According to Google, around 90% of mobile devices on Earth run on Android. The company also has a total of 2.8 million apps available in the Play Store. If an app’s size gets beyond 150MB, its install rate will be decreased by 30%. For every 6MB expansion, the install conversion rate drops by 1%. Users across the world avoid downloading mobile applications that appear to be huge since their smartphones are frequently connected to 2G and 3G networks or pay-per-byte plans.
Being a leading mobile app development company in UK, our dedicated Android app developers have a bag of tricks to reduce Android app size without compromising with any features. Our Android app development services are fully customized to meet client’s requirements.
Apps, which brutally feast on data, RAM, and, most critically, battery life, take up the lion’s share of Android users’ phone storage. This, naturally, makes an app annoying to the users. Although photographs, videos, music, and other things can be stored in the cloud, a phone can only handle so much before struggling and hanging. Below we discuss how you can reduce the size of the app at the mobile development data and keep the app lite but equally efficient.
How to reduce android mobile application size at the development stage?

1. Use of Android Size Analyzer:
Use the Android Size Analyzer plugin inside Android Studio to figure out which files are taking up the most space in your app.
Below are the steps to install the plugin-
- Go to File > Settings (or on Mac, Android Studio > Preferences)
- Click on the Plugins section in the left panel
- Select the Marketplace tab.
- Look for the “Android Size Analyzer” plugin.
- Click the Install button for the analyzer plugin.
After installing the plugin, restart the IDE. For analyzing the application, go to Analyze — Analyze App Size from the menu bar.
2. Cutaway unwanted resources, classes, and codes:
The lint tool does not detect unused resources in the res/ folder. Instead, it prints a message when it finds unused resources. Proguard is a utility that enables you to shrink and shrink code. It does so by removing all the unused methods and classes.dex file. If your application only needs one language, then resConfig should be used.
3. Cut the size of graphics:
You can easily convert .png and .jpg images to webp format by converting them to .webp. Another way is to compress the png and jpg format files by the use of tools like pngcrush, pngquant, zopflipng, packJPG and guetzli. These tools are quite effective at compressing pictures. A simpler way is to use vectors in place of basic graphics as they utilize space well.
Use the Draw 9-patch tool to create images that automatically resize to fit the screen size.
4. Reducing the size of libraries:
When it comes to library utilization, see if you can lower the size. Use only certain Google Play Services libraries, for example. Only compile what is required.
5. Reduce the size of Java codebase and native:
Removing symbols of debugging- Use the arm-eabi-strip tool to remove debug symbols. It’s a good way to avoid generating unnecessary symbols. Avoiding the process of extracting native libraries- By default, PackageManager will not extract native libraries from Android apps. Due to the increasing number of apps, Android app sizes started to decrease. This led to a decrease in the number of app downloads.
6. Incorporating downloadable fonts:
This is brand-new for Android. Google knows that the bulk of apps on the Play Store use the same typefaces. These fonts, however, are already included in the app package. As a result, fonts are duplicated across many programmes on the same device. Apart from that, hardly any of these apps have been optimized for mobile. As a result, Google has included Downloadable Fonts in its Support Library 26.
7. By using on-demand features:
This app is a modular framework that lets you create gaming apps that are fully featured but are not required by most users. Users still will have to install APKs and Dynamic Delivery if they require a feature of these modules compiling the resources and codes to run the particular feature.
8. Getting Specific Screen Densities support
Consider the zillions of Android-enabled devices that beep throughout the world. Consider the platform that enables them to do so. Yes, Android is simple to use on a wide range of mobile devices with different screen densities, such as ldpi, tvdpi, mdpi, hdpi, xhdpi, xxhdpi, and xxxhdpi. You do not, however, require all of them for your app. It’s always possible to avoid exporting rasterized assets to each of them. Here’s how to go about it: Make a poll to find out what percentage of users have devices with different densities. Why bother packing all those densities in your app if this percentage is insignificant? After all, even if you don’t include them, Android will scale the available resources for other densities automatically.
What role does the Android app bundle play in reducing size?

1. Knowing Android App Bundle format
The development teams can upload their apps in APK format in two ways-
1. As a single file including all codes with resources the different device configurations.
2. Individually, as multiple files managing different device configurations.
App bundle is the new format for Android apps. It’s the best way to reduce the size of the downloaded app.
2. Knowing the use of the Android App Bundle
This app bundle serves as the code and resources needed to run your app on a specific device. By the use of the Dynamic Delivery serving model, the app bundle reduces the android app size, mainly through two main ways-
3. Using Configuration APK
Create a .aab format file and upload it to Google Play. It will generate 2 separate versions of your app, one Base and one Configuration. Scan the device configuration and generate configuration APKs. Each time an app is downloaded, the device’s configuration is updated.
What have we learned so far?
1. What is the need to keep the size of the app smaller?
2. How to analyze the size of the app?
3. How to reduce the Android size in the development?
Remember that the thinner the app, the greater the download rate. So, practice these tactics and try to squeeze your app’s waistline as tight as possible. If you’ve read thus far, you’re most likely that developer who isn’t fond of mobile apps that blatantly take up disc space and attract negative feedback from potential consumers. Auxano Global Services is a top Android app development company that specializes in a variety of methods. Our goal is to deliver the best design, development, and marketing solution as per the client’s needs. Contact us now.
Frequently Asked Questions
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1. How to reduce Android app size?
Android app size should be minimal to attract more users and boost performance. The methods to reduce the android app size are to remove unwanted resources or minimize resources, use drawable objects, compress PNG to JPEG files, and reuse resources for optimal performance.
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2. Does image optimization help Android apps reduce their size?
Yes, image optimization is one of the main methods to reduce the app size. All you have to do is convert PNG into JPEG files, avoid animations, and remove dead codes.
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3. What increases app sizes?
Attractive UI contains high-quality images that increase the app sizes. Dead codes and unnecessary resources also impact app size.
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4. What is the Android app bundle?
Android app bundle is a new format for uploading Android apps on the Google Play Store. It includes all your app compiled codes and resources, but defer APKs generation that reduces app sizes.
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5. What are the Android app size tools?
There are several tools that help in reducing Android app sizes. Use the Android Size Analyzer plugin inside Android Studio to figure out which files are taking up the most space in your app. Use the arm-eabi-strip tool to remove debug symbols. Android app bundle is also an impressive tool for reducing size while uploading it on Play Store.
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6. Who can help me with Android app development?
Auxano Global Services is a top Android app development company that specializes in a variety of methods. Our goal is to deliver the best design, development, and marketing solution as per the client’s needs. Our dedicated Android app developers have a bag of tricks to offer next-gen features with minimal app sizes.