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Android R8: establish the release baseline first

R8 provides release optimization and name minification. Enabling it is a baseline, not an AI-cloning acceptance test.

Anti-AIClone editorial team · AI-assisted analysis, not independent certification

Do not evaluate a debug artifact

Android documents shrinking, optimization and minification in R8 and recommends testing the optimized release build. Configuration varies with Android Gradle Plugin versions. Record AGP, R8 and dependencies before producing a representative release baseline.

Attribute improvements correctly

Comparing an unoptimized debug build with an R8 release build overstates added protection. Use the normal optimized release as the control, then assess the extra layer. After DEX changes, remeasure startup, critical interactions and crash recovery rather than assuming existing optimizations survive.

Your checklist

  • Record the real release configuration.
  • Keep diagnostic mapping files private.
  • Rerun app-level regression after added protection.

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