Bite-sized tips and tricks for mobile app developers. Learn one concept at a time, build better apps.
Quick, practical tips to level up your mobile development skills
Before SDKs or models, decide where intelligence should live. Walk through the PLACE framework (Privacy, Latency, Availability, Cost, Engineering Complexity) and how it shapes a simple on-device fitness coach.
AI is everywhere in mobile apps - but most features don't actually help users. Here are the three that consistently do: summarization, smart suggestions, and classification. Plus what usually doesn't work.
AI isn't replacing mobile developers. But it's becoming the best 'second brain' we've ever had, if you use it intentionally. Here's the 30-minute daily workflow I use to turn AI into a reliable coding copilot without losing engineering judgment.
Fast apps get attention. Calm apps reduce friction. But trustworthy apps are the ones users return to. Trust isn't built through privacy policies, it's built through behavior. Here's the mental model I use to think about trust across Android, iOS, and modern declarative stacks.
Fast apps get attention. Calm apps earn trust. In a world full of notifications, prompts, and interruptions, the apps that stand out in 2026 aren't just performant, they're mentally lightweight. Here's the mental model I use to evaluate whether a mobile app feels calm.
Users don't experience metrics, they experience feel. Some apps feel instant even when they aren't. Others feel slow despite being technically 'fast.' The difference isn't just performance, it's perception. Here's the mental model I use to think about speed across Android, iOS, and any declarative UI.
January always tempts us to chase what's new. But after shipping Android apps through 2025, I'm starting 2026 with a different mindset: clarity over novelty. This is the mental model I'm using to decide what to focus on, and what to ignore.
As 2025 wraps up, Android didn't just ship more APIs, it quietly raised the bar for what 'good' mobile development looks like. A deeper shift in expectations around performance, experience, intelligence, and trust. Here's what every Android developer should internalize going into 2026.
If you've ever wondered why your Compose UI is recomposing so often, you're not alone. Most performance issues come down to a few simple patterns that accidentally trigger unnecessary renders. Learn the 5 most common causes and how to fix them.
Widgets are back in style - and with Android 16 + Material You, they're a big part of how users interact with your app. Build them using Jetpack Compose Glance with a Compose-like API. No RemoteViews. No XML gymnastics. Just clean, declarative UI.
Passwords, passkeys, Google Sign-In, autofill… Android logins used to be a maze. Credential Manager fixes that by giving us one simple API for every sign-in method.
AI is moving from the cloud to your device's chip. Google's Gemini Nano - a lightweight LLM running entirely on-device brings AI inference directly to Android. No network calls. No latency. No data leaving the device.
Android 16 is making Predictive Back Navigation the default — and it's one of those updates that looks tiny but feels huge. Learn how to enable this smooth navigation feature in your app.
If your Android app still takes a few seconds to open, there's a good chance you're not using Baseline Profiles — one of the easiest and most effective speed hacks available today.
Build an on-device image classifier with Core ML + SwiftUI. Instant predictions, complete privacy, zero latency. AI is now happening right in our pockets. Start of the On-Device AI series.
Jetpack Compose 1.9 just dropped — and it's all about performance, polish, and flexibility. If you've been shipping Compose UIs, this update is worth a quick look.
In Jetpack Compose, modifier order matters more than most devs realize. Swapping two modifiers can completely change how your UI looks.
Kotlin's Flow APIs are powerful, but many devs trip up on StateFlow vs SharedFlow. Both are hot flows, but they shine in different situations.
Everything you need to know to start building cross-platform apps with Compose Multiplatform. Project setup, dependencies, and your first shared UI. Continue through all 4 parts to build a complete app.
If you've ever built a screen in Jetpack Compose and wondered why your state resets on rotation or process death, you've probably hit the remember vs rememberSaveable confusion. Let's break it down.
Speed matters on Android. The Jetpack App Startup API helps you clean up messy initialization code,...
Why DataStore is the modern, async, and safer choice for Android apps...
Stop debating and start deciding. Use this interactive tool to map your project needs to the right tech stack.
Stop your app from lagging with these proven optimization techniques