Android Unplugged

  Using Jenkins to automate your Android app’s build and release process can save a lot of time and effort. By integrating Fastlane into your Jenkins pipeline, you can automate tasks like versioning, building, testing, and uploading your app to the Google Play Store. In this section, we’ll walk through the steps to integrate Fastlane into Jenkins. Step 1: Install Fastlane on Your Jenkins Server First, you need to ensure that Fastlane is installed on your Jenkins server. You can install Fastlane using the following steps: Install Ruby : Since Fastlane is built with Ruby, you’ll need to install Ruby on your Jenkins server. On a Linux-based server, you can install Ruby by running: sudo apt update sudo apt install ruby-full Install Fastlane : Once Ruby is installed, you can install Fastlane using the following command: sudo gem install fastlane -NV Alternatively, you can add Fastlane to your project’s Gemfile and install it using Bundler (recommended for managing dependenc...

 When you release a new version of your Android app, there are a few important details that need to be updated: the version number, version code, and changelog. These are all critical for tracking releases and communicating new features or fixes to your users. Managing these elements manually can be time-consuming and error-prone, especially as your app evolves. But with Fastlane , you can automate versioning and changelog management, saving you time and avoiding mistakes. In this section, we’ll explore how to automate app versioning and changelog management using Fastlane . Step 1: Automating Versioning with increment_version_code Every time you upload a new version of your app to the Play Store, you need to increase the version code . This is required by Google Play to differentiate between different versions of your app. If you don’t increment the version code correctly, your app upload will fail. Fastlane makes this simple by automating the version code increment with the incre...

  If you’ve ever uploaded an app to the Google Play Store, you know that taking screenshots for all device types and screen sizes can be a tedious and repetitive task. Thankfully, Screengrab  — a Fastlane tool — automates this process, making it easy to capture screenshots directly from your app, without the need for manual intervention. In this section, we’ll show you how to set up Screengrab to automatically generate your app’s screenshots for the Play Store and save a lot of time in the process. Step 1: Install Screengrab Before we start, you need to install Screengrab as part of your Fastlane setup. If you’ve already installed Fastlane, then you’re good to go. If not, here’s how you can install it: fastlane add_plugin screengrab This will add Screengrab to your project and install the required dependencies. Once it’s installed, you’ll be able to use Screengrab to capture screenshots directly from your app. Step 2: Set Up Screengrab in Your Fastfile The next step is to ...

  Opening Note! Among numerous discussions and debates on the Internet these days about the suitable architecture to follow and adapt, Google recently published a detailed blog to follow best practices while we are articulating the Android App. App architecture defines the backbone of scalable, maintainable, and high-performance Android apps. In this article, I am trying to curate the key principles from Google’s official guide, ideal for an app architecture. The purpose of this article is to clarify architectural patterns and highlight universal best practices. Resources referenced: [Google’s Official Guide to App Architecture] [Phillipp Lackner’s YouTube Deep-dive]​ Common factors to design architecture 1. Tackle various config changes An Android App must run on a wide variety of available devices in the global market i.e., phones, tablets, foldables, and various orientations. Configuration changes like screen rotation, recreate activities. We must use ViewModels to preser...

  Undoubtedly, if we all strive everyday to build a robust app which support any Android Device in the world. There’s multiple aspects in Android Development lifecycle which is overlooked; i.e. Auto Backup Machenism . I’ll be talking in detail about this in this article, it has been very popular these days, since the popularity of Offline-first applications drastically increased. Precisely this is governed by android:allowBackup and backup_rules.xml configuration. Whether you’re optimizing a production release or debugging persistent reinstall issues, mastering app backups is really important skill. Highlighting the importance of android:allowBackup By default, android:allowBackup is true , which commands the application to back up the data to Google Drive , which consist of Databases , SharedPreferences , and Files . The purpose of this setting is to protect the user’s Data in case of App Uninstall or Device Migration . Anyways, we should be very cautious while playing with ...

  Introduction to Android Performance Optimization Android developers constantly face challenges related to application performance and efficiency. As the demand for high-performance applications grows, understanding the tools and techniques available to optimize app performance is crucial. In this blog post, we will delve into insights shared by experts in the field, particularly focusing on Baseline Profiles and Startup Profiles, while also discussing best practices for enhancing Android application performance. Understanding Performance in Android Development The Importance of Performance Performance is a broad area in Android development that directly impacts user experience. Applications that start slowly or exhibit jank during scrolling can lead to user dissatisfaction and uninstalls. Consequently, optimizing the performance of an app is a critical aspect of a seamless user experience. Key Areas to Focus On Startup Performance: The time taken for an app to become usable...