App Startup Time

App startup time refers to the time it takes for an app to launch and become usable after a user presses the app icon. This metric is crucial for understanding app performance and ensuring a smooth user experience. Mobile app users expect fast and responsive launches. If an app doesn’t meet this expectation, it can lead to negative reviews or app abandonment.

This guide explains how to view app startup times, average app startup time and maximum app startup time.

View App Startup Time on App Performance

To view app startup time on App Performance:

1. In App Live, after starting a session, open the DEVTOOLS pane.
2. You can now go to the PERFORMANCE tab and run the app performance test.
3. You can measure app startup time for the following scenarios:
   • Completely close and then reopen the app by tapping its icon.
   • Send the app to the background and then bring it back to the foreground by tapping its icon.
4. End the session, then click View Full Report and scroll to the App Startup Time section. It displays the following:
   • Average: Shows the average startup time for all startup times in the test session.
   • Maximum: Displays the app startup time of the launch that took the longest among all app launches.
     For each app startup time, it shows the following details:
   • START: The exact moment when an app is launched or begins after the test starts. For example, if the app is launched 2 minutes after the test begins, the start time would be recorded as 02:00 (MM:SS format).
   • LOAD TIME: The total duration taken for the app to start, calculated as the difference between the end and start times.

Optimizing app startup time is crucial for a smooth and responsive user experience. This feature helps you achieve that and improve user experience.

Calculation of App Startup Time

App startup time is measured from when a user taps the app icon until the Time to Full Display (TTFD) event. If TTFD is not available, Time to Initial Display (TTID) event is used.