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Android slow StartUp time - SOLUTION!

zahikramerzahikramer ILMember ✭✭✭
in Xamarin.Forms

My solution after 2 weeks of work, for StartUp time on Android Without AOT is Dual SplashScreen.

Actually, there is no magic here. The same init time is remains. This solution is based on UX "Perceived Performance".
UX here will be much better. Instead of the user sees a long-time delay on one splash screen (or without splashscreen, which is worse),
Now, the user sees 2 splash screens:
1. The normal splash screen, and…
2. Screenshot of the first interactive screen the user engaging when the app starts.
I called it 'FirstScreen', which I implement it with MainActivity. The user sees what screen he going to get while progress bar is showing, and when
the rendering is finished, the image (as a background) is switched with the real Page.

If we analyze the delay at the start (cold start), there are 2 kinds of delay:
1. Init code of different components (Forms.init, DI init (e.g. autofac etc.))
2. Rendering of the page.

So, by splitting the init code to the first activity (SplashActivity) and leaving only the Render delay to FirstScreen (or MainActivity), we can split the
delay time by 2 pages, and that way the user sees half of the total delay, on each screen.

Users starts to count the seconds on static screen. So, if you move fast to another screen, you good.
The perception now is the app starts FASTER (even actually, as you'll see later the app starts even slower a little bit).

I put my solution on Github DualSplash.
Check it out.

Credits to Ideas and components:
1. Acr.UserDialogs of Allan Ritchie @AllanRitchie.
2. XF Page_Load event by Mohamed Yousuf @yousufctec .
3. Splash screen in XF by Adam Pedley @AdamP .
4. Thank you All!

Issac Kramer.

Dual Splash which is faster?

Tagged:

Posts

  • zahikramerzahikramer ILMember ✭✭✭

    I tweaked the code even further, and now the difference is even better.
    Check it out.

  • N_BauaN_Baua INMember ✭✭✭✭✭

    Hi @zahikramer:

    I liked the idea, while I must say, this one is good.
    It would be good, if on git page you upload some comparison GIFs side by side and some bench-marking in graphical form (since you already have used stopWatch in code, data is already with you), that would create good impact. 1 like from me. Kudos.

    Regards,
    N Baua

  • zahikramerzahikramer ILMember ✭✭✭

    Thank you very much @N_Baua .
    Sorry, but I don't have the time for that, besides , i need you to see the miracle "with your own eyes" :smile:
    Regarding time, it depends on what device you running.
    On my nexus4 SingleSplash takes 10s to start, and DualSplash takes 5s.
    On the emulator 4s on Single, 2s on Dual.
    THIS IS THE WHOLE POINT! you are is the one who decides how much time it takes on the Splash Screen.
    Read what i wrote in the notes on github repo, you can play with the init code and stick it on the first splash , or the second.
    Enjoy!
    Issac Kramer

  • N_BauaN_Baua INMember ✭✭✭✭✭

    okey, fair enough

  • NickKovalskyNickKovalsky USMember ✭✭✭

    Just couldnt build it.

  • zahikramerzahikramer ILMember ✭✭✭
    What Error?
  • zahikramerzahikramer ILMember ✭✭✭

    The Matrix Steak :wink:

    Our job is to make our customers/users happy. Nothing beyond that!

  • zahikramerzahikramer ILMember ✭✭✭
    edited August 2017

    @NickKovalsky said:
    Just couldnt build it.

    You are right @NickKovalsky , i made a clean clone and i got the error "path too long" because of the long name of the Repo. Just cut the name (or move the whole Repo to short path) and make a full solution build , and I hope you good to go.

  • LewisKLewisK USUniversity ✭✭

    It is well documented here also - https://developer.xamarin.com/guides/android/user_interface/splash-screen/

  • zahikramerzahikramer ILMember ✭✭✭

    @LewisK said:
    It is well documented here also - https://developer.xamarin.com/guides/android/user_interface/splash-screen/

    Thanks @LewisK .
    The well documented topic is SingleSplash and not DualSplash.
    I red it before, and it gave me even the pinpoint of the direction, but it is far far away from the implementation of
    DualSplash.
    Check it out.

  • NamyslawSzymaniukNamyslawSzymaniuk USMember ✭✭✭✭
    I've already released app (written in XF) at Google Play and App Store, with AOT, and I definetelly recommend AOT, instead of such workarounds for startup time (especially on Android). It's not a real solution, but only visual 'trick'. My app with AOT is starting on around 3s, at crappy chinese device with Mediatek processor (without AOT it was around 6-8s). With your solution, user would still have to wait this loong time, in order to really use app.
  • N_BauaN_Baua INMember ✭✭✭✭✭

    @NamyslawSzymaniuk,

    Buh, I also implemented the AOT options and that reduced the launch time by 3-4 seconds, wish Xamarin studio and Visual Studio options have this implemented in project properties somewhere as a simple check box, I had to manually edit the project file, just to add AOT value as true from default as false.

  • NMackayNMackay GBInsider, University mod

    Does AOT not increase the APK size though?

  • zahikramerzahikramer ILMember ✭✭✭

    @NamyslawSzymaniuk AOT is fine solution, but it quadruples the APK size (for me at least),
    and sometimes it's a size you cannot release to store (users will be suspicious about it and the download time on 3G network will be BAD).
    But consider this: even after your AOT solution, you can ADD my solution and now instead of 3s startup you'll have 1.5s start up (!!!!). Isn't that better?
    My solution is good for every framework, even MVVMCROSS or other (I checked vanilla mvvmcross startup and it's slow like XF.
    You don't have to use it. For my opinion it's a great quick solution if you have complex app and you want quick solution without the need to start digging in you code and Refactor all the way down (until you will succeed to squeeze 1 or 2 sec).
    It is only an option for your considerations.

    @N_Baua on Visual Studio 2017 Enterprise edition there is AOT checkbox.

  • zahikramerzahikramer ILMember ✭✭✭

    And another point to remember:
    This solution is only for Cold Start. After the App loaded, and went to background, when you
    press the App Icon, it start immediately , for real!
    So the problem (and the solution) is only on the first time launch.
    Doesn't the users deserve for a better and quick response?? :wink: :wink:

  • N_BauaN_Baua INMember ✭✭✭✭✭

    @zahikramer

    on Visual Studio 2017 Enterprise edition there is AOT checkbox.
    Thanks for the info, didn't knew that they went for it. I am on community edition (being a small start-up).

    BTW Issac, AOT + Linker isn't that bad on file-size -and- performance, sure your solution tricks the users much better. kudos for that.

    N Baua

  • zahikramerzahikramer ILMember ✭✭✭
    edited August 2017

    @N_Baua
    Thank you very much Nhilesh.
    For me AOT+LLVM+linking took +120Mb apk size (and on the phone it shows even larger number for some reason(??)).
    But as you say, every case is different.
    I'm also small startup , so i applied for Microsoft Bizspark: https://bizspark.microsoft.com/ , and i got VS Ent for free for 3 years.
    Try that you 2!

  • N_BauaN_Baua INMember ✭✭✭✭✭

    @zahikramer

    Thanks for the tip, I'll try Bizspark option.
    APKs deflate on device, this is usual I guess, Android also keeps Res+Cache element in install location + any other file operations and service data gets accumulated, so it will always be on higher side.

  • zahikramerzahikramer ILMember ✭✭✭

    @N_Baua for your request:

    image
    image

  • JosecanallaJosecanalla ARMember ✭✭

    Hello! I want to test this project. I downloaded the solution and when I open it in VS Community 2017 over Windows 7 x64, the IDE can't load DualSplash.Core project and shows me an error because not found this file:

    C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Visual Studio\2017\Community\MSBuild\Sdks\Microsoft.NET.Sdk\Sdk\Sdk.props

    What is my mistake? Thanks!

  • zahikramerzahikramer ILMember ✭✭✭

    Hi @Josecanalla .
    I answered you on github.
    Tell me if it worked....

  • batmacibatmaci DEMember ✭✭✭✭✭

    @zahikramer is it healthy to initiliaze packages in async method like you did below? i was having problems with that once I uploaded on production and decided to do it sync again. And what is the reason you have GoogleAnayltics initialize and Xamarin Insights on different Activities?

    await Task.Run(() =>
                { if (bundle == null && !Insights.IsInitialized)
                                        {
                                            Xamarin.Insights.Initialize("AppID",
                                                ApplicationContext); //"b7015d6e120008cb54e81254b603f354855b059b", ApplicationContext);
                                                                     //Insights.Initialize("apikey", ApplicationContext);
                                            Insights.DisableCollection = false;
                                            Insights.DisableDataTransmission = false;
                                            Insights.DisableExceptionCatching = false;
                                        }
  • zahikramerzahikramer ILMember ✭✭✭

    Hi @batmaci .
    Read it on Github Readme.
    In this case it's a MUST to bundle this init code in MainActivity - "FirstScreen" with async code because
    not to load the UI thread and to finish OnCreate quickly.

    The whole point is to spread the init code between the 2 splash screens based on the needs of your app.
    If the init code is long and render time is short so move more init code to FirstScreen and less on SplashScreen.
    If init code is short and render time is long, move more init code to SplashScreen etc.

    If you have very long init+render time, you can consider to do Triple SplashScreen and put in the middle splash an Ad for example, thus your long delay will be spread across 3 pages and every page will fill like 1/3 of total delay time.

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