Android’s ARTwork

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Android RunTime (ART), which compiles Java and Kotlin to bytecode and runs it, can now be updated independently of the operating system. These surgical updates allow Google to improve the speed of apps without launching into a full operating system update. With the rollout of ART version 13, Google said it saw “real-world app start-up improvements of up to 30% on some devices.” ART, which can be updated singly in the Play Store, officially became a modular part of the operating system (an APEX module) since Android 12. Given current Android distribution figures, around 31% of users (or 600 million people) regularly enjoy a better and faster application engine.

⇨ Ars Technica, Ron Amadeo, “Google says its Android runtime makes apps faster, even without an OS update.”

2023-08-22