Unity mobile (mobile specialist)

Expert mobile work means a game that holds its frame rate after twenty minutes on a three-year-old phone, starts fast, installs from the store, and never double-charges or double-grants. The stance: budget the sustained frame, prove every setting on the data the device gets (imported format, built bundle, exported Xcode project), and treat stores, SDKs and money code as contracts with ugly event orders. Target: Unity 6000.3.21f1, URP 17.3, Input System 1.20, macOS with Xcode 26.6. If a sibling skill named here is missing from your available skills, ask the user to install it (npx skills add scenario-labs/skills --skill <name>); unattended, proceed from tool schemas and flag the gap.

REQUIRED BACKGROUND: scenario-unity-expert (channels, review loop, 6.3 traps). Toolkit: scripts/ut_mobile.py (imports ut_env, ut_run, ut_stat), editor jobs in scripts/AgentKit/Mobile/, player code in scripts/Runtime/.

Stance (the expert delta)

1. Budget the sustained frame, not the peak. About 65% of 1000/fps (10.8 ms at 60, 21.7 ms at 30), judged on p95 and max, on the lowest phone, short bursts, 10 to 15 minutes of cooldown; assume vsync, so a missed refresh halves the rate (Unity mobile e-book). Under heat, lower render scale first only when the GPU is the bottleneck: resolution barely helps a CPU-bound frame (6.3 Manual). Prove the policy with synthetic thermal events, not a hot phone (d5O4Uw6gPBI [00:04:21]). Editor timings are relative; draw and SetPass counts are the stable Editor evidence (observed).
2. Check the effective format, then lock the rule. A texture the GPU cannot sample is decompressed to RGBA32 on the CPU (6.3 Manual); an HDR map without an ASTC HDR override imported as ETC2_RGBA8 (observed). ASTC 4x4 UI and faces, 6x6 default, 8x8 big environment maps [added]; crunch does nothing on ASTC. Audio: WAV sources, mono SFX at 22,050 Hz at most, ADPCM under 200 KB, Streaming only above about 400 KB (e-book). An AssetPostprocessor keeps new assets compliant (Unity Enterprise Support, j4YAY36xjwE [00:19:07]).
3. Mobile URP is not PC URP with a lower slider. Depth Priming Disabled (unsupported on Android, iOS and TBDR), Native RenderPass on, Depth and Opaque textures off unless sampled, HDR off or 32-bit, soft shadows off, Store Actions Auto or Discard (6.3 Manual). One URP asset per Quality tier; a batch editor launched for Android still reported Quality "PC" (observed; same trap in 2J0kDtUGlrY [frame 00:10:28]).
4. Release builds are reproducible from the environment. Unity never stores keystore passwords: set them in the build process from env vars; Google refuses the debug keystore (6.3 Manual; LlamAcademy, GTaXWgKz0e8 [00:06:24]). Development Build off, symbols in the bundle from the first upload: Play never symbolicates crashes received before the symbols (6.3 Manual). Check the built bundle, not the settings.
5. The Android main thread and the splash are shared budgets. Most game ANRs happen while backgrounding: nothing heavy in OnApplicationPause, SDK init staggered after milestones, symbols shipped; read the signature, the previous exit reason on next launch, and exclude low-revenue devices that dominate ANRs (Unity Android team, pezwIhA0e04 [00:27:24], [00:25:12], [00:13:13], [00:41:40], [00:29:02]). The Resources index and first-scene Awake run under the splash (j4YAY36xjwE [00:33:59]); a loader scene reports its real interactive frame with CallReportFullyDrawn (6.3 Manual).
6. Money code is idempotent. Validate, grant, then ConfirmPurchase; dedupe by transaction id in flight and persisted; pending orders from OnPurchasesFetched go through the same path; a FailedOrder on confirm is retried with the kept order, never regranted; buy only fetched Product objects; never revoke on an empty Google fetch; show the store's localized price; hand jwsRepresentation to attribution SDKs (IAP 5 docs; Unity, szS2KMxZsl4 [00:07:27], [00:09:28], [00:11:38]). Grant rewarded ads in OnAdRewarded whatever the callback order.
7. Touch is events and virtual devices; the HUD lives in one safe-area panel. EnhancedTouch, never Touchscreen.current in Update; on-screen controls emit a virtual Gamepad; thumb controls at Constant Physical Size (Input System team, ptvjumIHxYg [00:20:29]). movementRange is a radius (observed). Render outside the safe area on, HUD in a SafeAreaFitter panel (Chema Damak, PLQ4ywB13eg [00:10:53]); UI Toolkit top = Screen.height - safeArea.yMax (proven by test). The Device Simulator is one finger, no performance, no UNITY_IOS, no native plug-ins (6.3 docs).
8. SDKs and stores are contracts. Consent answered before the first ad request, ad SDK init after the first milestone, nothing monetized in the first 10 to 15 minutes, offers when the player is stuck (Creauctopus, ILv7GzDgteQ [00:01:58], [00:09:00]); SKAdNetworkItems and every SDK's privacy manifest on iOS, AD_ID on API 33+ (LevelPlay docs; 6.3 Manual), the ATT text when you track [added]; Data safety answered from the SDK vendors' guides; one internal-track upload before IAP products can exist (GTaXWgKz0e8 [00:09:06]; UXl_C3ZnRLc [00:02:28]). 6000.3.21f1 defaults to IAP 4.15.1 and LevelPlay 8.10.1: pin 5.4.3 and 9.5.1 first.

Establish first

Stores (Play needs an AAB); min-spec device list (GPU family decides ASTC vs ETC2); target fps per tier; download budget; orientation; ad network, IAP products, consent regimes (GDPR, CCPA, child-directed) and whether a backend validates receipts; signing material (keystore path and env var names, Apple team id: the human keeps them); whether a phone is connected (none here: device steps become a hand-over). Defaults: Mobile_High 60 fps and Mobile_Low 30 fps (Low ships, the director promotes), ASTC 6x6, min API 25, target API 36, iOS 15, IL2CPP ARM64, Vulkan then OpenGLES3, Minimal stripping to start.

Workflow

1. Baseline. MobileTiers.AuditRendering, MobileBuild.AuditPlayerSettings, MobileTextures.AuditTextures, MobileAudio.AuditAudio, MobileStartup.AuditStartup, ut_mobile.code_scan(P), ut_mobile.package_check(P), all with build_target="Android". GATE: findings listed, Editor Quality level recorded.
2. Tiers and thermals. MobileTiers.ApplyTiers; MobileTierDirector with PlayMode synthetic Feed events. GATE: AuditRendering 0 errors; per-tier captures opened; the thermal test lowers lodBias and (GPU-bound only) render scale, restores both.
3. Assets. FixTextures, FixAudio, AuditMeshes, then ImportedFormats and ImportedAudio per target; import_rules.json for MobileImportRules. GATE: 0 errors and warns, all ASTC, imported sizes down, new assets arrive compliant; captures before and after any Max Size drop.
4. Input and UI. SafeAreaFitter, BuildTouchHud, FloatingTouchStick. GATE: SafeAreaTests and TouchInputTests pass; CaptureSafeArea fitted HUD clear, naive HUD blocked.
5. Frame budget. AgentProfile.PlayModeTimings per tier, budget_verdict(csv, fps); DeviceSoakLogger goes into the development build. GATE: sustained verdict pass; device soak listed as Assumed.
6. Monetization. Pin packages; logic in PurchaseLedger, RewardGate, AdPacing, AdsInitGate; adapters Iap5Store (validate, price, jws) and LevelPlayAds (privacy flags before init). GATE: MonetizationTests pass, adapters compile against the pinned packages, code_scan and package_check clean.
7. Android release. make_keystore, MobileBuild.BuildAndroid with env=keystore_env(ks). GATE: Succeeded; aab_findings 0 errors (not debuggable, 16 KB pages, symbols, AD_ID if ads); bundletool_sizes under budget, else Build Report by size then Play Asset Delivery; passwords not persisted.
8. iOS release. Privacy manifest in Assets/Plugins, BuildIos, xcode_facts + xcode_findings. GATE: Succeeded, reasons carried, target GUIDs reported; ios_archive_plan commands (archive, App Store export, thinning report) shown to the human and run only with approval.
9. Device and store hand-over. Soak CSV judged by soak_verdict, native GPU profilers, Android vitals with ANR triage and ExitInfo, sandbox purchase and restore, LevelPlay test suite then removal, Play Console and App Store Connect steps (procedures M13).

Numbers

Value	Relative to	Source
16.67 / 10.83 ms, 33.33 / 21.67 ms	raw / sustained (65%) budget at 60 and 30 fps	e-book
10 to 15 min; 20 to 30 min	cooldown between device captures; soak length	e-book; [added]
up to 1 ms CPU	each enabled camera on low-end mobile	e-book
8 to 0.89 bpp	ASTC 4x4 to 12x12	6.3 Manual
< 200 KB / > 350 to 400 KB; 22,050 Hz	audio load type buckets; mobile SFX sample rate ceiling	e-book
200 MB / 100 MB	AAB base module / APK on Play; also the iOS cellular download limit (200)	6.3 Manual
16 KB (p_align 0x4000)	every native library's LOAD segments, Android 15+ pages	version deltas
API 25 / 36	6.3 minimum / Play target since 2026-08-31 (6.5 raises the minimum to 26)	version deltas
iOS 15, A8; Xcode 26 + iOS 26 SDK	6.3 minimum; App Store since 2026-04-28	version deltas
5 s (10 s on some Samsung); 128 bytes	ANR timeout; exit state summary	pezwIhA0e04 [00:02:01], [00:42:13]
3 days	Google refunds an unacknowledged purchase	IAP 5 docs
10 to 15 min; every 3 min	monetization-free start; interstitial interval after a milestone	ILv7GzDgteQ (heuristics)
54998 to 55511	outbound ports for iOS remote profiling	6.3 Manual
0.125 to 0.925	default Gamepad stick deadzone applied to on-screen stick values	observed

Quality gates

• Measurable: every audit at 0 errors (warns justified); ImportedFormats all ASTC; NUnit (SafeAreaTests, TouchInputTests, MonetizationTests, TierDirectorTests) failed == 0; budget_verdict sustained pass; aab_findings and xcode_findings 0 errors; bundletool_sizes within budget; code_scan and package_check 0 errors; on device, soak_verdict pass over 20 minutes or more.
• Visual: tier and safe-area captures pass image_checks and were opened; before/after blur check for every Max Size drop.

Common mistakes

Mistake	What it looks like	Fix
profiling against 16.7 ms in the Editor	fine on the Mac, throttles after 10 minutes on a phone	65% budget, device soak, p95/max
PC Quality level on the mobile target	captures use PC_RPAsset, or a PC level ships	ApplyTiers (exclude PC), SetEditorQuality
thermal response by resolution on a CPU-bound game	blurrier, barely faster	render scale only when GPU-bound; lodBias, shadows
RGBA32 override; HDR map without ASTC HDR	5.3 MB for 1024 px; HDR imported as ETC2_RGBA8	FixTextures, check ImportedFormats
streaming small clips; music Decompress On Load	200 KB overhead per stream; whole PCM in memory	FixAudio (buckets by size)
keystore set once in the GUI	next batch build fails, or ships debug-signed	env vars read by BuildAndroid
Development Build uploaded; symbols uploaded late	upload fails; early crashes never symbolicated	aab_findings; symbols in the first bundle
Gradle edits in IPostGenerateGradleAndroidProject	stale outputs from incremental builds	AndroidProjectFilesModifier (custom modules) or a clean build
saves in OnApplicationPause; SDKs in the first Awake	ANRs on pause; slow start under the splash	checkpoints; stagger SDK init; AuditStartup
IAP 4 code on IAP 5; LevelPlay 8 folders left	compile errors; pre-9 SDK files beside the 9.x package	pin packages, package_check
OnPurchaseConfirmed read as success	a FailedOrder silently lost	retry with the kept PendingOrder
attribution SDK blind after IAP 5	iOS revenue missing, no error	OnAppleJws, then a device purchase
reward granted in OnAdClosed; test suite left in	missing rewards; validation calls in release	RewardGate; code_scan
HUD anchored to the canvas; Simulator taken as proof	buttons under the notch; multitouch untested	SafeAreaFitter; device check
hiding the HUD when any Gamepad connects	the HUD hides itself: its own on-screen controls add a virtual Gamepad	TouchControlsVisibility (skips the OnScreen usage)
a declared privacy category	Unity's reasons for it dropped (0A2A.1, observed)	write_privacy_manifest keeps the union
BuildReport.summary.totalSize as Android size	789.8 MB for a 53.9 MB AAB (observed)	aab_facts, bundletool get-size total

Handoffs

• Receives: scenes, prefabs and budgets from scenario-unity-expert; UI layouts from scenario-unity-ui (applies the safe-area panel and touch HUD); shaders from scenario-unity-shaders (variants, depth/opaque texture use); content from scenario-unity-world-building and scenario-textures (import policy).
• Delivers: tier assets and URP findings to scenario-unity-rendering-lighting; profiling CSVs and device capture requests to scenario-unity-performance; build jobs, keystore and env conventions to scenario-unity-pipeline-automation (CI); input bindings to scenario-unity-architecture; web size or browser work to scenario-unity-web. Packet: audits JSON, contact sheets, aab_facts and gates, xcode_facts and gates, NUnit totals, Verified and Assumed lists, the device and store checklist.

Unity 6.3 notes

• Target API 36 for Play since 2026-08-31; min API 25 (26 in 6.5); Gradle 9.1.0 / AGP 9.0.0 in 6000.3.17f1+; GameActivity is the default entry point. The 6000.3.21f1 URP template ships Target API Automatic, APK output and a placeholder package id (observed): set all three. Engine libraries are 16 KB aligned (observed).
• AndroidProjectFilesModifier edits custom modules only: AndroidProjectFiles.UnityLibraryManifest does not compile in 6000.3.21f1 (observed). LevelPlay 9.5.1 adds AD_ID through its own post-generate hook (read in the source): clean-build after changing that setting.
• After QualitySettings.SetQualityLevel, GraphicsSettings.currentRenderPipeline still returned the previous asset that frame (observed): read QualitySettings.renderPipeline.
• App Store needs Xcode 26 and the iOS 26 SDK; 6.4 moves runtime libraries into UnityRuntime.framework (re-check post-process scripts). PVRTC removed in 6.4.
• Adaptive Performance is a core feature (UnityEngine.AdaptivePerformance); automatic control only with Android providers.
• LevelPlay.SetConsent is obsolete in 9.5.1 (LevelPlayPrivacySettings); com.unity.ads is legacy for monetization since 2026-01-31.

References

• references/expert-notes.md: principles by source with timestamps, observations, and where sources disagree.
• references/procedures.md: M1 to M13 as copyable calls, each with its live test and recorded result.
• references/critique.md: the rubric to judge budgets, tiers, assets, UI, builds, money code and hand-overs.
• references/gui-paths.md: the same tasks through Unity, Xcode and store consoles.
• references/sources.md: every source with credentials, URLs, best timestamps, and the revision history.