Modernising a Legacy Android App Architecture: Part One - Single Activity
Article Summary
Rob Pridham from BBC Sport reveals how they modernized a 7-year-old Android codebase without a full rewrite. The secret? A strategic refactor that tackled navigation chaos first.
BBC Sport's Android app, built in 2013, had accumulated significant tech debt with multiple activities creating navigation complexity and duplicated responsibilities. Rather than starting from scratch, the team executed a focused refactor to align with modern Android practices while maintaining product consistency.
Key Takeaways
- Replaced multiple activities with single activity architecture using fragment hierarchy
- Created clear responsibility layers: splash OR disabled OR enabled content
- Eliminated navigation soup where any activity could be entry point
- Positioned codebase for future Jetpack Navigation adoption without taking on excessive risk
Critical Insight
BBC Sport transformed their legacy Android app's navigation from a complex multi-activity maze into a clean, single-activity hierarchy with properly scoped responsibilities.
