Imagine pouring months into building your app with perfect UI and the best features. Until now, everything has been running smoothly on your device. But then… users start complaining. It’s slow. It crashes. It freezes at the worst moments.
That’s the dangerous truth when it comes to mobile apps. When it doesn’t perform well, it doesn’t really last. Generally, performance isn’t just about speed. It’s about the users and their experience. This matters because it affects their retention and trust.
In today’s quick-moving mobile world, users expect apps to be lightning-fast. They want them to be responsive and buttery smooth. Did you know that up to 53% of users abandon mobile apps… why? Those apps take longer than 3 seconds to load!
One bad experience, and they’re hitting “uninstall.” For them, there is no second thought. That’s why mobile app performance isn’t just a technical detail. It’s the hidden backbone of your app’s success.
In this guide, we’re diving into everything you need to know to keep your app running like a dream. This includes performance-boosting best practices to the exact metrics you should track. Consider this your roadmap to an app that users actually want to keep on their phones.
What is mobile app performance?
Imagine you’ve just launched your dream app. Everything looks great. The features are all in place. Yet your users start dropping off. Downloads are up, but engagement? The engagement isn’t good, and the levels are falling.
That’s where mobile app performance steps in. App performance is basically how well your app runs and responds when people use it. Is it smooth? Fast? Does it crash out of nowhere? This is where you begin to measure key performance indicators (KPIs). Some vital metrics tell you how well your app is doing.
That way, you’re able to identify certain areas. So you’ll be able to identify the areas for improvement. This way, you’ll save your app from fading into oblivion. That’s the magic of performance metrics.
If your app ends up crashing or freezing, it’s in trouble. Why? Because when an app has errors, 88% of users become less likely to return. However, you’re able to avoid this when you monitor mobile app performance.
Why should you track mobile app performance?
Imagine knowing exactly why users are dropping off. You’ll even know where they’re getting stuck. So, with that kind of insight, you can make smarter updates. You can even create better user experiences and keep people coming back.
Tracking app performance gives you a crystal-clear view of how your app is actually doing in the real world. It isn’t just about how you think it’s doing. You’ll:
- spot bugs before users do
- fix lags before it becomes a problem
- understand what’s working (and what’s not)
- Identify crashes and crashes’ root causes
- Improve app store rankings
At the end of the day, performance tracking isn’t just about fixing problems. It’s also about growing your app the right way. The more seamless the experience, the happier your users. This means your app performs better in every sense. More than 47% of users want a mobile app to load in 2 seconds or less.
You’re able to improve your app architecture. So then, why wouldn’t you track your mobile app performance?
What are the essential mobile app performance metrics to track?
When it’s about performance, you need to measure key performance indicators (KPIs). These are some aspects that tell you about your app’s health. Just like how you need to track your heart, lung, and stomach’s health. They help you stay healthy. You need to measure these KPIs to ensure good app health. Let’s see what they are:
1. Download rate
So, you’re on your phone’s app store. You’re scrolling through apps because you’re bored. Eventually, you reach an app that you really like. What do you do? You download it on your phone!
This is what your users will do when they find your app. This will happen when they find something worth it. Your app should solve a problem or do something more than your competitors. That way, you’ll get higher downloads.
More downloads mean your app is getting popular. However, it doesn’t mean your app will start generating revenue right away. Maybe your app is crashing for some users. The rest of them could be finding bugs. For now, it’s vital to just see that your downloads are stable. The rate shouldn’t be falling.
2. Retention rate
This tells you how many users continue to use your app after the first visit. High retention means users find real value in your app. Of course, you won’t continue using an app if you don’t see anything of value there.
Your app retains users when it provides good features. A higher retention rate means that more and more users are coming back. Whichever analytics software you integrate with your app will tell you this. It will tell you whether your app is doing good.
Lower retention rates aren’t bad. This is because they’re telling you something valuable. They’re telling you where and how you can be better. Maybe your user interface is confusing. Perhaps your app’s user experience isn’t that nice. Your retention rates will play a role here. You will know what to fix. Your native mobile app database will be enhanced.
3. Churn rate
This is the flip side of retention. Think of how retention rates talk about how often your app’s users are coming back. Now, churn rates are more about how often users leave. This is after they purchase something or do business with you.
If your app is providing subscriptions, then the churn rate will show you how many users cancel it. It is also about how often they don’t renew it. It often happens that you subscribe to a channel or service but find out you don’t need it that much. This just happens sometimes.
Unlike the retention or download rates, the churn rate works differently. It’s better when it is lower. The lower your churn rates, the better your retention rates. You have to measure key performance indicators (KPIs). This way, you’ll know how good your app is doing. It should serve your users better.
4. Loading Speed
A slow app = unhappy users. In fact, 70% of users abandon apps when they take too long to load. Some of these users never even come back. It happens just because your loading speed isn’t good. Unfortunately, users have to install and use it for you to know how well it is doing.
Tracking your app’s load time helps you understand a lot. This includes how quickly users can access your content. It also means how quickly things are leading when they interact with the elements. We all want and expect high-performing apps.
When you measure the loading speed, you know how long it’s taking. Your native mobile app database should be quick. This way, you don’t have to worry about it. An app that has a detailed development phase is likely to load quickly. Ideally, your app shouldn’t take longer than 2 seconds to load. This way, users will stay engaged.
5. Conversion rates
What do you do when you really like an app or business? You purchase from them. It feels great when you’re looking for quality, and you find it. When you finally do it, it makes companies happy. This is because you just added to their conversion rates.
Conversion rates measure how well your app persuades users to take action. Higher conversion rates are good. Your users are buying your services now. Now, it is your responsibility to provide them with high-quality services.
When you’re providing good services, your conversion rates will continue increasing. If they’re not meeting your monthly goal, this means they’re falling. Failing conversion rates show you ways to improve your app. Don’t get discouraged. If your users aren’t converting, it’s time. Start adding offers and sales.
6. Monthly/daily active users
Of course, when your friend asks you to get on an app with them, they’re doing good for that business. It’s also for you. As the users, you’ll love to explore the app. The business that owns the app will benefit from this. How? They’ll get more active users!
Active users can be a blessing for any app. Think of WhatsApp as an example. How many people around you use it? It has around 2 billion active users! This could be your business, too. Keep measuring your mobile app performance, and you’ll know how.
Your daily app users tell you how well your app is doing. These daily numbers create the average for monthly users. When you have good rates for your monthly users, it’s nice. Eventually, this becomes a yearly rate. Because even if this increases by two more users every month, it’s good for your app.
7. User Satisfaction
What’s the top reason that you continue using an app? It happens when the app meets your needs. The main reason why an app gets popular is because it solves a problem that most users face. This is especially true when they’re using a similar app.
Your app will work the same way. Now, after launching it, just sit back. Relax and let your users do their thing. Eventually, you will realize how much your users like your app. This will tell you your app’s satisfaction rates.
This user feedback becomes your goldmine. It tells you what’s working. Yet, it also tells you what’s not working. It shows you what can be improved. And most importantly, it shows you how happy people are with your app. This is a strong indicator of future growth. It helps increase your retention rates and even referrals.
8. Net Promoter Score
Have you ever visited a website or an app? Of course, you have! But have you ever come across the feedback part? You might even find that after a YouTube ad. It shows you a rating scale. You rate it to tell how satisfied you are with an ad.
Just like that, businesses utilize this rating scale, too. It boasts the question, “How likely are you to recommend this app to others?” Companies take this very seriously. NPS is an important KPI for them. It shows them how likely users are to recommend their app.
A good net promoter score is great for any business. Low scores are not that bad. Analytical software can show you the exact problem. This way, you can fix it. Maybe you can change the placement of certain buttons. Even that can make a difference. Your net promoter score can increase. It is easy with the help of good developers by your side!
9. Session Duration
How long do you use your favorite app? Let’s consider it as Instagram. You probably scroll on Instagram for 3-4 hours every day. Let’s suppose you open it in pieces, like 2 hours in the evening and 2 hours in the night. This means that per session, your usage time was 2 hours. In total, it was 4.
On average, a good session duration for any app is around two to four minutes. If It’s higher, then it’s great. However, if your session durations are shorter than a minute, it isn’t good. Maybe your users are facing a blockage.
Sometimes, users get confused. Due to this, they don’t understand how to move forward. So, they just leave the app. Sometimes, they come back. But often, they leave. If this is the case, you can analyze your app’s usage. Once you have a few sessions, you might find patterns. Hence, you’ll know what to work on.
10. Return on Investment
This tracks the profitability of your app. Let’s talk about the money side of things. Because at the end of the day, you’re not just building an app for fun—you’re hoping it brings in some serious value, right? ROI (Return on Investment) tells you exactly that: “Am I making more money than I’m spending?”
A positive ROI means your app is doing well financially. A negative ROI means it’s time to rethink your strategy. Tracking ROI helps you decide if your app is worth scaling. It’s because you understand which features or marketing campaigns are bringing the most value.
So you’ll be able to make smarter decisions with your budget going forward. Because, yes, downloads are great. Engagement is awesome. The application security is high-class. But if your app isn’t paying off? It’s time to check again.
What are the best practices to improve mobile app performance?
The app architecture matters a lot when you want good mobile app performance. The user interface and user experience matter, too. Sure, the development part of the app does a lot. However, some other aspects, like design, also contribute to the mobile app’s performance.
App instrumentation helps you track the vital KPIs. Let’s see which best practices can help you enhance your app’s performance:
Prioritize the user experience
Make it smooth. Make it seamless. The user experience has a lot of power. Around 74% of visitors may return to a website only if it has a good mobile UX. The same stands for mobile apps, too.
An excellent UX equals better retention. The higher your retention rates, the better your app is doing! Your user interface should be less confusing. Users should be able to navigate through it easily. This will make users more confident. They’ll keep coming back.
Optimize your app’s battery life
Limit background activity, avoid unnecessary location tracking, and optimize animations or graphics that drain power. Energy efficiency = happy users. The app architecture should be good. This will manage your app’s battery life usage.
It is rare. Yet, your app’s battery usage can be the main reason why users are uninstalling apps. It’s hard to digest, but up to 90% of an app’s users have vanished. It was because of bad performance. High battery usage can be a part of this.
Lessen the App Launch Time
Use lazy loading and compress assets to speed things up. Lazy loading means that every element isn’t loading at startup. It’s a way to optimize resource usage. This is because when everything starts loading at the same time, your app might lag.
Lazy loading ensures that only those elements are loaded, which is necessary. This means everything loads quickly. Plus, your users get a good user experience. This is because everything they’re engaging with responds quickly.
Reduce Your App’s Size
Big apps take longer to download and load and eat up storage space. Compress images, remove unused libraries, and be smart with media files. Keep it lean, keep it light. Around 20% of users have gotten rid of apps that were taking too much storage.
App instrumentation helps you improve mobile app performance. So, make your app’s size smaller! It greatly affects the performance of any app. You need to ensure that it doesn’t take too much storage on anyone’s phone. Let it be there as a light software.
Enable Offline Mode
Make your app one that’s always there for your users. How can you do it? Which app do you open when there’s no network? Isn’t it there for you when you need it? That app is probably what you resort to when there’s nothing else to do.
Your app shouldn’t freeze up completely if the internet drops. Offering offline functionality where possible (like saved content or local caching) boosts both performance and user satisfaction.
Keep the UI Simple and Intuitive
Simplicity is powerful. Too many features, complicated menus, or fancy visuals can slow down the app and confuse users. A clean, easy-to-use interface = better performance and better usability.
What are the Limitations of Mobile App Performance?
Tracking mobile app performance can do a lot. Yet, like every other thing, you’ll find limitations. Often, how well your app performs isn’t just limited to you. Sometimes, the limits are due to other sources. Let’s see what might limit your app from performing well:
Hardware Constraints
Everyone isn’t up-to-date with the latest hardware components. Some people are still using old devices. That’s okay. But sometimes, they clash with software performance. Hardware comes with its own challenges.
Sometimes, it isn’t your app. It’s actually the user’s device that is crashing or lagging. This is a kind of limitation that you can’t control. Your app instrumentation may fall short here. On your side, you should still ensure that your app is working well. It should be performing well.
Battery Consumption
These days, most phones have long-lasting batteries. Why is that? Well, these days, needs are different. Every user wants to save battery. They don’t know when they need it. They expect the same from apps. What happens when users realize your app is draining their phone? They’ll uninstall it—fast.
Remember when Snapchat used to drain the battery fast? People were avoiding it. They tried to use it as little as possible. You don’t want this to be your app. Yet, sometimes, it isn’t your app’s fault. This could be more of a system issue.
Limited Network Connectivity
Your app might work flawlessly on fast Wi-Fi or 5G. But not everyone has that. It’s a struggle many of us face. Think of how well Netflix works. Now, think of how it starts glitching and hangs without good net.
Many users still rely on slower mobile networks. This is especially true in rural or remote areas. If your app isn’t optimized for low-bandwidth environments, performance will suffer. Your app architecture should be optimized. Otherwise, your app will take longer to load. There will be failed processes or broken features.
Storage Space
Mobile users are constantly juggling their phone’s storage. If your app is too large or takes up too much cache/data over time, it might be the first one to go when they need to free up space. Users don’t want an app that eats up room unnecessarily.
If your app has to take that much space, it should deliver enough, too. This means that your app should have many features, too. If it’s taking more space than it’s giving, users might uninstall your app pretty quickly.
System Fragmentation
What works perfectly on one device might glitch on another. This is especially the case in Android. This is because its system runs differently on various devices. Samsung, Infinix, Xiaomi, the list doesn’t end.
This system fragmentation can create issues. Sometimes, your app is working excellently on one user’s phone. Yet, it is glitching on other users’ phones. This is a software fragmentation limit. So, you won’t be able to deliver a consistent experience across all devices. Luckily, this isn’t that big of an issue with Apple-only apps.
Security Constraints
Mobile app performance can also be limited by how securely it’s built. For example, strict encryption or privacy protocols can slow things down. And if you’re using third-party integrations with security layers, they might introduce latency.
But of course, security should never be compromised for speed—it’s just about finding the right balance. Application security is an important thing. 26% of teenagers have uninstalled some specific apps. Why is that? It’s because these apps were collecting personal information. They didn’t feel safe with that.
How can Linkitsoft help with your app’s performance?
You’re doing good for your app when you monitor mobile app performance. But what do you do after finding areas for improvement? You’ll eventually need a developer. This is extra important when you don’t have technical expertise.
Sometimes, issues appear in apps after launch. Mostly, it happens when you don’t conduct app testing before launch. Yes, the initial development plays an essential part in this. The development stage affects many aspects of your app. So, it’s necessary that you have a good developer on your team.
Maybe your app is complex or enterprise-level. In that case, you’ll need a whole team. This team needs to be skilled. They should collaborate with each other, as well as you. This is why Linkitsoft is here. Our company develops:
- Apps with intuitive and navigable user interfaces
- They perform smoothly and load quickly
- We conduct several tests to ensure there are no bugs.
- We overlook the app deployment process. This ensures there are no bugs or crashes.
- Our apps get ongoing maintenance and updates.
Linkitsoft’s services have no hidden fees. Our team collaborates with each other on every project. We prioritize our clients’ needs. Our developers don’t just do what they want. They do what you want for your app.
Let’s wrap things up
When you monitor mobile app performance, you do good for your company and users. When you make an app for your business, you create an online representation of it. It’s connected to your company and becomes a source of revenue. So, you need to pay attention to it. You should improve it for both your users and yourself.
Mobile app performance is a crucial aspect. Don’t leave it to fate. It isn’t for guesswork. It is a lot of work to develop and launch it. Yet, there’s a lot more left. This includes updates. It even includes taking care of the app’s performance for maintenance. However, when a reliable source develops your app, there’s less chance for error.
So why wait? You’ve got the idea. We’ve got the skills. Connect with Linkitsoft. Let us partner with you and deliver our expertise. Together, we will provide a user experience that will keep users coming back. Let’s get started!
