iOS release build IPA file size to large

Report · Jan 27, 2012

Recently I released my App in the AppStore. The problem is that the file size of the App is about 35 MB. This meens its to large for downloading. You need to download it with a WiFi connection.

The uploaded IPA file was about 13 MB. When I opened the IPA file with ZIP I noticed that the binary file inside is about 35 MB.

After uploading the IPA Apple will encrypt the binary and rezip it. The result is that compression on encrypted files is very bad.

My SWF file is about 5 MB during the release build process.

The assets are about 0.5 MB.

Why is my binary file so large? Is it Flex AIR overhead?

Any chance to reduce the size?

Kind regards

Bernd

Report · Jan 27, 2012

The included AIR overhead shouldn't be so large. When exporting for iOS, files in some directories are included too. For example, if you have index.htm, js folder and expressinstall.swf in your \bin folder, these are exported too (if you have said so in compile arguments, which is default in online examples). First try for you is to browse ipa file (it's renamed zip) and search for unnecessary things.

Report · Jan 27, 2012

The binary file in myapp.zip/Payload/rrpm100.app/rrpm100 has a file size of 35 MB.

All my images/icons can be found at myapp.zip/Payload/rppm100.app/assets/ (500KB).

So I guess rrpm100 is the executable file for iOS. Possible that there is any additional overhead linked in?

Report · Feb 05, 2012

Anyone has an idea to solve this problem? Its realy a blocker for me!

Report · Feb 08, 2012

The way Adobe accomplises the publication of Air file to the Apple app store is by including the entire Air runtime with the app. I think this is where the large file size comes from. If you try to create the simplest of apps with just a single view, you can see that the (extracted) file size is still well over 12 MB.

I now face the same problem as you and got an e-mail from the app store telling me the file is just over the limit and will require WiFi.

Report · Feb 08, 2012

We're having the same issues. A relatively simple app is producing a 7.8 MB ipa, which contains a 21 MB application file within it and Apple is saying users can't download it over the cellular network. The largest image (by far) within the application is 43k and there's no video or other large files.

It would be great to hear from Adobe how we can squeeze these files under the 20 MB wifi-only limitation - otherwise no one will be able to download Flex mobile apps...mobiley.

Thanks.

Fwiw, setting explicitly setting the "optimize" and "strict" compiler flags didn't help.

Report · Feb 09, 2012

I think it's a minority of people who impulse download apps when just on 3G. But that aside, an empty Flash Pro IPA is about 4.5 MB, just under 12 MB for the Payload app file. If you're getting over 20 MB for the app file then that sounds like Flash Builder is adding 9 MB more on top of the AIR playback code.

Are there any settings in Flash Builder where you can have it not include every single Flex component?

Report · Feb 09, 2012

I disagree with the not downloading via 3G. Depending on where you live, some countries that are not America actually have very decent coverage and offordable data plans. Our localized apps in Europe are actually mainly downloaded through 3G and the file size is by far the bigest complain we get for our Air-to-ios apps. Where we never hear anything of the sort from our native objective-c ios apps.

Report · Feb 09, 2012

Are there really countries where 3G is the only option? How do those people do home computing?

I've downloaded lots of native apps that go into hundreds of megabytes in size. It's a narrow range of sizes that could go either way. Either you have a small enough app that the 12 MB from Flash doesn't push it over 20 MB, or you have so much content that it alone is over 20 MB.

If Flex is adding an additional 9 MB, then of course that would increase the number of apps that are over 20 MB by quite a bit. But I just did a test, and an empty Flash Builder iOS IPA comes out the same size as a Flash Pro one, 11.1 MB for the Payload app file. Which still then points at some huge libraries being included in your app.

Report · Feb 13, 2012

I did not mean to imply that people from these countries only use G3. I'm saying that 3G is used whenever Wifi is not available, which (for all those people that do not work in an office) is 80% of the time they are not at home.

Is there a way to see what libraries are included into the app after making the .ipa file?

Report · Feb 13, 2012

Has anyone at least done some research and found some stats on how many files on Apple Store are over 20mb? Because I too am concerned to the point that I'm rethinking about moving to PhoneGap or some other technology. To be honest alot of people don't even know what to do when they get the pop-up that says a download requires WIFI. This is potentially a huge problem. In an app I'm creating, most of my clients will be all over the world in outdoors environments using Geo data. If they try and download my 20mb+ app just to get denied because no WIFI in remote locations we got a serious problem. Anyone have a work around or a way to resolve this?

Report · Feb 13, 2012

This isn't very scientific, because I have a lot of apps that are tiny utilities, but just as a sampling...

I have 342 apps in my iTunes folder. 119 of them are over 20 MB. The biggest is 1.85 GB, two others are over 1 GB. So, a good percentage of apps are over 20 MB, and people seem to cope.

Report · Feb 14, 2012

I know situation, when users build apps with debug parameter so binary have aroud 10-20-30 mb ^) not whot ipa file.

Report · Feb 19, 2012

I ran into the same issue with my social networking Flex-based app, Xuland (http://www.xuland.com). I find the concept of Flex/AIR apps on mobile absolutely fascinating. It's wonderful not having to know Android Java and XCode ObjectiveC to maintain two code-bases for two platforms (not even counting BlackBerry), but the file size and startup time for Android apps could be a deal-breaker. My Xuland app compressed as a .ipa or .apk file is roughly 10Mb and balloons to 28Mb in the App Store after Apple encrypts and re-compresses for DRM. Since the 3G limit is 20Mb for downloaded apps, it prevents folks from impulse downloading when not on WiFI and I think that's a big deal when you're trying to get your app discovered.

If it's a game or some other large utility app that people are determined to have, they'll get it when on WiFi no problem.

It could be that the AIR packaging simply adds too much overhead (I figure over 8Mb alone). Adobe may choose to allow you to de-select AIR components that you won't use to get the filesize down but I'm not sure if it'll be enough. We'll have to see.

I've already fired up Eclipse and headed down the road of native app development. I'll do the same with XCode (after I buy a Mac). These are good skills to have regardless...and there are some features in native iOS apps that you won't see (ever?) in AIR apps (like Google maps integration, etc).

Anyway, follow my mobile adventures on Twitter (@erichcervantez), Google+ or at http://www.eonflex.com for more updates.

Report · Mar 03, 2012

Hello,

I have the same problem and for this reason I just opened a new thread

http://forums.adobe.com/message/4243013

I read in the current thread that people looked inside the ipa file and found that their "application.app" was really big.

But... if the ipa file is compressed, I think that also the one on the Apple Store is compressed too and they calculates the size on the compressed file not on the uncompressed one.

Am I wrong?

I think that the problem is the code that the Application Uploader adds to your original package.

Am I wrong?