5 Jetpack Compose Performance Tips Every Android Developer Should Know

Moving from XML to Jetpack Compose is a breath of fresh air, but it comes with a new set of responsibilities. If you don't manage your state and recompositions correctly, your app's performance will suffer—leading to dropped frames and a laggy UI.

Pro Tip: Always use the Layout Inspector in Android Studio to track recomposition counts while debugging!

1. Defer State Reads as Long as Possible

Recomposition is the process of calling your Composable functions again when data changes. If you read a state value in the body of a high-level Composable, the entire scope recomposes.

The Fix: Use lambda-based modifiers to skip the Recomposition and Layout phases.

// ❌ Bad: Recomposes every time scroll state changes
val offset = scrollState.value
Box(Modifier.offset(y = offset.dp))

// ✅ Good: Only re-draws when scroll state changes
Box(Modifier.offset { IntOffset(0, scrollState.value) })

2. Ensure Stability with @Immutable and @Stable

The Compose compiler tries to determine if a class is "stable." If it is, Compose can skip recomposing a function if the parameters haven't changed. However, classes containing List are often marked as "unstable."

@Immutable
data class UserProfile(
    val name: String,
    val tags: List<String> // Lists are unstable by default!
)

3. Optimize with derivedStateOf

When you have a state that depends on another state that changes frequently (like a scroll position), you shouldn't perform logic directly in the UI body.

val showButton by remember {
    derivedStateOf { scrollState.firstVisibleItemIndex > 0 }
}

if (showButton) {
    ScrollToTopButton()
}

4. Avoid Stale Values with rememberUpdatedState

When using LaunchedEffect, if you reference a value that changes, the effect won't see the new value unless it is restarted. rememberUpdatedState fixes this without restarting the effect.

@Composable
fun LandingScreen(onTimeout: () -> Unit) {
    val currentOnTimeout by rememberUpdatedState(onTimeout)

    LaunchedEffect(Unit) {
        delay(3000L)
        currentOnTimeout() 
    }
}

5. Use CompositionLocal Sparingly

While CompositionLocal is great for passing global data like themes, overusing it makes code harder to track. Stick to explicit parameters for business logic to keep your code clean and testable.

Optimizing Jetpack Compose is about understanding the lifecycle. By applying these five tips, you can build complex UIs that remain butter-smooth.

5 Jetpack Compose Optimization Tips for Android Developers