This document provides tips and resources for optimizing Android application performance. It discusses rules for program optimization, metrics for measuring web performance, avoiding unnecessary objects and memory allocations, using views judiciously, and profiling tools like DDMS, Systrace, and Calabash for identifying issues. Specific techniques are recommended for SQLite, web services, and leveraging Unix commands. A list of online resources is also included.

1. Godfrey Nolan

2. 




Some Web History
Android Performance Tips
Android SDK Tools
Other Tools
Resources

3. Program Optimization Rules:
Rule 1: Don't do it.
Rule 2 (for experts only!): Don’t do it yet

6. 
Web Metric
95% of pages returned in a second or less



Optimize the slowest, most visited pages
10x performance increases not unusual
Wash, rinse, repeat

7. 



No metric yet
No log files
No time-taken token
Ideally…
Good load testing tool with activity time
Continuous Integration plugin available

8. Avoid creating unnecessary objects or memory
allocations
Avoid internal getters/setters
i = mCount not i = getCount()
Use Static/Final where appropriate
static final int intVal = 42; not static int intVal = 42;
Use floats judiciously
NDK calls
Views are expensive, flatten layouts, don’t inflate
Use standard libraries, enhanced for loop

19. 




Streamline your UI
Shrink your APK
Identify memory leakage issues
Profile your code
Measure performance in the field

25. Calabash Timings
Run 1
Run 2
Run 3
LinearLayout
3m42s
3m10s
3m16s
RelativeLayout
3m16s
3m7s
3m8s

27. Calabash Timings
Run 1
Run 2
Run 3
No Proguard
4m15s
4m7s
3m56s
Proguard
4m13s
3m47s
3m40s

30. Calabash Timings
Run 1
Run 2
Run 3
Before heap
4m57s
5m39s
4m55s
After heap
4m15s
4m7s
3m56s

36. 
SQLite
Explain plan is your friend
Use Indexes
Carefully craft your SQL

Web Services
Use log files to identify issues

37. 
DDMS
System Info
Heap Usage w/MAT
Memory Allocation
Threads

Traceview
Method Profiling within DDMS
Precise profiling using trace API







Systrace
Lint
Hierarchy Viewer
StrictMode
Unix commands
ARO
Crittercism

38. 
Leverage Unix performance commands
top 10
dump meminfo <pid>
procrank

42. http://developer.android.com/training/articles/perf-tips.html
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UApv-ZMJ51g
http://android-developers.blogspot.com/2009/11/optimize-your-layouts.html
http://developer.android.com/tools/debugging/debugging-ui.html
http://www.javaperformancetuning.com/tips/rawtips.shtml
http://software.intel.com/en-us/articles/performance-debugging-of-androidapplications/
http://developer.android.com/tools/debugging/debugging-tracing.html
http://android-developers.blogspot.com/2009_02_01_archive.html
http://bon-app-etit.blogspot.com/2013/03/using-traceview-for-betterperformance.html
http://www.sqlite.org/eqp.html
http://www.eclipse.org/mat/downloads.php
http://imgoptim.com
http://developer.att.com/developer/forward.jsp?passedItemId=13800072
http://www.devahead.com/blog/2011/12/coding-for-performance-and-avoidinggarbage-collection-in-android/

43. 

godfrey@riis.com
@riisllc