How to Reduce Android App Size

A large download is a quiet conversion killer. Users with full storage or expensive data skip it, and size matters even more in markets where entry-level phones are common. Fortunately, Android's toolchain does much of the work if you let it.

Measure first

• Play Console → App size shows download and install sizes per device configuration.
• APK Analyzer (Build → Analyze APK) breaks a build down by DEX, resources, assets and native libraries, and can compare two builds.

1. Publish App Bundles

With an Android App Bundle (.aab), Google Play generates optimised APKs per device. Each device downloads only its CPU architecture's native code, its screen density's resources and its language strings. AAB is required for new apps on Google Play. Make sure you aren't defeating it, for example by packaging all languages into a single asset.

2. Enable R8 and resource shrinking

android {
    buildTypes {
        release {
            isMinifyEnabled = true
            isShrinkResources = true
        }
    }
    androidResources {
        // Keep only languages you actually support (prevents libraries adding dozens of translations)
        localeFilters += listOf("en", "hi", "pa", "ta")
    }
}

See ProGuard and R8 Explained. The localeFilters property name varies by AGP version (older versions used resourceConfigurations).

3. Images

• Use vector drawables for icons and simple illustrations.
• Convert raster images to WebP (Android Studio can convert them) or AVIF where your minSdk supports it.
• Don't ship huge images for small displays. Provide appropriately sized assets.
• Load large or rarely used images from a CDN at runtime instead of bundling them.

4. Native libraries

• Check whether a dependency pulls in large .so files (ML runtimes, video, crypto) you only use for one feature.
• With App Bundles, each device only gets its own ABI.
• Consider dynamic feature modules or on-demand downloads for large optional features.

5. Dependencies

./gradlew :app:dependencies --configuration releaseRuntimeClasspath

• Remove unused libraries. Watch for heavy SDKs used for one small function.
• Prefer modular artifacts (for example specific Play services modules, not all of them).
• Use downloadable fonts instead of bundling font files where possible.

6. On-demand delivery

Play Feature Delivery (dynamic feature modules) and Play Asset Delivery let you ship large features and assets only to users who need them, at install time, conditionally, or on demand. They add complexity, so use them for genuinely large, optional parts of the app.

Prevent regressions

• Track release AAB/APK size in CI and fail or alert on unexpected growth.
• Compare builds in APK Analyzer when adding a new dependency.

Typical wins

Frequently asked questions

Conclusion

To reduce app size: publish App Bundles, enable R8 and resource shrinking, optimise images, scrutinise native libraries and dependencies, filter locales, and use on-demand delivery for large optional features. Then guard size in CI.

Next step: automate builds and checks with CI/CD for Android with GitHub Actions.