> The last thing I'd want is for my apps to each be downloading several MB of data they think I might need in the next few minutes. I can easily control how much battery life is remaining on my phone by plugging it in. I can't control how much of my data plan an app is using, except by uninstalling the app.
Prefetching isn't applicable to every situation, but in some circumstances it makes apps more enjoyable to use. The trick is to analyze and understand the high volume usage patterns for your app and to target those for improvement. If you see that the vast majority of your users will take a next step to view content that must be web loaded, it may make sense to prefetch when the wi-fi or cell radio is already on so you can piggy back on the high power state and avoid waking the hardware.
> Besides, in my experience the biggest drains on battery life aren't data transfers, they're (a) having the screen on, especially when bright, and (b) being slightly out of range of a cell tower, and constantly dropping and reacquiring a 3G connection.
As someone who has encountered apps with bugs that do constantly make or maintain network connections, these kinds of bugs are a much more severe drain on battery compared to the screen. We're talking about bugs that are constantly powering your wifi or cell radio hardware 90% of the time. This will kill your battery in no time, screen on or off.
Prefetching isn't applicable to every situation, but in some circumstances it makes apps more enjoyable to use. The trick is to analyze and understand the high volume usage patterns for your app and to target those for improvement. If you see that the vast majority of your users will take a next step to view content that must be web loaded, it may make sense to prefetch when the wi-fi or cell radio is already on so you can piggy back on the high power state and avoid waking the hardware.
> Besides, in my experience the biggest drains on battery life aren't data transfers, they're (a) having the screen on, especially when bright, and (b) being slightly out of range of a cell tower, and constantly dropping and reacquiring a 3G connection.
As someone who has encountered apps with bugs that do constantly make or maintain network connections, these kinds of bugs are a much more severe drain on battery compared to the screen. We're talking about bugs that are constantly powering your wifi or cell radio hardware 90% of the time. This will kill your battery in no time, screen on or off.