Android Network Usage

The Network Usage metric measures the amount of data the app uploads and downloads (in Kb) through the network during a session.

In the app performance report, go to the Network Data Usage section to view the data uploaded and downloaded through the network by the app in a session. In the graph, the axes represent the following:

• X-axis: Depicts the time (in seconds) elapsed since the start of the session. 0 on the X-axis represents the start of the profiling session.
• Y-axis: Depicts the amount of data uploaded/downloaded by the app in Kb at a particular time in the session since the session started.

Example

In the following example, you can see that the total data uploaded to the internet throughout the session was 5162.05 Kb and the total data downloaded was 216.88 Kb. You can also see the graph for the uploaded and downloaded data by the app at a particular time during the session since the session started.

To identify the actions or workflows that caused excessive network usage, you can play the session video. Alongside the video, a bar moves on the graph to help you identify the actions or workflows of your interest. To view uploads or downloads individually, use the legends given on the graph.

Impact on user experience

Excessive network data usage can cause user experience issues in Android apps by slowing down app performance, increasing battery drain, and incurring additional data charges. This can lead to frustration and dissatisfaction among users, ultimately resulting in decreased app usage and negative reviews.

Threshold guidelines

Recommended thresholds are:

• Total Network Uploads to be less than 5000 Kb in a session
• Total Network Downloads to be less than 20,000 Kb in a session

If your app exceeds these thresholds, App Performance Testing flags an issue in the performance report. To know more about the issue, see App performance issues - Network Usage.

Recommendations

The following are the recommendations to improve Network Usage:

• Use network caching: Implement network caching to store frequently accessed data on the device. This helps reduce the number of network requests and improve response time.
• Minimize network requests: Reduce the number of network requests by combining multiple requests into a single request, compressing data, or using other techniques to optimize data transfer.
• Use background threads: Move network operations off the main UI thread to prevent the app from freezing or becoming unresponsive.
• Implement network connection callbacks: Use network connection callbacks to detect changes in network connectivity and adapt the app’s behavior accordingly, such as by pausing network-intensive tasks when the user has a weak or unreliable network connection.

Related topics

• View complete list of performance metrics for Android