Android has made cool things in the past few years, but it’s still not quite ready for prime time. If you’re like many developers, you probably build your application once and then forget about it, never thinking that it’s possible for your audience to experience your app a second time. But with the increasing volume of Android applications, Google has to step in and limit the number of times an application can be run. To do this, Android introduced a new feature called app runtime restrictions.
These restrictions are placed on an application so that there’s only one instance of an application per phone. This helps Google to limit the number of times an application can be run, and it also prevents malicious applications from running more than one instance at the same time.
In this article, we’ll discuss the different types of runtime restrictions, as well as how to best manage them in your Android application.
How to Manage Runtime Restrictions in Your Android App
If your application has a significant number of users, you’ll want to make sure that only a single instance of your app can run at a time. To limit the number of times an application can run, you can place a runtime restriction on the application.
A runtime restriction can be either a permission that your application needs in order to run or an enforced condition. Let’s say your application needs to run on a specific device to gain access to certain functionality. To impose a runtime restriction, you can either place a requirement in the application manifest or use the Android Developer Tools to enforce a condition.
Make sure that both the application and condition are correct before you run the app. If you try to run the application without the required permissions, an exception will be thrown, and your application won’t be able to run.
You can also place restrictions on the device in which your application is currently running. This way, only the current device can access your application, and you can prevent malicious applications from impersonating your application or running in the background.
How to Use Device Manager in an Android App
When an Android application runs, it always starts with a “clean slate”. This clean slate is what’s known as the application’s runtime environment (AER), or the current state of the application. After an application is launched, the AER is modified (modified meaning changed by an application) according to the activity being displayed on the device.
For example, if you have an app that lists your latest purchases, you might see a different ranking system for different countries depending on the popularity of that category. The new search results will be different from your normal listings, and the app will keep displaying recent purchases according to the device’s screen brightness.
What Are Runtime Restrictions?
Every application has a limit on how many times it can be run on a device. This limit is known as the runtime restriction, and it is implemented to prevent malicious applications from running multiple instances at the same time.
There are several types of runtime restrictions:
Permission-based: This kind of runtime restriction is based on the application requesting the privilege. For example, yourapplication might require people to click a button in order to run the application, or it might require GPS location information in order to run the application.
Condition-based: This kind of runtime restriction is based on an app’s state when it is first run. For example, if you have an app that required people to setup a Google Account, you could place a condition that the person must be logged in in order to run the application.
Time-based: This kind of runtime restriction is based on the amount of time that has elapsed since the app was last run. For example, if you have an app that lets people create new online courses, you could make the limit time-based on the number of people who have used the app.
How to Reschedule a Running App in Android
If you have an application that is scheduled to run at a specific time, but the device is in another app or on another device, you can force the app to shut down and terminate the old app. It’s like throwing the old app in the trash and starting a new one.
To forcibly terminate an application, first make sure that the application is running by monitoring its activity in the Android Dev Tools. If the application is still running when you want it to be shut down, you can just kill the application using the kill command.
If the application has already shut down when you want it to be shut down, you can forcibly terminate it by setting a condition in the Android Developer Tools. For example, you could require the device to be within a certain proximity before the application can be shut down.
Wide Dark Mode
Dark mode is a great way to add a vintage feel to your application. It’s especially useful when your application is targeting an older audience, like an old-school browser.
To go with dark mode, here are a few tips to make your application run faster and smoother:
Reduce draw calls as much as possible.
Adjust the contrast of the UI so that it’s easier to see.
Skip relying on light bulbs and switch to a different light sources such as a darkroom, a fireplace, or a candle.
Use a different texture for the backdrop instead of a white wall. This will make the foreground easier to see.
Set Gesture Controls
Gesture controls are one of the most useful features of an application. If your application supports a certain gesture, make sure that it’s being used by users.
For example, if your app provides a way for users to save their work, you might want to change the way that they save the work. With a few taps, you could change the format from a text-based UI to a gallery or a photo-view.
Share Wi-Fi Easily
If your application provides easy and convenient ways for users to share content with others, such as through email or social media, make sure that those links are always active.
The widgets in Android don’t always need to be displayed on the home screen. You can put them in the notification area, in the app tray, or in the main menu.
If you enable notifications, you can have widgets automatically refresh when new content is available.
Smart Reply
What if you have a messaging app that can automatically format a reply, including emoji, in a user’s language? That’s what the smart reply feature allows you to do.
For example, when a user messages you in English, you can automatically respond in your native language. You can also choose any image that the user sends, and the image will be placed in your gallery.
Conclusion
Low-end devices are getting more access to apps than ever before, with more than half of all devices running below mid-range or low-end. This is great for developers, as it allows them to make more apps for less hardware, and it also means that more people can experience their app.
With the increased amount of devices, it’s important for developers to keep their apps fresh and modern. As users’ expectations increase, so does the need for great apps.
In order to meet those expectations, developers must up their game. With that in mind, read on for some tips on how to make the most of low-end devices.