Optimize Load Time for Android Dex Obfuscation Using AI

Last updated February 23, 2025 by Appdome

This Knowledge Base article describes how to use Appdome’s AI/ML in your CI/CD pipeline to continuously deliver plugins that Prevent long loading times in Mobile apps.

What Is Optimize Load Time With Code Obfuscation?

Code Obfuscation is the process of transforming code to make it more difficult for attackers to reverse-engineer or analyze, while keeping the app functional. Typically, obfuscation reduces the size of the code, helping to shorten app loading times by stripping out unnecessary data. However, when heavier security-focused obfuscation is applied, additional complexity can increase loading times as it adds more code to the app to make it harder to analyze. Balancing performance and security in obfuscation is critical to avoid degrading user experience while still maintaining robust protection against reverse-engineering efforts. Code obfuscation is also an important requirement for compliance mandates such as PCI-DSS.

How Appdome Optimizes Load Time for Apps Secured With Dex Obfuscation?

Appdome’s Favor Loading Time plugin detects and optimizes the obfuscation process to prioritize performance without compromising security. By identifying publicly available components and streamlining their obfuscation, the feature reduces unnecessary code while maintaining the integrity of security-heavy protections. This accelerates app loading times while ensuring that the app remains difficult to reverse-engineer, providing a balance between fast performance and secure operation. The result is a well-optimized application that delivers robust security without sacrificing user experience.

Prerequisites for Using Appdome's Favor Loading Time Plugins:

To use Appdome’s mobile app security build system to Prevent long loading times , you’ll need:

How to Implement Prevent long loading times in Mobile Apps Using Appdome

On Appdome, follow these 3 simple steps to create self-defending Mobile Apps that Prevent long loading times without an SDK or gateway:

  1. Designate the Mobile App to be protected.

    1. Upload an app via the Appdome Mobile Defense platform GUI or via Appdome’s DEV-API or CI/CD Plugins.

    2. Mobile App Formats: .ipa for iOS, or .apk or .aab for Android
    3. Favor Loading Time is compatible with: Obj-C, Java, JS, C#, C++, Swift, Kotlin, Flutter, React Native, Unity, Xamarin, and more.
  2. Select the defense: Favor Loading Time.

      1. Create and name the Fusion Set (security template) that will contain the Favor Loading Time feature as shown below:
        fusion set that contains Favor Loading Time

        Figure 1: Fusion Set that will contain the Favor Loading Time feature

      2. Follow the steps in Sections 2.2-2.2.2 of this article to add the Favor Loading Time feature to your Fusion Set via the Appdome Console.

      3. When you select the Favor Loading Time you'll notice that the Fusion Set you created in step 2.1 now bears the icon of the protection category that contains Favor Loading Time.

        Fusion Set applied Favor Loading Time

        Figure 2: Fusion Set that displays the newly added Favor Loading Time protection
        Note: Annotating the Fusion Set to identify the protection(s) selected is optional only (not mandatory).

      4. Open the Fusion Set Detail Summary by clicking the “...” symbol on the far-right corner of the Fusion Set. Copy the Fusion Set ID from the Fusion Set Detail Summary (as shown below): fusion Set Detail Summary image

        Figure 3: Fusion Set Detail Summary

      5. Follow the instructions below to use the Fusion Set ID inside any standard mobile DevOps or CI/CD toolkit like Bitrise, Jenkins, Travis, Team City, Circle CI or other system:
        1. Refer to the Appdome API Reference Guide for API building instructions.
        2. Look for sample APIs in Appdome’s GitHub Repository.
    1. Add the Favor Loading Time feature to your security template.

      1. Navigate to Build > Security tab > TOTALCode™ Obfuscation section in the Appdome Console.
      2. Toggle On > Favor Loading Time.
        Favor Loading Time option

        Figure 4: Selecting Prevent long loading times

    2. Initiate the build command either by clicking Build My App at the bottom of the Build Workflow (shown in Figure 4) or via your CI/CD as described in Section 2.1.4.
    Congratulations!  The Favor Loading Time protection is now added to the mobile app
  3. Certify the Favor Loading Time feature in Mobile Apps

    After building Favor Loading Time, Appdome generates a Certified Secure™ certificate to guarantee that the Favor Loading Time protection has been added and is protecting the app. To verify that the Favor Loading Time protection has been added to the mobile app, locate the protection in the Certified Secure™ certificate as shown below: Favor Loading Time shown in Certificate secure

    Figure 5: Certified Secure™ certificate

    Each Certified Secure™ certificate provides DevOps and DevSecOps organizations the entire workflow summary, audit trail of each build, and proof of protection that Favor Loading Time has been added to each Mobile app. Certified Secure provides instant and in-line DevSecOps compliance certification that Favor Loading Time and other mobile app security features are in each build of the mobile app.

Using Threat-Events™ for long loading times Intelligence and Control in Mobile Apps

Appdome Threat-Events™ provides consumable in-app mobile app attack intelligence and defense control when long loading times is detected. To consume and use Threat-Events™ for long loading times in Mobile Apps, use AddObserverForName in Notification Center, and the code samples for Threat-Events™ for long loading times shown below.

The specifications and options for Threat-Events™ for long loading times are:

Threat-Event™ Elements Prevent long loading times Method Detail
Appdome Feature Name Favor Loading Time
Threat-Event Mode
OFF, IN-APP DEFENSE Appdome detects, defends and notifies user (standard OS dialog) using customizable messaging.
ON, IN-APP DETECTION Appdome detects the attack or threat and passes the event in a standard format to the app for processing (app chooses how and when to enforce).
ON, IN-APP DEFENSE Uses Appdome Enforce mode for any attack or threat and passes the event in a standard format to the app for processing (gather intel on attacks and threats without losing any protection).
Certified Secure™ Threat Event Check x
Visible in ThreatScope™ x
Developer Parameters for Preventing long loading times Threat-Event™
Threat-Event NAME
Threat-Event DATA reasonData
Threat-Event CODE reasonCode
Threat-Event REF
Threat-Event SCORE
currentThreatEventScore Current Threat-Event score
threatEventsScore Total Threat-events score
Threat-Event Context Keys
message Message displayed for the user on event
failSafeEnforce Timed enforcement against the identified threat
externalID The external ID of the event which can be listened via Threat Events
osVersion OS version of the current device
deviceModel Current device model
deviceManufacturer The manufacturer of the current device
fusedAppToken The task ID of the Appdome fusion of the currently running app
kernelInfo Info about the kernel: system name, node name, release, version and machine.
carrierPlmn PLMN of the device. Only available for Android devices.
deviceID Current device ID
reasonCode Reason code of the occurred event
buildDate Appdome fusion date of the current application
devicePlatform OS name of the current device
carrierName Carrier name of the current device. Only available for Android.
updatedOSVersion Is the OS version up to date
deviceBrand Brand of the device
deviceBoard Board of the device
buildUser Build user
buildHost Build host
sdkVersion Sdk version
timeZone Time zone
deviceFaceDown Is the device face down
locationLong Location longitude conditioned by location permission
locationLat Location latitude conditioned by location permission
locationState Location state conditioned by location permission
wifiSsid Wifi SSID
wifiSsidPermissionStatus Wifi SSID permission status
threatCode The last six characters of the threat code specify the OS, allowing the Threat Resolution Center to address the attack on the affected device.

With Threat-Events™ enabled (turned ON), Mobile developers can get detailed attack intelligence and granular defense control in Mobile applications and create amazing user experiences for all mobile end users when long loading times is detected.


The following is a code sample for native Mobile apps, which uses all values in the specification above for Favor Loading Time:


Important! Replace all placeholder instances of <Context Key> with the specific name of your threat event context key across all language examples. This is crucial to ensure your code functions correctly with the intended event data. For example, The <Context Key> could be the message, externalID, OS Version, reason code, etc.



Using Appdome, there are no development or coding prerequisites to build secured Mobile Apps by using Favor Loading Time. There is no SDK and no library to code or implement in the app and no gateway to deploy in your network. All protections are built into each app and the resulting app is self-defending and self-protecting.

Releasing and Publishing Mobile Apps with Favor Loading Time

After successfully securing your app by using Appdome, there are several available options to complete your project, depending on your app lifecycle or workflow. These include:

Related Articles:

How Do I Learn More?

If you have any questions, please send them our way at support.appdome.com or via the chat window on the Appdome platform.

Thank you!

Thanks for visiting Appdome! Our mission is to secure every app on the planet by making mobile app security easy. We hope we’re living up to the mission with your project.

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