Efficient and healthy background data prefetching at Instagram
Article Summary
Instagram's background prefetching could easily drain batteries and waste data. Here's how they built a system that's both fast and responsible.
Instagram's engineering team shared their approach to background data prefetching in a Facebook mobile engineering talk. The presentation focuses on balancing performance gains with user device health and data consumption.
Key Takeaways
- Background prefetching improves perceived performance but risks battery and data waste
- Instagram developed techniques to prefetch content efficiently without harming devices
- System balances aggressive performance optimization with responsible resource usage
Critical Insight
Instagram engineered a prefetching system that delivers speed improvements while protecting user battery life and data plans.
