App developers are constantly seeking ways to speed up app downloads. We’ve gathered insights from CEOs to software engineers, covering seven expert strategies to make your apps lightning-fast. From streamlining code for smaller file size to keeping apps lean for performance, discover the essential tips for enhancing your mobile app’s download speed.
- Streamline Code for Smaller File Size
- Optimize Size with Efficient Coding
- Leverage App Bundles for Speed
- Use Install-Time Asset Packs
- Balance Size with User Experience
- Minimize Resources for Quicker Downloads
- Compress Assets to Enhance Speed
Streamline Code for Smaller File Size
While your app’s code may seem like magic to users, it’s actually a series of instructions. The more efficient and streamlined this code is, the smaller the overall file size becomes.
Special tools can remove unnecessary characters like comments and whitespace from your code, shrinking its size. Some even obfuscate the code, making it compact and harder to reverse-engineer.
Moreover, there are often multiple ways to achieve the same coding outcome. Choose algorithms known for their efficiency, minimizing the number of steps your app needs to take to complete a task. By implementing these optimization techniques, you can significantly reduce your app’s code size, leading to faster downloads and a happier user experience.
Khunshan Ahmad, CEO, InsideTechWorld
Optimize Size with Efficient Coding
One crucial tip for making apps download faster on mobile devices is to optimize the app size by using efficient coding practices and compressing resources. This involves several strategies, such as minimizing the use of large libraries, compressing images and other assets, and removing unnecessary code and resources that bloat the app size.
For instance, using vector graphics (like SVGs) instead of raster images can significantly reduce the file size of graphical assets without compromising quality. Additionally, leveraging tools like ProGuard (for Android) or App Thinning (for iOS) can help streamline the code and remove redundant elements.
These practices not only decrease the initial download size but also improve the overall performance and responsiveness of the app, leading to a better user experience. By focusing on these optimizations, developers can ensure their apps are quicker to download, even on slower network connections, thereby increasing the likelihood of user retention and satisfaction.
Shehar Yar, CEO, Software House
Leverage App Bundles for Speed
At Ronas IT, with our extensive experience in mobile and web application development since 2007, we understand the importance of optimizing app download speeds. One effective tip for making apps download faster on mobile devices is to utilize app bundles and optimize asset delivery.
Tip: Utilize App Bundles and Optimize Asset Delivery
- App Bundles:
- Google’s Android App Bundles and Apple’s iOS App Thinning allow you to package your app more efficiently. Instead of delivering a single, monolithic file, app bundles enable the app store to deliver only the necessary code and resources specific to the user’s device configuration. This reduces the app size significantly, making downloads quicker.
- Optimizing Asset Delivery:
- Lazy Loading: Delay the loading of heavy assets (like images, videos, and animations) until they are actually needed. This minimizes the initial download size, speeding up the download process.
- Compress Assets: Use efficient compression techniques for images, audio, and video files without compromising quality. Formats like WebP for images and HEVC for videos can save substantial space.
- Modular Architecture: Break down your app into smaller, independent modules. Download essential modules first, and allow additional features to be downloaded as needed or in the background.
In one of our recent projects, we developed a feature-rich travel app that initially had a large binary size. By leveraging Android App Bundles and applying asset compression techniques, we reduced the initial download size by 40%. This optimization led to faster downloads and installations, significantly improving user satisfaction, especially in areas with slow internet connections.
Implementation Tips
- Use ProGuard (Android) and Bitcode (iOS): Optimize and shrink your app’s code to reduce its size.
- Dynamic Delivery: Deliver different feature sets based on user interaction to keep the initial download size minimal.
- Monitor Performance: Continuously track app download metrics and make adjustments as needed to maintain optimal performance.
Utilizing app bundles and optimizing asset delivery are effective strategies for reducing app size and enhancing download speed. At Ronas IT, these practices have proven to significantly improve user experience, making them invaluable tips for any app developer.
Nikita Baksheev, Manager, Marketing, Ronas IT
Use Install-Time Asset Packs
One effective tip for making apps download faster on mobile devices is to optimize the app’s size and use install-time asset packs. This approach involves reducing the overall size of the app by compressing images, minimizing unnecessary code, and implementing app-thinning techniques.
Additionally, using install-time asset packs allows the app to download only the essential data needed for the initial launch, deferring the download of larger assets until they are required. This not only speeds up the initial download but also improves the user experience by enabling quicker access to the app’s core functionalities.
For example, Google Play optimizes downloads by analyzing use patterns of install-time asset packs, which helps the game or app launch much faster while only downloading the necessary data during the initial launch.
Supratim Sircar, Software Engineer, Cisco
Balance Size with User Experience
At Zibtek, we have created hundreds of apps and have played around with this a lot. Here are a few of my thoughts that might help.
The basic idea is that you need to make the app smaller in size in order to download it quicker. You can optimize images in the app; you can make sure the code is clean and not having lots of unused or bloated functions.
You can also streamline what data comes in the first download versus in other interactions. All of these things will make the initial size of the app smaller to install. The trade-offs are making sure images don’t get so small they are pixelated or that the app becomes really slow if it needs to fetch lots of data later, so you need to balance the full user experience, not just the initial install.
Cache Merrill, Founder, Zibtek
Minimize Resources for Quicker Downloads
One key tip for making apps download faster on mobile devices is to optimize the app’s size by minimizing resources and using efficient coding practices.
Additionally, ensure that the app store listing is well-crafted with a clear app name, relevant category, high-quality images, an engaging video, and a concise app description. This not only improves download speeds but also enhances the app’s visibility and appeal, contributing to its overall success.
Rajesh Rabadia, Chief Solutions Architect, Silent Infotech
Compress Assets to Enhance Speed
When you’re developing an app, you really need to consider the download time. Ultimately, users will click ‘uninstall’ if the app is too slow or hangs. A simple and effective way to speed up the app is to optimize assets.
Whether you’re incorporating video or plain images, compress them to a size that won’t affect the app visually but will increase the speed. Speed is certainly a metric that needs to be monitored for UX.
Geoffrey Bourne, Co-Founder, Ayrshare
