Android Instant Apps - An Introduction

This talk covers a very basic introduction about Android Instant Apps, focusing more on the experience and its product side and less on its technical challenges.

It tries to overview how are they implemented, why are they important and which use cases should be covered.

Transcript

1. Android Instant apps An introduction @fmendes6
2. Instant apps are a… Modularization and Optimization
 Problem Plus configurations
6. “It can take less than 
 a day of work to 
 get set up”
8. “Depending on
 how your app 
 is built”
11. I went on a mission to try it…
12. …but it didn’t work.
13. 1 2 3
14. 1 2 3
15. 1 2 3
16. Still didn’t work.
18. First it did.
19. 1 2
20. 1 2
21. Then it didn’t anymore.
22. 1 2 3
23. 1 2 3
24. 1 2 3
25. So I tried outside the browser.
27. And it worked always.
29. What is an instant app?
30. “…enables native Android applications to run in response to launching a URL, without installing the app.”
31. Support ? 2016 2018 (?) 2017
32. Why do we need an instant app?
33. Vimeo increased session 
 duration by 130% Jet increased conversion
 rate by 27% NY Crosswords 2x number of sessions
 per user
34. dotloop 62% increase in users
 who sign a document Onefootball # users who read news 
 and share content 
 increased 55% realtor.com 2x number of leads 
 per property listing 
 details pageview.
35. How does it work?
36. <click>
37. <click> feature.apk
38. <click> “nope”
39. <click> “nope” Broadcast
 Intent
 Handle URL
40. How do we implement an instant app?
41. “Depending on
 how your app 
 is built”
42. I - Android Project Topeka App Phone & Tablet Module
43. II - Splitting App & Base Topeka APP Phone & Tablet Topeka-Base Feature
44. II - Adding Instant App Topeka APP Phone & Tablet Topeka-Base Feature Topeka-InstantApp Instant App
45. III - Defining App Links
46. III - Defining App Links
47. III - Defining App Links
48. III - Defining App Links myshoppingapp://products/600613 https://<my-shopping-app-domain>.com/products/600613
49. Build & Run
50. II - Adding Instant App Topeka APP Phone & Tablet Topeka-Base Feature Topeka-InstantApp Instant App
51. IV - Multi-Feature Topeka APP Phone & Tablet Topeka-Base Feature Topeka-InstantApp Instant App Feature #1 Feature #2
52. IV - Multi-Feature Topeka APP Phone & Tablet Topeka-Base Feature Topeka-InstantApp Instant App Feature #1 Feature #2
53. IV - Multi-Feature Topeka APP Phone & Tablet Topeka-Base Feature Topeka-InstantApp Instant App Feature #1 Feature #2
54. Recap
55. Application Module .aar .aar .apk .aar
56. Instant App Module .apk .apk .zip .apk
57. What use cases should an instant app cover?
58. Use Cases “Instant Apps are driven by actions and should be available to users right when they are needed.”
59. Use Cases
60. Use Cases 
 “Instant Apps should focus primarily on helping users complete whatever task they set out to do with as little friction as possible, not drive full app installs.”
61. However…
62. Unsupported Features • Long-running background services • Manifest-registered broadcast receivers • Externally accessible content providers • Re-engagement notifications
63. Security?
65. Security • During development you need to prove that you own the domain through some .json configuration files. • The Instant App has limited access to handheld device-spec info, fe. MMI, Mac address, etc. • Access is denied automatically, so even as a developer, you cannot get access to this data. • However, you will have full access to Android ID and Ad ID.
66. What about 
 UI/UX?
67. Before and After
68. No additional Splash Screens
69. Allow task completion
70. Publishing?
71. Publishing • Code signing • Well formatted Intent Filters for proper deep linking • Each feature module plus the base module needs to be below 4mb.
72. APK size
73. APK Size Reduction • Refactor the codebase • Remove unused resources • Use more efficient file formats like WebP. • Download assets at runtime, if it makes sense and if possible. • Review internal/external libraries
74. But there is more…
75. Other concerns • The user state should be kept after the app gets installed. • Proguard may need to be reconfigured. • Injected dependencies may need some adjustments. • It can be challenging to move from a custom layered architecture to an Instant App ready architecture.
76. User Story
77. “Reserve time for developing the instant app and stop developing features during this time. This makes refactoring and moving code a lot easier. It took us about 4–5 weeks for a first releasable version.”
78. “It can take less than 
 a day of work to 
 get set up”
80. Let’s discuss some possible conversions
82. 1 2
83. 1 2
85. 1 2
86. 1 2
88. It’s not on Google Play :(
89. Instant apps are a… Modularization and Optimization
 Problem Plus configurations
90. Thank you! Questions? @fmendes6
91. References General • https://developer.android.com/topic/instant-apps/guides/index.html • https://medium.com/inloop/android-instant-apps-part-2-7bebb74fa7bb • https://techbeacon.com/how-deploy-android-instant-apps-web-apps-take- native-apps • https://speakerdeck.com/cyrilmottier/introduction-to-android-instant-apps • https://developer.android.com/topic/instant-apps/overview.html • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cosqlfqrpFA • https://developer.android.com/stories/index.html • https://developer.android.com/topic/instant-apps/ux-best-practices.html Reducing APK size • https://android-developers.googleblog.com/2017/08/android-instant-apps- best-practices-for.html • https://speakerdeck.com/pareshmayani/generating-efficient-apk-by-reducing- size-and-improving-performance • https://developer.android.com/topic/instant-apps/prepare.html • https://developer.android.com/topic/performance/reduce-apk-size.html
92. References Developer Stories • http://rea.tech/building-the-realestate-com-au-android-instant-app/ • https://willowtreeapps.com/ideas/an-introduction-to-android-instant-apps • https://medium.com/jet-stories/make-your-app-instant-33855ab5d02b • https://medium.com/vimeo-engineering-blog/vimeo-android-instant- apps-2f8b1e94760c • https://tech.ticketmaster.com/2017/05/18/ticketmaster-demonstrates-cutting- edge-android-instant-apps-technology-at-google-io/ • https://medium.com/nos-digital/some-useful-insights-on-instant- apps-67cc7d177695 • http://tech.domain.com.au/2017/06/making-the-domain-android-app-instant- ⚡/ • https://tech.buzzfeed.com/from-westinghouse-to-android-instant- apps-60fbfaca4ebe Codelab • codelabs.developers.google.com/codelabs/android-instant-apps
 Cover • https://goo.gl/m4ovQ4