The realm of mobile app development is constantly evolving. In this realm, more than 80% of the global market share is dominated by Android. If we talk in terms of stats, according to a recent survey conducted by Statista, more than 2.67 million apps are expected to be launched in App Stores by the end of 2023.
While developing an app can be an exciting and innovative process, it surely is an expensive one! Bringing an app to life requires a significant investment of time, effort, and money.
As the competition is fierce, developers must optimize their Android app development process and develop an app as quickly and efficiently as possible.
In this blog, we have listed down a few valuable tips and tricks for Android app development that will help you streamline your development process without sacrificing quality.
6 Tips to Speed Up Android App Development
Leverage latest tools
From designing to debugging, android developers are haunted by the mantra - too much to do, too little time to do it. While there is no shortcut, there is an arsenal of the latest tools and technologies that developers can leverage to speed up mobile app development.
StringBuilder - If you intend to append a string to another string multiple times, using the ‘String’ method will concatenate the strings. But, it may lead to frequent garbage collection, taking around 10 seconds to complete the task. However, if you opt for the ‘StringBuilder’ method, the time taken will reduce significantly to just 4 seconds. This improvement is substantial and can greatly impact your app's performance.
Hierarchy Viewer - The Hierarchy Viewer is a valuable tool that aids developers to view their app's layout hierarchy or tree. By using this tool, developers can quickly identify any flaws or issues that may arise during the debugging and testing phase of app development. The Hierarchy Viewer is readily available in the Android SDK and offers an efficient means of speeding up Android app development.
Genymotion - A sleek emulator tool that can replicate a device model's integrated sensors. It supports all Android versions and eliminates the need for reconfiguration for varying devices.
Optimize your code
A well-optimized code not only ensures better app performance but also helps in reducing the app's load time, enhance user experience, and improving the app's overall functionality. Here are some specific techniques that you can use to optimize your code for Android app development:
Use caching: Caching can help reduce the time your app takes to load by storing frequently accessed data in memory. It optimizes the speed of your app by reducing the number of requests made to the server.
Reduce file size: Reduce the size of your files by compressing images and videos, minifying CSS and JavaScript files, and removing unnecessary code and resources.
Use asynchronous processing: Asynchronous processing can help prevent your app from freezing or crashing while performing resource-intensive tasks.
Simplify your code: Complex code can be difficult to debug and maintain, and can also slow down your app. By simplifying your code, you can improve its readability and make it more efficient.
Optimize database queries: Database queries can be optimized by implementing indexes, restricting the number of returned rows, and avoiding the use of nested queries.
Reflection
Reflection is a powerful tool that provides a way to inspect and manipulate the internal structures of an Android application at runtime. The tool is used to ensure the compatibility of application packages with multiple Android versions. It facilitates runtime object construction, field access, and method invocation. Reflection is less recommended due to its potential for unsafe coding practices, strong typing loss, and reduced performance. As a result, reflection must be used carefully, and its impact should be measured in advance to avoid compromising app performance.
Despite potential issues, reflection remains a valuable tool in Android app development. With reflection, you can create more flexible and dynamic applications that can adapt to different runtime conditions. However, it is important to use reflection judiciously and to carefully consider its impact on your app's security and performance.
Use hybrid app development
Cross-platform development is one of the top trends in Android app development for 2023. Developers are leaning towards hybrid app development as it’s a convenient way to reduce app development time by 2x. It allows users to focus on multiple mobile platforms with a single codebase. It eliminates the need for deciphering, reworking, and re-compiling the same code for various platforms.
Developing native applications for each platform is expensive. On the other hand, a hybrid app can utilize a single shareable code to save money. Cross-platform development saves around 30%-40% compared to Native Apps. Cross-platform apps enhance user experience by providing a native look and feel. Leveraging a cross-platform development process is a win-win situation both for the developers and the end users.
For developing a cross-platform app, there are a plethora of tools at your disposal like - Xamarin, Ionic, Flutter SDK, React Native, etc.
Hire experienced developers
If you want your Android app to be successful, it's vital to collaborate with a team of expert developers who possess a deep understanding of the Android platform and its intricacies. Consider investing in a technology partner providing quality Android app development services. Your technology partner can streamline your app development process and guide you throughout the project's lifecycle.
Furthermore, skilled developers can assist you in navigating the complex Android ecosystem, including app store guidelines, security protocols, and other aspects. When searching for developers for your Android app development project, it's critical to choose candidates with a solid track record of success and expertise in the specific areas where you require support.
Test thoroughly
Thorough testing of a mobile app before its launch is crucial for ensuring bug-free performance. Many developers commit the mistake of not testing their apps completely. This results in too many post-deployment complications. To overcome this, developers can rely on automated testing. It is an effective solution that guarantees secure and fully-tested apps in a shorter amount of time than manual testing. A few of the benefits of using automation tools are:
Increased Efficiency: Leveraging automated tools can complete repetitive tasks faster and more accurately than humans. Developers can now concentrate on more critical aspects of development.
Consistency: Automated tests are more consistent and reliable than manual testing. This ensures that app functions are working as intended on all the platforms.
Cost-Effective: Automating certain tasks can save both time and money in the long run.
Conclusion
There are numerous ways to optimize the Android app development process. As technology is ever-changing, no such solution will forever remain beneficial for the application. Considering the recent technological updates, we have formulated the above list of tips for Android app development optimization. Which of the tips intrigued you the most? Let us know in the comments below!
