Android Developers Blog: Precise Improvements: How TikTok Enhanced its Video Social Experience on Android
Article Summary
TikTok slashed app startup time by 45% and reduced video lag by 27%. Here's how they did it using Android's native toolchain.
With 1 billion daily users on diverse devices and network conditions, TikTok's Android team faced a critical challenge: maintaining smooth performance while rapidly adding features. They turned to Android's performance tools and Jetpack libraries to systematically tackle jank, slow startup, and video playback issues.
Key Takeaways
- Refactored startup framework with App Startup library for on-demand component loading
- Used Layout Inspector to simplify View hierarchy and distribute tasks across frames
- Created pooled media player instances per codec, running in separate threads
- Implemented dynamic buffer adjustment and on-device video super-resolution
- First frame appears 41% faster with 49% improvement in frame rate smoothness
Critical Insight
By leveraging Android Studio Profiler, Systrace, and Jetpack libraries, TikTok achieved a 1% increase in active days per user and higher session duration.
