October 2021 Summaries

ANR errors, also known as Application Not Responding errors, occur when an app becomes unresponsive to user input for more than five seconds or when a broadcast receiver is unable to finish executing its `onReceive()` method within 10 seconds. This can lead to frustration and abandonment of the app by users. ANRs are often overlooked but can have a significant impact on user experience. Developers can use crash reporting tools with ANR detection, such as Instabug Crash Reporting, to capture these errors and identify the root cause. To avoid ANRs, developers should consider strategies like running slow code on worker threads, executing I/O operations on worker threads, mismanaging lock states, avoiding deadlocks, and optimizing broadcast receivers. By addressing these causes, developers can improve their app's stability and user experience.

Application Not Responding (ANR) errors are significant disruptions to an app's user experience, akin to crashes, as they cause the app to become unresponsive to user input for over five seconds or prevent a broadcast receiver from completing its execution within ten seconds. These errors prompt the operating system to inform users about the app's unresponsiveness, offering them the choice to either force-quit the app or wait for it to recover, with many users opting for the former. ANRs can be caused by various factors, including executing slow code or I/O operations on the main thread, mismanaging lock states, deadlocks, and slow broadcast receivers. To mitigate these issues, developers can employ strategies such as running heavy workloads on worker threads, managing resource locks carefully, and using broadcast receivers for light tasks. Tools like Luciq Crash Reporting can help detect and analyze ANR errors by providing detailed reports with console logs, network logs, and device state profiles, aiding developers in identifying and resolving underlying issues efficiently.

The latest updates to Instabug's Application Performance Monitoring (APM) feature aim to simplify the process of identifying and debugging performance issues. A new Outlier Insights box highlights deviations from patterns, allowing users to quickly identify potential problems. The update also includes a more detailed breakdown of iOS cold app launch stages, enabling developers to pinpoint slow stages and optimize their app's performance. Additionally, network failures are now easier to monitor with the addition of a column displaying client- and server-side failure rates, and users can view the rate of change in their apdex score over time to assess performance trends. These enhancements aim to empower developers to deliver high-quality app experiences by optimizing performance and quality.

Luciq's latest updates to its Application Performance Monitoring (APM) tool enhance the speed and ease of diagnosing and debugging issues by introducing features such as automatic pattern identification, network failure rate monitoring, and a detailed breakdown of iOS cold app launch stages. The new Outlier Insights feature highlights deviations from expected performance patterns, allowing users to focus on significant anomalies in their data. iOS developers benefit from a granular stage-by-stage analysis of cold app launches, enabling them to target and optimize slower stages. Additionally, a new column on the Network Performance page displays network failures, offering detailed insights into both client and server-side issues for improved debugging. Users can now also track changes in their apdex score over time, aiding in the assessment of overall app performance trends.

The new conditions added to our rules engine for iOS and Android allow you to perform actions based on the path, package, and/or filename of crashes. Instabug uses your app's dSYM/mapping files to obtain this information, which can then be used to create custom rules for crash reporting. This feature is currently in beta and available upon request. It introduces new matching behavior that supports partial matches and provides more relevant crash data to teams, helping them stay on top of issues most relevant to their app without having to check all other issues.

Luciq has introduced new conditions in its rules engine for iOS and Android, allowing users to filter and manage crash reports more efficiently by creating actions based on the crash's origin path (iOS), package (Android), or filename. Utilizing app dSYM/mapping files, users can set up rules to forward and assign crashes that are most relevant to their team, avoiding the need to sift through all received issues. The feature, currently in beta, also supports partial matches for path/package conditions, and more details can be found in the documentation. Interested users can request access by contacting Luciq's support team or through the Intercom chat on the dashboard.

With the abundance of mobile apps available, users are becoming increasingly sensitive to app quality as a differentiator when deciding which app to use. To counter this, mobile app developers need to address quality concerns with bug reporting and crash reporting tools, but also implement mobile application performance monitoring (APM) to stay on top of their app's performance and improve it to deliver the best experience for users. APM helps track key app performance indicators, including metrics like app launch and loading times, screen and content loading times, and other aspects of an app's performance. By using APM tools, developers can monitor the end-user experience, application discovery, tracing, and diagnostics, as well as application analytics to identify areas for improvement. This proactive approach allows developers to discover and fix performance issues before they become one-star reviews and lost revenue. Key components of APM include end-user experience monitoring, application discovery, tracing, and diagnostics, as well as application analytics. By using a mobile app performance monitoring tool like Instabug, developers can track key metrics, such as Apdex scores, UI hangs, network timeouts and issues, slow launches, custom traces, and more, to improve their app's performance and deliver the fastest and most reliable experience for users.

In a competitive app market where quality is a key differentiator, mobile application performance monitoring (APM) is essential for delivering a high-quality user experience. Users are less likely to choose apps that crash or are slow, emphasizing the need for proactive performance management beyond traditional bug and crash reporting. APM tools like Luciq's allow developers to monitor key performance metrics such as app launch times, UI hangs, and network performance, providing insights into user experience and potential issues. These tools track end-user experience, application diagnostics, and analytics, helping to identify and resolve performance bottlenecks. Luciq's APM, combined with bug and crash reporting, forms a comprehensive strategy to maintain app quality, reduce negative feedback, and improve business metrics like downloads and retention. By enabling real-time monitoring and analysis, APM tools ensure that apps are responsive, reliable, and meet user expectations, ultimately helping developers stay ahead in the crowded app marketplace.

Flutter mobile development tools are limited, but there are several great options available. Panache is an open-source material theme editor that allows for beautiful and highly customizable themes. Supernova is a design-to-code tool that converts Sketch and Adobe XD designs into native front-end code for Flutter. Codemagic is the first Flutter-focused CI/CD tool created by Nevercode, automating build, test, and release pipelines. Sylph is an open-source command-line tool that runs Flutter integration and end-to-end tests on hundreds of real iOS and Android devices in the AWS device farm. Amplitude is a popular analytics tool that helps track user interactions and integrates with mobile app development tools. Count.ly is an open-source analytics tool focusing on security and privacy, offering a free version with basic metrics and a paid version with more extensive features. AppsFlyer is a mobile attribution tool that helps understand marketing campaigns' performance across devices and apps. Instabug is a mobile-first app performance platform providing tools for testing new features, improving app performance, and collecting actionable feedback. WonderPush is another push notification and in-app messaging tool offering powerful features at an affordable price. RevenueCat is an in-app purchases and subscription management tool supporting iOS, Android, and Stripe. Square is an in-app payment solution handling complexities with a customizable UI and support for digital wallets. Instabug empowers mobile teams to maintain industry-leading apps with user-centric stability and performance monitoring.

Mobile app A/B testing tools allow for the creation of randomized experiments using two or more variants to compare the performance of different alternatives and determine which one works best for a mobile app. These tools can help improve a mobile app's design and conversion rates, gauge interest in new features, and measure the satisfaction of different app changes. Various mobile A/B testing platforms are available, including Optimizely, Apptimize, Leanplum, Mixpanel, Taplytics, Adobe Target, Kibo, Oracle Maxymiser, and Vanity. These platforms offer a range of features and support multiple platforms, allowing users to choose the best tool based on their needs. Many of these platforms are used by well-known companies such as Microsoft, Zendesk, Atlassian, Hotels.com, HotelTonight, Glassdoor, Delivery Hero, Tinder, Zynga, App Annie, NBC, Philips, Swisscom, Progrexion, FOX, The North Face, PANDORA, True Religion, National Geographic, and more.

Mobile app A/B testing tools facilitate the creation of randomized experiments to compare various app elements, such as buttons, copy, and images, to determine which variants perform best. These tools enhance app design, conversion rates, and user satisfaction by allowing developers to test and refine features without needing app store approvals. Leading platforms, including Optimizely, Apptimize, Leanplum, Mixpanel, Taplytics, Adobe Target, Kibo, Oracle Maxymiser, and Vanity, offer diverse functionalities like real-time app modifications, cross-platform tracking, personalized experiences, and AI-driven analytics. Each platform caters to different user needs, with pricing often dependent on demand, while some, like Vanity, are free and open-source.