September 2021 Summaries

App crashes are a significant concern for developers, with 53% of users uninstalling apps that crash and 80% giving problematic apps less than three tries before uninstalling. However, another type of error, out-of-memory (OOM) errors, can be just as disruptive but has gone relatively unaddressed. OOMs occur when the OS terminates an app to free up memory, with foreground OOMs being more noticeable due to their impact on user experience. To avoid OOMs, developers must focus on efficient memory management by understanding available memory thresholds, plugging leaks such as retain cycles, and purging cache of objects that use a lot of memory. Tracking OOM rates is also crucial in seeing the effectiveness of these measures. Tools like Instabug can help detect and report OOMs, providing valuable insights for developers to optimize their app's performance.

App crashes are highly disruptive to user experience, leading many users to uninstall problematic apps, but out-of-memory (OOM) errors, which occur when the operating system terminates an app to free up memory, can be equally disruptive. Although OOMs are not technically crashes, users often perceive them as such, and they can significantly impact app usability, particularly when they occur in the foreground, known as FOOMs. To mitigate OOMs, developers should focus on efficient memory management by understanding device memory limits, avoiding memory leaks like retain cycles, managing cache usage effectively, and tracking OOM occurrences to measure the impact of their optimizations. Tools such as Jan Ilavsky's memory threshold identifier and Luciq for detecting and reporting OOMs can assist developers in reducing their app's memory footprint and ensuring a smoother user experience.

Network issues are a common cause of performance problems in mobile applications, with more than half of application performance monitoring users primarily looking for answers to their network performance issues. To diagnose and fix these issues, it's essential to have deep insight into both server-side and client-side performance. Throughput is a critical metric to monitor, as it measures the number of requests processed within a given time interval. Payload size is also a significant factor, as large files can cause network congestion and slow down app performance. Additionally, tracking specific trace attributes, such as request parameters and response sizes, can help identify the root causes of network issues. It's also crucial to monitor both server-side and client-side requests for failures to get a comprehensive understanding of the issue. Automatic grouping logic in APM tools can also help simplify monitoring by grouping related network calls together. By using a specialized APM tool, such as Instabug, developers can quickly identify and resolve network performance issues, resulting in a better user experience.

Network issues are a common culprit for mysterious performance problems in mobile applications, and more than half of users seeking app performance monitoring solutions are focused on network performance. Application performance monitoring (APM) tools provide insights into server-side and client-side performance, aiding in the identification and resolution of network-related issues. Key network factors include throughput, which indicates the number of requests processed over time, and payload size, which affects traffic speed and can be optimized by examining both request and response sizes. Additionally, trace attributes and monitoring for server-side and client-side failures help in diagnosing delays and errors by offering a holistic view of app performance. Tools like Luciq APM enhance debugging efficiency by providing features such as URL grouping, which organizes network requests to reveal data patterns, reducing the time spent searching for issues. Effective use of APM tools allows for faster identification and resolution of network performance issues, ultimately improving the user experience.

Marketing your application is crucial when developing a mobile app, as it's the stage where you reach potential users and grow your user base. With over five million apps on the App Store and Google Play combined, competition is intense, making different marketing techniques necessary to overcome this challenge. Cost Per Install (CPI) networks allow ad campaigns that target desired audiences, prompting installs and increasing MAU and app store chart visibility. CPI networks take popular CPM and CPC models a step further by charging only when the user installs the app. These channels guarantee reaching high-quality users and measuring actual ROI for marketing efforts and budgets. The industry is growing rapidly, with a multi-billion dollar market, and 80% of top-grossing developers planning to increase spend on app-install ads in the next year. Various platforms, such as Facebook App Install ads, Universal App campaigns, and promoted app pins, offer unique solutions for reaching target audiences and driving app installs. These platforms provide extensive targeting options, measurable ROI, and high-quality user acquisition. The market is dominated by major players like InMobi, Mobvista, PropellerAds, Adcash, and Minimob, which offer comprehensive solutions for mobile marketing, ad mediation, and user acquisition.

Mobile apps have become an essential part of our lives, and hackers are increasingly targeting them due to their growing importance and popularity. A 2019 study found that 38% of iOS apps and 43% of Android apps have high-risk security vulnerabilities, with 60% of mobile app security vulnerabilities being on the client-side. Despite this, 95% of developers reported having room for improvement in their security protocols, indicating a need for effective mobile app protection tools. Several solutions are available, including DexGuard and iXGuard, Appsealing, Appdome, LIAPP, Digital.ai Application Protection, DexProtector, and Quixxi, which offer code obfuscation, data encryption, RASP features, and real-time threat monitoring to protect mobile apps from hackers with minimal effort. These tools can be integrated into CI/CD pipelines for seamless integration into workflows.

Mobile apps play a crucial role in our lives but are increasingly targeted by hackers due to prevalent security vulnerabilities, with studies indicating that a significant percentage of iOS and Android apps have high-risk vulnerabilities. Despite development teams dedicating substantial time to app security, safeguarding apps against malicious attacks remains challenging. Various tools have emerged to enhance mobile app protection through techniques like code obfuscation, data encryption, and runtime application self-protection (RASP). Notable tools include DexGuard, iXGuard, DoveRunner, Appdome, LIAPP, Digital.ai Application Protection, DexProtector, and Quixxi, each offering unique features such as real-time threat monitoring and integration with CI/CD pipelines to secure apps across multiple platforms including iOS, Android, and others. These tools address security needs by providing advanced protection mechanisms and monitoring capabilities, helping developers maintain app integrity and defend against unauthorized access and threats.

Instabug's Flutter APM tool helps developers track key metrics to improve their app's performance, including Apdex scores, UI hangs, network timeouts and issues, slow launches, tracking custom traces. The app Apdex score provides a single numerical representation of the app's performance, allowing teams to align around one KPI and communicate it to stakeholders. Instabug APM also monitors UI hangs, which can cause users to abandon an app if they experience unresponsive interfaces, and network performance issues that can impact user experience. Additionally, the tool tracks execution traces, which measure how long client-side logic takes to complete, and app launches, providing insights into the first gate users face when interacting with the app. By combining Instabug's APM with Crash Reporting and Bug Reporting, developers can gain a complete picture of their app's quality, performance, and stability, ultimately delivering the fastest and most reliable experience for users.

Luciq's Flutter Application Performance Management (APM) tool offers comprehensive monitoring to enhance app performance by tracking key metrics such as Apdex scores, UI hangs, network performance, execution traces, and app launch times. The Apdex score provides a holistic numerical representation of app performance, enabling alignment across teams and easy communication with stakeholders. UI hangs are analyzed to identify unresponsive parts of the app's interface, while network performance is assessed from both server-side and client-side perspectives to offer insights into response times and errors. Execution traces help track the duration of client-side logic execution, and app launch monitoring ensures a smooth initial user experience. Luciq's APM, when used in conjunction with its Crash Reporting and Bug Reporting tools, offers a complete picture of an app's quality, stability, and performance, allowing developers to proactively address issues before they affect users.