Android Developers Blog: Leveling Guide for your Performance Journey
Article Summary
Google's Android team just dropped a performance framework that meets you where you are. Whether you're a solo dev or leading a performance team, there's a clear path forward.
Alice Yuan, Senior Developer Relations Engineer at Google, outlines a five-level performance optimization framework for Android developers. Each level builds on the last, from basic monitoring to custom production instrumentation.
Key Takeaways
- Level 1: Start free with Play Console tracking crash rates and ANRs automatically
- Level 2: App Performance Score (0-100) pinpoints high-leverage configuration wins like R8 minification
- Level 3-4: Macrobenchmark automates testing while Perfetto traces reveal system-wide bottlenecks
- Level 5: Android 15 APIs enable custom production monitoring for advanced teams
- New metric alert: Excessive partial wake locks now tracked (sessions over 2 hours)
Critical Insight
Android performance optimization now has a clear progression path from zero-cost Play Console monitoring to custom production frameworks with Android 15 APIs.
