spend the highest average time using a smartphone, According to a recent survey by Nokia. Short videos, social media, and OTT consume more than half of their consumption. Ecommerce and fintech are other significant areas in their digital lives.
All these trends indicate that mobile apps will increasingly dominate our lives. Besides, the pandemic-induced digital boom has further intensified the competition in the app market. Whether you work with an Android app development company or as a freelance app artisan, you need to improve your services. And optimizing your app is central to achieving this goal. This blog post seeks to help you optimize the performance of every Android app you build.
The Impact of APK Size on App Store Success
The Android application package (APK) plays a central role in the number of app downloads. A smaller APK size usually prompts more people to download the app. With more and more Android app developers willing to include advanced features, the APK size is more important than ever.
According to an analysis by Google, if an app’s size is more than 150 MB, the chances of downloading reduces to 30%. In other words, you need a lightweight APK to increase app downloads. And the fact remains equally useful whether it’s native android app development or hybrid apps.
How to Reduce App Size and Optimize Performance
From reducing the size of media files to removing unused codes, APK size reduction requires a comprehensive approach. Be it Android app customization or Kotlin app development services, size reduction always benefits the app. Here are some tried-and-tested ways to reduce the size of your app.
1. Compress Image Files
You might already know this. Compressing image files is one of the most common measures to reduce the size of your app. Heavy images significantly contribute to the app’s size. Most Android app developers either use JPEG or PNG formats to upload images. You can use file compression tools to reduce the size of images. If you’re a business owner, you can hire Android app developers to optimize your app’s performance by reducing its size.
Besides file compressing, you can also implement vector graphics to create images with simpler resolutions. The Android framework offers VectorDrawable objects for creating images optimized for your screen size.
2. Remove Unused Codes, Methods, & Classes
An Android app development cycle creates streams of unused codes and resources. Such codes do not have any functional role in the apps. These elements, however, significantly crease the app’s size. Since they don’t have any role in the app’s functionality, it makes sense to remove them. Doing so would reduce your app’s APK size and enhance performance.
You can rely on a host of tools and techniques for removing unnecessary codes and classes. For instance, Android Lint is a tool that enables you to scan the app and identify unnecessary resources. Then you can select those elements and remove them manually.
3. Get Rid of Dead Codes
Apps with a heavy APK take more time to download. They are also slower than those with a lightweight APK. And keeping unused codes in the app substantially increases the APK size. That’s why you need to eliminate them. When you reduce all the dead codes from the app, its performance significantly improves. Besides, the practice also improves the overall quality of your code. Apps with cleaner code are less likely to have bugs and glitches.
4. Minimize the Use of Library Resources
The use of external libraries among Android app developers. From creating better layouts to extending functionality, developers use libraries for a diverse array of needs. But the problem is most of these libraries are designed for desktops or servers. They are not optimized for Android app development and other apps. Most such libraries have heavy methods and objects that add up to your app’s size.
In order to reduce the size of your app after using libraries, you need to edit the code. Keep only the components that are central to the app’s functionality. You could also hire Android app developers or use mobile-optimized libraries to keep your app’s size smaller.
5. Use Android Size Analyzers
Finally, the best way to manage your app’s size is to find out the elements most responsible for a larger size. And an Android size analyzer would be of great help for that. You could also contact an Android app development company to analyze and reduce the size of your app. An array of Android size analyzers offers quick and easy size analysis. After detecting the elements, you could either remove or edit them to optimize your app’s performance.
Wrapping Up
No matter what kind of app you build, success ultimately comes down to the number of downloads. Also, the level of performance determines engagement after users download the app. Apps with a heavier size are less likely to fulfill both criteria. That’s why you need to keep your app lightweight. The measures we discussed here would help you achieve that.
From reducing image files to minimizing the use of libraries, you need to follow these measures strategically. Otherwise, you might risk affecting the app’s functionality. At Android Developer, an Android app development company, we deliver lightweight apps to ensure optimal performance. Our apps have impressive track records on the Play Store.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q. What does APK mean?
Android Package (APK) is the package file format commonly used by the Android operating system. Android developers use an APK for the distribution and installation of mobile apps, mobile games, and middleware, among others.
Q. How much does it cost to build an Android mobile app?
The development cost for an Android mobile app on what kind of app you need. Apps with basic features and simple design cost less. If you need a high-performance app with more advanced features, the cost will be different. We offer competitive pricing for every kind of mobile app.
Q. How much does it cost to build a Kotlin-based Android app?
The costs of developing a Kotlin-based Android app depend on several factors. Design complexity, development time, type of features, etc. play an important role in calculating the costs. We build impeccable Kotlin apps at a competitive price.
