Optimize Load Time for Android Dex Obfuscation

Last updated November 30, 2023 by Appdome

Learn to Prevent long loading times in Mobile apps, in mobile CI/CD with a Data-Driven DevSecOps™ build system.

How does App Obfuscation Affect Loading Times?

Obfuscation involves removing information that is not required for the program, but is useful to the programmer.  As a result, applying obfuscation usually makes the code smaller, thereby shortening the app’s loading time. However, when security-heavy obfuscation is applied,  which adds more code to the program in order to make reverse analysis more difficult, the application will take more time to load.

How does the Favor Loading Time Option Work?

When enabled (toggled On), the Favor Loading Time option automatically detects and optimizes obfuscation of publicly available components. In so doing, the application loading time is accelerated while the obfuscation remains intact.

Prerequisites for Using Favor Loading Time:

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

Prevent long loading times on 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. Upload the Mobile App to Appdome.

    1. Upload an app to Appdome’s Mobile App Security Build System

    2. Upload Method: Appdome Console or DEV-API
    3. Mobile App Formats: .ipa for iOS, or .apk or .aab for Android
    4. Favor Loading Time Compatible With: Obj-C, Java, JS, C#, C++, Swift, Kotlin, Flutter, React Native, Unity, Xamarin, and more
  2. Build the feature: Favor Loading Time.

    1. Building Favor Loading Time by using Appdome’s DEV-API:

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

        Figure 1: Fusion Set that will contain the Favor Loading Time feature
        Note: Naming the Fusion Set to correspond to the protection(s) selected is for illustration purposes only (not required).

      3. Follow the steps in Sections 2.2.1-2.2.2 of this article, Building the Favor Loading Time feature via Appdome Console, to add the Favor Loading Time feature to this Fusion Set.

      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 2: Fusion Set Detail Summary
        Note: Annotating the Fusion Set to identify the protection(s) selected is optional only (not mandatory).

      5. Follow the instructions below to use the Fusion Set ID inside any standard mobile DevOps or CI/CD toolkit like Bitrise, App Center, Jenkins, Travis, Team City, Circle CI or other system:
        1. Build an API for the app – for instructions, see the tasks under Appdome API Reference Guide
        2. Look for sample APIs in Appdome’s GitHub Repository
    2. Building the Favor Loading Time feature via Appdome Console

      To build the Favor Loading Time protection by using Appdome Console, follow the instructions below.

      1. Where: Inside the Appdome Console, go to Build > Security Tab > TOTALCode™ Obfuscation section.
      2. When you select the Favor Loading Time you'll notice that your Fusion Set you created in step 2.1.1 now bears the icon of the protection category that contains Favor Loading Time

        Fusion Set applied Favor Loading Time

        Figure 4: Fusion Set that displays the newly added Favor Loading Time protection

      3. Click Build My App at the bottom of the Build Workflow (shown in Figure 3).
    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
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
deviceID Current device ID
reasonCode Reason code of the occured event
buildDate Appdome fusion date of the current application
devicePlatform OS name of the current device
carrierName Carrier name of the current device
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

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:


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:

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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