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Mobile app performance optimization refers to identifying and improving code that plays a significant role in user experience – such as app start time, the loading time between screens, or time spent completing tasks.
In the ever-growing app market, users can easily uninstall slow mobile apps and swiftly try the next app on the list. Mobile app performance doesn’t just refer to codebase quality and infrastructure – the user experience of the application’s responsiveness defines it.
Along with that, Android and iOS storefronts incentivize app performance by giving lower search rankings to less-performant apps. App stores do this because more-performant apps provide a better UX and deliver more business value which we’ll see below.
52% of users suggested they are less likely to interact with a brand after a poor mobile app experience
36% of users who had experienced slow performance issues had a lower opinion of the company
96% of users say app performance – factors such as speed and responsiveness – matters when deciding whether to keep or uninstall an app
If you’re unfamiliar with the concept of tracing, performance analysis can initially seem overwhelming. Our PS tool will change the way you think about performance engineering. With our visualizations, you will effortlessly understand how every function relates to another and identify relevant code optimization opportunities.
At Product Science (PS), we offer a set of tools for mobile app performance engineering that includes:
By replacing manual instrumentation and embedding right into the build processes, we enable anyone to identify points of app causation of performance issues with clear visualization.
PS Tool empowers anyone who understand code to use our visualization tool powered by AI to find performance optimization insights.
Start with instrumenting your app’s code with our PS Gradle plugin / Xcode Code Injector powered by AI which only visualizes functions that impact your mobile app’s performance.
PS Tool profiles and visualizes recorded (user) flow and our AI will then suggest execution paths – the sequence of functions executed – that empower identification of performance opportunities.
To get unique insights to your code with our PS Tool, follow the step by step below:
Instrument and build the app with our plugin, so it can analyze your code.
Read instrumentation documentation here.
Record the trace and video by running your instrumented app on the target device and walk through use flow you want to optimize.
1. First, you’ll need to enable developer options and USB debugging:
2. Then, you can enable tracing:
Record your phone screen (Source: Google)
and drag Screen record to your Quick SettingsHow to record when there is no screen recorder feature
We recommend you to download 3rd party apps such as Screen Recorder - XRecorder.
Find screen recordings (Source: Google)
MoviesGenerally, we recommend recording traces with a cold start where everything will be initialized from zero. This type of app launch is usually the slowest because the system has a lot of expensive work to do compared to the other two states (warm and hot starts where the system brings the app running from the background to the foreground).
Optimizing any user flow with cold start enables you to improve all app processes that are being created from scratch which can enhance the same user flow’s performance with warm and hot starts as well.
Best Practices
To make it easier for exporting your traces in the upcoming steps, we recommend to customize your iPhone share sheet so that you can have the PS companion readily available.
Record your phone screen (Source: Apple)
next to Screen Recording.
, then wait for the three-second countdown.
. Or tap the red status bar at the top of your screen and tap Stop.Find screen recordings
Generally, we recommend recording traces with a cold start where everything will be initialized from zero. This type of app launch is usually the slowest because the system has a lot of expensive work to do compared to the other two states (warm and hot starts where the system brings the app running from the background to the foreground).
Optimizing any user flow with cold start enables you to improve all app processes that are being created from scratch which can enhance the same user flow’s performance with warm and hot starts as well.
Step
To record App Start Flow
To record any Flow other than App Start
2
Make sure you are logged in to our PS Companion App.
Make sure you are logged in to our PS Companion App.
4
Tap the 
button on PS Companion App to start recording
Perform the user actions from the(user) flow and stop before the last step.
6
Perform the user actions from the (user) flow and that you want to optimize.
Tap the button on PS Companion App to start recording
7
-
Perform the last step from the (user) flow.
8
Once the final step is fully loaded, tap the button 
to stop recording.
Once the final step is fully loaded, tap the button to stop recording.
Upload recorded traces to PS Tool.
For the most seamless experience, we highly recommend using our mobile app or uploading traces.
But in instances where that fails, you can also upload traces via:
Don’t see PS Companion app? Customize the share sheet
Also the open source app ios-deploy can be used for getting traces.
---CODE bash language-bash---
brew install ios-deploy
---END---
---CODE bash language-bash---
ios-deploy --bundle_id <APP'S BUNDLE ID>\\
--download=/Documents/trace.json \\
--to .
---END---
With the Video synced with trace feature you will be able to see what’s happening on the phone screen at every point of the recorded trace.
Video synced with trace feature allows you to:
The solid visual cues demonstrate precisely how the app works for your user or errors your app may be receiving that cannot be gained from the code alone.
You can upload screen recordings to our tool either with our companion app or directly with PS Tool.
Learn more about how to make the most out of the videos.
Learn more about how to make the most out of the videos.
You can delete screen recordings uploaded either with our companion app or directly with PS Tool.
At Product Science, performance optimization starts with defining key (user) flows that bring the most value to users. We visualize your code that empowers you to capture optimization opportunities that impact user experiences. You can optimize how quickly the app starts up, how its processes perform, how smooth animation is, etc.
At the center of the PSTool Dashboard is the trace viewer which shows essential information, such as what functions were invoked, their duration, and execution paths. Visualizing execution paths here is critical because it allows you to see the sequence of functions and how they connect and highlight optimization opportunities.
Visit productscience.app and log in using your company email.
Flow library organizes all traces by (user) flow. This is where you can view, subscribe, manage and create flows. Like a folder in a file system, each flow contains traces of user flows that your team records and optimizes. Use Flow Library to group traces by flows that make the most sense to you and your team. Add a description to communicate the context of the flows.
Flow Library > Select a flow card > Flow Table > right click any trace > click “open”
1. In Flow Library > click “Create new flow”
2. Enter your flow name & description
The Flow Screen is where you can find all the traces uploaded associated with a single flow. This is where you can add, delete, edit, and assign your trace.
We encourage you to record more than one trace for every flow. More recordings can increase the statistical significance of your “findings”. Specifically for flows containing asynchronous I/O operations like network requests, recording multiple traces can increase your confidence in locating patterns of performance issues within the trace.
1. Click the “Add new trace” button on the Flow screen
2. Upload traces by dragging the trace or browse from computer
3. Once the trace is uploaded successfully, you shall see the message
Alternatively, you can use traces that were previously uploaded but not assigned.
1. Click on "Review and assign" button
2. Check the box for the trace you would like to assign
3. Select the flow you would like to flow to be assigned to
1. In Flow Library > hover over the bottom right corner of flow
2. Click on the "..." button on the flow card
1. Flow Library > Flow card > Flow settings
1. In the Flow screen
2. Click on the trace > menu will appear > click "Assign"
3. Select one or multiple flows you want to assign the trace to > Click "Done"
A trace is a time series snapshot of your app. Our dynamic, multi-threaded tracing tool captures and measures all functions executed during the recording. While millions of events and functions might be executed on the system level, our AI filters key functions that impact your user experience the most while filtering out all irrelevant information.
Slices
The width of the trace represents duration of the executed process while where it positions indicates the start time. A slice represents a single unit of work done by the CPU, and the width (X-Axis) of the slice represents the duration of the executed process and its position indicates the start time. Learn more
The nesting (Y-Axis) of slices represents the call stack of a specific function.
In the image below, you can see how function B ( Slice B ) was called by function A (slice A)
Execution Path
The execution path is the most helpful tool to determine where the delays are coming from. It shows which function call stacks are called by which function call stacks, so you can quickly see not just how individual functions are related but by how groupings of functions are related, creating an elevated perspective of the code which makes it easier to zoom-out and quickly find the root cause of a problem.
The center of the dashboard is what we call the main timeline of your user flow. It tells you about your different processes at a specific time. Though you won’t be able to view the details of slices here, you can see when your app is fully loaded and when it’s idling.
To navigate the main timeline view, in addition to your trackpad, you can use the following key commands:
W - Zoom in
S - Zoom out
A - Move left
D - Move right
In the timeline near the top of the dashboard, you’ll see what looks like a measuring tape.
You can adjust the focus area by dragging the blue limit handles located on the edges.
The visual representation of a code’s function/process. The length of the slice indicates how long it takes that process to execute.
The width of the slice represents the duration of the executed process and its position indicates the start time.
The property panel allows you and your contributors to:
Sort threads by execution path
Dim slices outside of execution path
1. Click on any slice and our system will automatically check any connections linked to this slice. In other words, we highlight actions and processes that occurred resulting in the slice you chose.
2. Once an execution path – a one-directional linked list of slices – is found, you should see lines like the example below. For example, if Slice A calls Slice B, they will be connected.
The green path is what we refer to as the main execution path; it usually contains more slices than the other lines and gives you a better image of where the delays are located.
3. Open property panel
4. Click the button below to hide/show other non-main execution paths
Example of clicking the filtering button to only show the main execution path
5. View slice and connection details on the property panel (right side)
1. Click on a slice > Slice details show in the property panel.
2. Click the "create connection" icon next to the slice or press C while the slice is selected.
3. Slices that cannot be connected to the slice clicked are dimmed.
4. Repeat step 2 to connect more slices.
In the Trace Viewer, you can find the Video panel next to the Details panel where you can view, upload, play, pause and remove screen recording of your traces.
Option 1: Use the View Toggle [Soon to be released]
Option 2: Switch between Panels
On the Main Timeline
Current Time Indicator (the purple flag) highlights the current position of the screen recording video on the trace timeline. It is like a vertical ruler that enables you to see how all the threads and slices the current time indicator touches are associated with the video frames shown on the video panel.
Previewer
Hover the top part of the global timeline and you will see the Current Time Indicator Previewer (white flag) appears. Move the previewer along the timeline and you can preview the video on the video panel.
If you click while you’re in preview mode - the current time indicator (purple flag) will move to the clicked position. If you move your cursor out of the global timeline, the video preview in the video panel changes to the current-time indicator position.
Important Tips
To make the video repeat continuously
1. Search for any framework and function using the search box at the bottom right
2. All related instances should be immediately highlighted (while all the other unrelated functions should be dimmed).
3. Use arrows inside the search box to navigate among the search results
4. Press Esc or click "x" to exist search
To understand the duration of one function to another, you can use our measurement tool by holding shift + click.
Smallest executable task of the system. PS multi-threaded code profiling tool highlights critical functions and frameworks that impact user experience, revealing the root cause of problems.
Click the star to the right of a thread name to pin the thread to the top of the window for easy comparison and reference.
Click the downward button to the left of a thread to pin the thread at the bottom of the window if you find that particular thread not as informative.
We recommend placing flags at the beginning and the end of a flow. You also get to choose colors of placed flags, which is helpful when you need to keep track of different information.
1. Hover over the timeline, and you’ll see a gray flag.
2. Click on the timeline to place the flag.
3. Our tool will randomly pick a color for your flag, which you can manually edit on the right-hand side of the screen. This is also where you can add labels to your flag.
Pro tip: You can also use the label field for quick notes. Simply click on the “label”, press shift + enter and start typing. That way, the notes you typed won’t show in the timeline, but you can use the notes for future reference.
When a flag is no longer relevant, you can remove it by:
1. Clicking on the flag
2. Clicking on the "trash can" button when the flag details menu is shown on the right; or pressing "Del" on your keyboard.
Team is the representation of a company. This is where you can create projects (per single app and operation system) that contain all flows and traces.
Project is where you can create different flows and traces for a single app. You can join and contribute via an invitation from the team's or project’s admin.
Roles and Permissions
Every team member can have team-level permissions that determine their default access to projects.
1. In Project > click "project settings"
2. Hover over the thumbnail > click on the image icon.
1. In Project > click "project settings"
2. Click "delete project"
1. In Team > click on "team contributors" to view the table.
2. Click and choose new role under the "Role" Column.
3. Click out to save
1. In Team> Team contributors > click on "team contributors" to view the table.
2. Click the ".." button on the right of the table > menu appears.
3. Click "resend invitation link".
1. Project screen > click on "project contributors" to view the table.
2. Click the "..." button on the right side of the table > menu will appear.
3. Click "delete account".
1. Home page > click "team settings"
2. Update your company email domain so that everyone with the specified email domain can log in.
1. In Project > click on "project contributors" to view the table.
2. Click and choose a new role under the "Role" Column.
3. Click out to save
1. In Project > Project contributor > click on "project contributors" to view the table
2. Click the ".." button on the rightest of the table > menu appears
3. Click "delete account’"
1. In Project > Project contributor > click "invite contributor" on the top right corner.
2. Input the email and select the role.
3. Click "Invite"
1. In Project > Project contributor > click on "project contributors": to view the table.
2. Click the ".." button on the far right side of the table of the table > menu will appear.
3. Click "resend invitation link".
A cold start refers to an app's starting from scratch: the system’s process has not, until this start created the app’s process. It happens when your app is being launched for the first time since the device booted, or since the system killed the app.
According to Google, the ideal benchmark time should be:
Line connecting two slices showing what previous function triggered the execution of the selected function.
A hot start refers to when your apps’ process is already running in the background and all the system does is bring your activity to the foreground. This process will bring back your app to the last state where you left without reinitializing any of the app assets.
According to Google, the ideal benchmark time should be:
Instrumentation is the method in which our plugin can extract the necessary information about the runtime of the application, such as, how long functions run, which processes they call (child or async) and which threads they run on. It runs during the build process, instrumenting by injecting 100% of all functions and frameworks automatically without sampling.
The visual representation of a code’s function/process. The length of the slice indicates how long it takes that process to execute.
The width of the slice represents the duration of the executed process and its position indicates the start time.
Think of a trace as the technical representation of a mirror showing us the user's journey. It includes hardware and software advances occurring through an entire app stack.
The trace viewer will show vital information such as what functions were invoked, their duration, and most importantly, their execution paths. The visualization of execution paths is crucial because it allows everyone to see the sequence of functions and how they connect and highlight optimization opportunities.
Flow is the path a user takes to complete a task within the app. For example, the user types in “restaurant near me”. The app then returns search results. Finally, the user viewing searched results is considered a flow.
In our continuous effort to enhance the performance analysis capabilities of PS Tool, we’ve focused on refining our feature, highlighting long frames. This feature helps identify frames that remain on screen longer than expected based on the current device’s frame rate, pinpointing areas where the main thread is overwhelmed, particularly during scroll performance analysis. Building on this, we’ve updated our highlighting strategy for frames on Android.
PS Tool now highlights fewer frames, taking into account clusterization to better focus on scroll performance analysis. This means we only highlight frames that take 2x longer than expected and clusters of several longer frames, even if they don’t reach the 2x threshold. This approach confirms the same frame patterns previously reported via PS Tool by performance analysts while significantly reducing noise.
How it looks now: fewer frames highlighted, clear focus on UI Thread Hangs.
This feature allows engineers to see product analytics and custom performance metrics in traces. Got a signal from your APM that screen loading time took longer? With this feature you will be able to easily find the exact location on a timeline and see the root cause of the issues on the trace.
After the setup, traces will be automatically annotated with product metrics (displayed as grey flags) and placed on the timeline by PS Tool. This replaces the repeated effort required to locate and annotate each product metrics for every new trace recorded, while also ensuring that no business important metrics are left behind.This streamlines the identification of performance metrics and allows engineers to focus on root-cause analysis.
The Quick Start Guide assists engineers during the onboarding experience by providing concise and simple instructions to help them leverage the full potential of the PS Tool.
The Quick Start Guide will be accessible to users within the tool at all times, ensuring that immediate support is readily available.
The Quick Start Guide comprises 3 main components:
At Product Science, we believe that optimizing your app's performance should start with the most important screens for your business—ones that drive engagement and app retention. In this release, we are reinforcing our approach by helping our customers define the most critical user flows even before the team begins to look at the code.
The new annotation screen enables you to mark the beginning of a user flow (i.e. the user’s action) and the end of a user flow (i.e. the reaction from the app) based on your screen recording.
The PxA Screen enables users to connect annotations made in the previous Annotations screen to slices. This step will allow us to mark the beginning and end of the user flow on the code level. Joining videos and slices together provides solid visual cues that can’t be gained from the code alone.
With the new Video synced with trace feature you will be able to see what’s happening on the phone screen at every point of the recorded trace.
Video synced with trace feature allows you to:
Seeing how your application functions in real life provides valuable context that helps to understand what’s happening - even when the code is hard to follow:
A system for monitoring, maintaining, and controlling user access to your teams and projects. This is where you can:
[New]
[Improved]