Part 5. Connectivity

More than 90% of all mobile apps connect to the internet in some way. Based on what I’ve covered so far in this book, you should be aware that having an app communicate with you over the internet must be the default, with very few exceptions. That way you can receive analytics information even if the app doesn’t need to connect to a remote service or data source.

For many of us, ready access to high-speed Wi-Fi and 4G LTE connectivity is a given, but there’s no guarantee of this for all people, in all places, and at all times. For this reason, it’s important that you consider how changes and variations in connectivity will impact the experience of using your app.

As with everything else, connectivity doesn’t exist in isolation. Context has a big impact, and the consequences of connectivity affect the perception of responsiveness. In the next chapter, I’ll teach you how to think about and handle the variety of connectivity situations that your app will inevitably meet.