Optimize Load Time for Android Dex Obfuscation

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:

• Appdome account (create a free Appdome account here)
• A license for Favor Loading Time
• Mobile App (.ipa for iOS, or .apk or .aab for Android)
• Signing Credentials (see Signing Secure Android apps and Signing Secure iOS apps)

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, 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:
      

      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).

      2. 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.

      3. Open the Fusion Set Detail Summary by clicking the “...” symbol on the far-right corner of the Fusion Set, as shown in Figure 1 above, and get the Fusion Set ID from the Fusion Set Detail Summary (as shown below):

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

      4. 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, Cirlce 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.

         Like all other options in ONEShield™, Favor Loading Time is turned on by default, as shown below:

         Figure 3: Favor Loading Time option
         Note: The App Compromise Notification contains an easy to follow default remediation path for the mobile app end user. You can customize this message as required to achieve brand specific support, workflow or other messaging.

      2. How: Toggle (turn ON) Favor Loading Time, as shown below.

         Figure 3: Prevent long loading times option

      3. 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

         

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

      4. 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:

   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