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    Android SDK runtime and interaction mechanics

    Use this concept document to understand how the Optimization Android SDK runs shared optimization behavior in a native app, how Compose and XML Views integrations share the same client model, and how consent, state, entry resolution, tracking, preview overrides, and offline delivery work.

    For step-by-step setup, see Integrating the Optimization Android SDK in a Jetpack Compose app and Integrating the Optimization Android SDK in an XML Views app. For the full Contentful entry contract, see Entry optimization and variant resolution.

    Table of Contents

    The Android SDK is a native Kotlin Android library published as com.contentful.java:optimization-android. Kotlin owns native app concerns such as persistence, networking, lifecycle handling, Compose helpers, XML Views helpers, preview-panel UI, and app-facing public APIs.

    Shared optimization behavior runs inside a local QuickJS context. That bridge lets the Android SDK use the same optimization, profile, consent, and event-delivery behavior as the JavaScript SDKs while exposing a Kotlin API to the application.

    Applications do not call the JavaScript layer directly. The public boundary is Kotlin:

    • OptimizationClient is the main facade for initialization, state, optimization, tracking, and preview controls.
    • OptimizationRoot, OptimizedEntry, OptimizationLazyColumn, and ScreenTrackingEffect provide Compose integration helpers.
    • OptimizationManager, OptimizedEntryView, TrackingRecyclerView, and ScreenTracker provide XML Views integration helpers.
    • PreviewPanelConfig wires the in-app preview panel into Compose and XML Views integrations.

    This split also defines what the SDK does not own. The application still fetches Contentful entries, manages consent UX, controls routing, decides identity policy, and renders the final UI.

    Decide these policies before initialization because they shape the client state the bridge receives at startup and the events it can emit before runtime consent changes:

    Constraint Android behavior
    Consent state.consent starts as unset unless StorageDefaults.consent or persisted SDK consent provides a value. Until event consent is true, Android/native allow-list behavior lets only identify and screen emit by default.
    Configuration Build OptimizationConfig before initialization. clientId is required, environment defaults to "main", and locale controls the SDK Experience/event locale. Apps often pass the same string to Contentful CDA requests, but the SDK treats that as a separate app-owned locale.
    Persistence consent Boolean client.consent(true) or client.consent(false) updates event consent and durable profile-continuity persistence consent together. Use object-form consent when event consent and durable profile continuity have separate policy decisions.
    Allowed event types OptimizationConfig.allowedEventTypes replaces the native default pre-consent allow-list. Pass allowedEventTypes = emptyList() for strict opt-in before any Optimization event, or pass a narrow custom list when legal and privacy review permits specific pre-consent events.
    Storage availability Android stores consent and, when persistence consent is true, profile-continuity values in SharedPreferences. If storage has no usable value or is cleared, the SDK starts from configured defaults and does not restore profile-continuity state from a previous process.
    Preview mode The preview panel is an app opt-in surface. Mount it only in debug or internal flows; opening it forces live entry updates so audience and variant overrides are visible immediately.
    Offline behavior Event queues are in memory. Events queued while offline flush when connectivity returns. The SDK also tries to flush queued events when the app moves toward the background, but it does not provide a durable outbox across process death.
    Configured defaults StorageDefaults are startup defaults and take precedence over persisted values. If the application persists user choices, leave consent and persistence defaults unset. Restore SDK-stored consent naturally, or call client.consent(...) from the resolved app policy instead of seeding a choice every launch.

    OptimizationClient has two phases:

    Phase Behavior
    Uninitialized The client exists, but the bridge is not loaded. Suspend APIs throw or return safe fallbacks depending on the call, and sync APIs no-op where appropriate.
    Initialized The bridge is loaded, persisted state has been merged into configuration, SDK state is available, and lifecycle/network observers are active.

    Compose apps usually let OptimizationRoot create the client and call initialize(config). XML Views apps usually call OptimizationManager.initialize(...) from Application.onCreate before reading OptimizationManager.client from activities or fragments. Because OptimizationManager.initialize(...) initializes the client asynchronously, direct suspend API calls from Views code must wait for OptimizationManager.client.isInitialized.first { it }.

    OptimizationClient exposes async work as suspend functions. Call those methods from Compose effects, View event-handler coroutine scopes, lifecycle-aware coroutines, or another app-owned coroutine scope.

    The QuickJS runtime runs on a dedicated single-thread dispatcher owned by the SDK. Application code must use the public Kotlin APIs instead of trying to access the bridge directly.

    Typical apps keep one client alive for the app process lifetime. Use destroy() for test teardown or deliberate SDK reset flows.

    Every Android integration builds an OptimizationConfig:

    OptimizationConfig(
        clientId = "your-client-id",
        environment = "main",
        locale = "en-US",
        logLevel = if (BuildConfig.DEBUG) OptimizationLogLevel.debug else OptimizationLogLevel.error,
    )

    Only clientId is required. environment defaults to "main". Base URL overrides belong only in integrations that need non-default Experience API or Insights API endpoints.

    Use top-level locale for the SDK Experience/event locale. When the application renders localized Contentful entries, choose an app-owned Contentful locale and pass it to the app's Contentful Delivery API request before entries are passed to OptimizedEntry, OptimizedEntryView, or resolveOptimizedEntry(...). For the full locale model, see Locale handling in the Optimization SDK Suite.

    OptimizationClient publishes runtime state through Kotlin flows:

    Surface Description
    state Snapshot of profile, consent, optimization readiness, and pending changes.
    isInitialized true after initialization completes.
    selectedOptimizations The selected optimization variants for the visitor.
    state.canOptimize Whether selected optimization data is available for entry resolution.
    optimizationPossible Whether the current consent and allow-list configuration can produce variants.
    experienceRequestState Outcome of the most recent Experience API request.
    locale Current SDK locale for Experience API requests and event context.
    isPreviewPanelOpen true while the in-app preview panel is visible.
    previewState Preview override state used by the in-app preview panel.
    eventStream Raw event stream for debug surfaces and tests.
    blockedEventStream Events blocked by consent gating.

    Compose code reads these values through collectAsState() or effects. XML Views code usually collects them from lifecycle-aware coroutines.

    Android also exposes the current SDK Experience/event locale as client.locale. Call client.setLocale(locale) after initialization to update future Experience API requests and event context.

    Custom Flags use the same Core-backed model as the Web SDKs: client.getFlag(name) returns the current JSON value, and client.observeFlag(name) returns a StateFlow<JSONValue?> that updates on distinct value changes. Both one-off reads and subscriptions can emit deduplicated flag-view events for delivered values when consent and profile state allow.

    For the lower-level state model shared through the native bridge, see Core state management.

    The SDK persists consent with SharedPreferences. When persistence consent is true, it also persists profile-continuity values such as profile, selected changes, selected optimizations, and the anonymous ID. StorageDefaults are startup defaults, not one-time seeds. During initialization, configured defaults take precedence over persisted SDK values, so a configured consent or persistence default can replace a visitor's stored choice on each launch.

    Use StorageDefaults(consent = true) only when the application's policy is truly default-on at startup. If the application persists user choices in a CMP, account setting, or app preference, leave StorageDefaults.consent and StorageDefaults.persistenceConsent unset. Resolve the policy at startup and call client.consent(...) after the client is available instead of seeding a choice every launch. If the application relies on SDK consent storage, also leave those defaults unset so the persisted SDK consent can restore naturally.

    Consent is a three-state value: true, false, or unset. Until consent is granted, the SDK blocks event types that are not allow-listed. Android uses the native default allow-list when OptimizationConfig.allowedEventTypes is unset:

    Consent state Event behavior
    Unset identify and screen can emit; other events are blocked.
    true All SDK event types can emit.
    false identify and screen can emit; other events are blocked.

    This is the default Android/native behavior, not a universal SDK rule. allowedEventTypes replaces the default allow-list. Use allowedEventTypes = emptyList() when no Optimization event can emit before explicit consent, or pass a custom list when policy permits specific pre-consent events. Allow-listed pre-consent events still mark context.gdpr.isConsentGiven as false until event consent is explicitly true.

    Call client.consent(true) when the visitor grants consent and client.consent(false) when the visitor rejects it. Boolean consent controls both event emission and durable profile-continuity persistence by default. client.consent(false) clears event consent and persistence consent, purges SDK queues, and clears SDK-managed durable profile-continuity storage while leaving active in-memory state available until the app resets or tears down the client.

    Use object-form consent when event emission and durable profile continuity need separate policy decisions. For example, client.consent(events = true, persistence = false) allows events while keeping profile continuity session-only. client.consent(events = false) withdraws event consent and purges SDK queues, but it does not clear persistence consent unless persistence = false is also passed. For cross-SDK consent guidance, see Consent management in the Optimization SDK Suite.

    Entry optimization boundary

    Entry optimization is a local decision once the app has both Contentful entry data and selected optimizations.

    The application provides:

    • A single-locale Contentful entry map.
    • Linked optimization references and variant entries in the Contentful payload.
    • An optional selected-optimizations snapshot when a custom abstraction needs deterministic resolution.

    The SDK returns either the baseline entry or the resolved variant entry:

    val result = client.resolveOptimizedEntry(baseline = entry)

    val resolvedEntry = result.entry
    val selectedOptimization = result.selectedOptimization
    val optimizationContextId = result.optimizationContextId

    When resolving directly, omit selectedOptimizations to use current client state, or pass an explicit snapshot such as client.selectedOptimizations.value when a custom abstraction needs deterministic resolution. resolveOptimizedEntry(...) does not fetch Contentful entries, evaluate audiences, call the Experience API, or mutate public profile, consent, or selected-optimizations state. In a stateful client, matched resolution can register an opaque tracking context and return optimizationContextId. Pass that value to manual TrackViewPayload or TrackClickPayload calls when emitting interactions for the resolved entry yourself. Compose OptimizedEntry and XML Views OptimizedEntryView wrap the same boundary and add component-level behavior such as variant locking, live updates, and interaction tracking.

    For the full data model and fallback behavior, see Entry optimization and variant resolution.

    The Android SDK exposes two public UI adapter packages over the same core client:

    App style Initialization path Entry rendering path Screen tracking path Scroll tracking helper
    Compose OptimizationRoot OptimizedEntry ScreenTrackingEffect OptimizationLazyColumn
    XML Views OptimizationManager.initialize OptimizedEntryView ScreenTracker TrackingRecyclerView

    Both adapters use the same OptimizationClient, persistence model, bridge runtime, event gates, locale resolution, and preview override state. Choose the adapter that matches the UI framework of the screen you are integrating.

    The Android SDK emits page context events, mobile screen events, custom business events, and Contentful entry interaction events:

    Event type Compose path XML Views path
    Page client.page(...) client.page(...)
    Screen ScreenTrackingEffect ScreenTracker.trackScreen(...)
    Event App-owned event handlers App-owned event handlers
    Entry view OptimizedEntry view tracking OptimizedEntryView view tracking
    Entry tap OptimizedEntry tap tracking OptimizedEntryView tap tracking

    Entry interaction tracking uses these defaults:

    • Entry view and tap tracking are enabled by default in both Compose and XML Views.
    • Initial view event after 2 seconds at 80% visibility.
    • Periodic duration updates every 5 seconds while the entry remains visible.
    • Final duration update when the entry leaves view after a view event has already fired.

    OptimizedEntry and OptimizedEntryView can tune minVisibleRatio, dwellTimeMs, and viewDurationUpdateIntervalMs per entry. Use OptimizationLazyColumn in Compose and TrackingRecyclerView in XML Views when view timing needs scroll-aware visibility updates.

    Applications can also call page(...), track(...), trackView(...), and trackClick(...) directly when they need to emit page context, custom business events, or entry interactions from a custom UI abstraction.

    OptimizedEntry and OptimizedEntryView lock to the first resolved variant by default. Locking prevents content from changing while a visitor is reading it. Enable live updates when a component needs to react to profile changes or preview overrides without a reload.

    Android live-update precedence is:

    Preview panel Global default Per-entry override Result
    Open Any Any Live
    Closed true null Live
    Closed false true Live
    Closed true false Locked
    Closed false null Locked

    When the preview panel is open, all OptimizedEntry and OptimizedEntryView components update live so audience and variant overrides apply immediately. When the panel closes, non-live optimized entries without an explicit selected-optimizations override lock to the previewed selection. Live entries continue to follow current selectedOptimizations, and Views entries with caller-supplied selected optimizations continue resolving from that explicit value.

    Compose apps mount the preview panel through OptimizationRoot(previewPanel = PreviewPanelConfig(...)). XML Views apps mount the Activity floating entry point by calling OptimizationManager.attachPreviewPanel(...). OptimizationManager.initialize(...) receives PreviewPanelConfig so the manager can retain the optional preview Contentful client used for preview-definition fetching.

    The Android SDK monitors network reachability and app lifecycle events:

    • When the device is offline, events queue in memory.
    • When connectivity returns, queued events flush automatically.
    • When the app moves toward the background, the SDK flushes queued events to reduce data loss.

    No configuration is required for this behavior. Queueing and flushing use the same event-delivery model for Compose and XML Views integrations.

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