Rybczak says app size can affect downloads and points to charts from Twilio Segment and CleverTap. He cites a CleverTap finding that almost 19% of users uninstall apps because of limited storage.
The Size of Your App Matters
Speaker
Szymon Rybczak, a software engineer at Callstack, explains how enabling ProGuard can reduce Android app size in the React Native Optimization Shorts series.
Rybczak builds a basic React Native Android app with a few native dependencies using `npx react-native build-android --mode release`. The initial app is 29 MB.
In `build.gradle`, Rybczak sets `enableProguardInReleaseBuilds` to `true` and rebuilds with the same command. He reports the new build is about 2 to 2.5 MB smaller, even in this relatively new app.
Rybczak directs viewers to Callstack's 2024 React Native Optimization Guide for more techniques and flags. He says the guide has 23 chapters covering tips for performance issues.
Takeaways
- Measure the release build before and after changing optimization settings.
- For Android release builds, try enabling `enableProguardInReleaseBuilds` and check the resulting app size.
- Treat the reported 2 to 2.5 MB reduction as an example from one small project; results depend on the app.
- Consider storage constraints when prioritizing app size, since the cited CleverTap chart links them to uninstall decisions.
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What was claimed 4
- role atSzymon Rybczak is Senior React Native developer at
Callstack“I'm a senior React Native developer at Callstack.”
0:00inIntelligent Fallbacks: Using Apple Intelligence Seamlessly With @react-native-ai/appleYouTube Verified6 sources· Talk
- built
“In The Ultimate Guide to React Native Optimization 2024, we've covered a bunch of techniques”
YouTube Verified2 sources· Talk
- featureProGuard release optimization: Minifies Java bytecode in release mode when enabled
“This value controls whether Java bytecode in release mode is minified.”
YouTube Unverified1 source· Talk
- metricProGuard release optimization: Enabling it made the demo app build about 2–2.5 MB smaller
“By toggling one flag inside `build.gradle`, our app is 2.5 MB smaller.”
YouTube Unverified1 source· Talk
