Developers should ensure their apps work well on slower networks and use minimal memory and battery power if they are to find success on Google’s emerging market-focused Android One devices.

In a post on the Android Developers Blog, developer advocate Rich Hyndman outlined areas that developers should consider when building apps for Android One devices, the first of which were launched earlier this week.

The Android One programme currently includes hardware partners covering India, Indonesia, the Philippines and South Asia (Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka).

Hyndman said reliability and consistency are the major elements needed for apps to prosper on Android One and the markets at which they are aimed.

In order to address slow networks, for example, developers could include the option for consumers to ask their device to conduct the search in the background and to notify them with results when they are returned.

“The difference in user experience between an app that times out on a slower network and one that caters to user-specific needs will be very impactful for driving mobile app adoption,” Hyndman noted.

Developers can use the Android Emulator to test their programs with different network speeds and delays or switch their test devices to work only on 2G.

Performance issues identified in this way can often be fixed through changes in app logic or by making use of a sync adapter, which encapsulates code for tasks that transfer data between the device and a server.

Memory utilisation is another area to look at. The KitKat version of Android introduced new tools to the SDK for analysing memory use, while the L release focuses on battery usage and analysis.