If you’ve ever noticed your CommCare app feeling slow, taking a long time to load, freezing at awkward times, or even crashing — you’ve likely run into a performance issue. This guide will help you understand what mobile app performance means, why it matters, and what factors can affect it so you can prevent it.

Whether you’re building a new application or managing one already in use, keeping performance in mind can make a big difference for your field teams and the people they serve.

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What is App Performance?

App performance refers to how smoothly and quickly the CommCare mobile app works on a device. It includes things like:

• How long it takes for the app to start

• How quickly forms open

• How fast case lists and menus load, and how quickly you can search for cases in the case list

• How quickly the user can move from question to question when filling out and submitting forms

Good app performance means the app feels fast and easy to use.

Poor performance can lead to user frustration, slowdowns in the field, and even data loss if users give up before completing a form, or in the rare case of an app crashing in the middle of a form.

The pages below are designed to help you plan for scale and manage the mobile app performance of your project.