SharedPreferences vs DataStore: Which Should You Use?

If you’ve been building Android apps for a while, you probably started with SharedPreferences for storing small amounts of key-value data—things like user settings, tokens, or flags. It’s been around forever, but like many legacy APIs, it comes with baggage.

Why SharedPreferences feels outdated

• It’s synchronous → can block the main thread, leading to ANRs if misused.
• Data corruption risk when multiple writes happen at once.
• Lacks modern, type-safe APIs.

Why DataStore is the modern pick

Google introduced DataStore as a replacement, built on top of Kotlin coroutines and Flow.

• Asynchronous & safe → no more blocking the UI thread.
• Two options: Preferences DataStore (simple key-value, like SharedPreferences) or Proto DataStore (type-safe schema with protobuf).
• Resilient against data corruption.
• Designed with scalability and modern app architecture in mind.

TL;DR

• If you’re starting a new app → go with DataStore.
• If you’re maintaining an older app with lots of SharedPreferences → you don’t need to panic migrate, but consider moving gradually.

Think of it this way:

🔑 SharedPreferences = flip phone.
🚀 DataStore = smartphone.

Both still “work,” but only one really makes sense in 2025.