Shipaton 2025 - Day 8 - Embracing Guest Mode
Day 8 of my Shipaton 2025 journey introduced Guest Mode to my Android App, letting users explore without signing up, and switched all images to WebP for a faster, lighter install. Onboarding and authentication are now officially complete.
Mantas Butenas
8/9/20251 min read
What I Built Today
Today was all about making the app faster to try and lighter to download.
Not everyone wants to create an account right away and now, they don’t have to. With the new “Continue as a Guest” option, users can jump straight into the app right after onboarding.
This removes the biggest barrier for first-time visitors: sign-up forms. Less friction means more people get to experience the app immediately, and once they see the value, they can choose to create an account later.
Why Guest Mode Matters:
✅ Instant access = higher engagement.
✅ Perfect for people who just want to explore before committing.
✅ Still allows us to offer the full onboarding experience without slowing anyone down.
From PNG to WebP
The second big change today was switching all app images from PNG to WebP format. This cut down the app size, making downloads quicker and installs smoother - especially important for users on slower networks or with limited storage.
Why the switch helps:
✅ Smaller file sizes without losing quality.
✅ Faster downloads = fewer drop-offs during install.
✅ Less storage used on the user’s device.
Onboarding & Authentication: Complete!
With the Guest Mode now live and the sign-up flow polished from earlier this week, onboarding and authentication are officially complete. That’s two major pillars of the app’s foundation done and it means I can now focus fully on adding core features.