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
   

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2. Instant apps are a…
   Modularization and Optimization

   Problem
   Plus configurations
   

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6. “It can take less than 

   a day of work to 

   get set up”
   

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8. “Depending on

   how your app 

   is built”
   

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11. I went on a
    mission to try it…
    

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12. …but it didn’t
    work.
    

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13. 1 2 3
    

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14. 1 2 3
    

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15. 1 2 3
    

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16. Still didn’t work.
    

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18. First it did.
    

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19. 1 2
    

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20. 1 2
    

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21. Then it didn’t
    anymore.
    

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22. 1 2 3
    

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23. 1 2 3
    

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24. 1 2 3
    

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25. So I tried outside
    the browser.
    

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27. And it worked
    always.
    

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29. What is an
    instant app?
    

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30. “…enables native Android
    applications to run in response to
    launching a URL, without installing
    the app.”
    

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31. Support ?
    2016 2018 (?) 2017
    

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32. Why do we need
    an instant app?
    

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33. Vimeo
    increased session 

    duration by 130%
    Jet
    increased conversion

    rate by 27%
    NY Crosswords
    2x number of sessions

    per user
    

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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.
    

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35. How does it
    work?
    

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36. 
    

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37. 
    feature.apk
    

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38. 
    “nope”
    

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39. 
    “nope”
    Broadcast

    Intent

    Handle
    URL
    

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40. How do we
    implement an
    instant app?
    

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41. “Depending on

    how your app 

    is built”
    

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42. I - Android Project
    Topeka App
    Phone & Tablet Module
    

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43. II - Splitting App & Base
    Topeka APP
    Phone & Tablet
    Topeka-Base
    Feature
    

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44. II - Adding Instant App
    Topeka APP
    Phone & Tablet
    Topeka-Base
    Feature
    Topeka-InstantApp
    Instant App
    

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45. III - Defining App Links
    

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46. III - Defining App Links
    

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47. III - Defining App Links
    

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48. III - Defining App Links
    myshoppingapp://products/600613
    https://.com/products/600613
    

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49. Build & Run
    

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50. II - Adding Instant App
    Topeka APP
    Phone & Tablet
    Topeka-Base
    Feature
    Topeka-InstantApp
    Instant App
    

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51. IV - Multi-Feature
    Topeka APP
    Phone & Tablet
    Topeka-Base
    Feature
    Topeka-InstantApp
    Instant App Feature #1 Feature #2
    

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52. IV - Multi-Feature
    Topeka APP
    Phone & Tablet
    Topeka-Base
    Feature
    Topeka-InstantApp
    Instant App Feature #1 Feature #2
    

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53. IV - Multi-Feature
    Topeka APP
    Phone & Tablet
    Topeka-Base
    Feature
    Topeka-InstantApp
    Instant App Feature #1 Feature #2
    

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54. Recap
    

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55. Application Module
    .aar .aar
    .apk
    .aar
    

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56. Instant App Module
    .apk .apk
    .zip
    .apk
    

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57. What use cases
    should an instant
    app cover?
    

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58. Use Cases
    “Instant Apps are driven by actions and
    should be available to users right when
    they are needed.”
    

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59. Use Cases
    

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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.”
    

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61. However…
    

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62. Unsupported Features
    • Long-running background services
    • Manifest-registered broadcast receivers
    • Externally accessible content providers
    • Re-engagement notifications
    

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63. Security?
    

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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.
    

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66. What about 

    UI/UX?
    

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67. Before and After
    

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68. No additional Splash Screens
    

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69. Allow task completion
    

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70. Publishing?
    

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71. Publishing
    • Code signing
    • Well formatted Intent Filters for proper deep linking
    • Each feature module plus the base module needs to be below
    4mb.
    

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72. APK size
    

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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
    

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74. But there is
    more…
    

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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.
    

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76. User Story
    

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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.”
    

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78. “It can take less than 

    a day of work to 

    get set up”
    

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80. Let’s discuss
    some possible
    conversions
    

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82. 1 2
    

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83. 1 2
    

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85. 1 2
    

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86. 1 2
    

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88. It’s not on Google Play :(
    

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89. Instant apps are a…
    Modularization and Optimization

    Problem
    Plus configurations
    

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90. Thank you!
    Questions?
    @fmendes6
    

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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
    

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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
    

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