Android App Development: Positive and Negative Aspects

If there were only 100 people on the planet, 76 would be using an Android smartphone, and 20 would be using an iOS one (let’s disregard the four oddballs that use Windows and Blackberry handsets).

The paradigm changes, though, when just US users are taken into account: Now, 65 of those 100 are iOS supporters.

One of the numerous variables that affect your decision about the platform for your mobile app is how well-liked an operating system is in a certain area.

Naturally, our ultimate goal is to develop apps that all mobile users can utilise, regardless of their beliefs, brand allegiance, or even financial status. Nevertheless, you often have to start with one when it comes to native development.

Come learn about Android mobile development with us and discover the advantages and difficulties of going with Google vs Apple. Let’s start.

The Background of Android

Do you recall life before smartphones? We anticipate that you can recall how mobility was in 2006 without the aid of a time machine.

Back then, so-called pocket personal computers with a real QWERTY keyboard and occasionally even a pen were being steadily introduced to the mobile market by Windows, Symbian, and Blackberry.

One of those may have belonged to you. Early cellphones were just concerned about productivity. As a result, hardware and software developers were always thinking of ways to pack more functionality into this little gadget.

They had a good situation. Although we had Twitter, email, Microsoft Word, and many other useful tools, websites were sluggish to respond, mobile Internet was unreliable, and individuals still had to sit down at their full-size PCs to do tasks that took more than five minutes. Basically, neither developer flexibility nor usability were taken into account. It was difficult to go about in this planet.

The world wasn’t even accustomed to touch displays when the first Android handset, the T-Mobile G1 (also known as the HTC Dream), hit the market.

However, the first consumer Android phone already included Google services, had a built-in GPS, could zoom in on websites, and even a prototype Android Market (with only 35 apps). Android Inc.

And Google the Internet and software, according to the device’s designer Andy Rubin, were to be used to develop and freely distribute services that would link users to the online and enable the next generation of mobile devices.

beginning kit for Android development

These fundamental toolset components make up native development for Android devices: an SDK, IDEs, programming languages, libraries, and plugins. Check out the items you may use to build your own tech stack.

kit for developing software

A collection of tools that makes up an executable application is known as an SDK. Debugging tools, emulators, frameworks, libraries, profilers, and more are included in this.

Although the Android SDK is already included in Android Studio, you may download it separately at the bottom of the linked page if you want to use another IDE.

IDEs and editors

Theoretically, you could create Android apps using a standard text editor or the command line, but an integrated development environment is the preferred method.

This utility merges all SDK features and makes it easier and more user-friendly to handle them. The official Android IDE is Android Studio, however there are more widely used alternatives.

Using plugins, Studio’s predecessor, Eclipse, may expand the code to support other languages. Although it is a premium option, IntelliJ IDEA is quite customisable.

programming dialects

Although the official languages for Android development are stated as Java and Kotlin, there are others. The Android Native Development Kit.

A tool for implementing portions of previously created apps in native code, may also be used with C and C++. Additionally, there are third-party tools that let you develop native Android apps in your preferred programming languages.

Such Kivy or Ruboto (Ruby) (Python). Just keep in mind that any unauthorised solutions may experience updates more slowly.

Libraries

Libraries are used by software engineers for a variety of purposes. They are short pieces of pre-written code that automate coding tasks and get rid of the necessity to start from scratch.

Such free solutions are generously provided by the Android community. The most well-known ones include EventBus for simple communication between various app components.

Retrofit for organising APIs, and GSON for serialising and deserializing Java objects to interface with APIs. Developers utilise the Gradle tool to set up all of these parameters and plan the procedure for adding external libraries.

Plugins

While libraries are used to automate project chores, plugins are developed to enhance each piece of software, in this example, an IDE.

There are too many to mention them all, so have a look at our selection of Android Studio resources and the best plugins.com selected selection of Eclipse plugins.

Visit this well-known post for the best 20 tools for Android programming if you’re looking for more complex solutions to enhance your coding skills.

Android development advantages

It’s impossible to avoid comparing Android to its duopoly partner, Apple, when discussing what the platform excels at. Let’s examine how Android helps developers and how it compares to iOS in some areas.

+ Simple app approval procedure

Apple The App Store is renowned for being extremely picky about the apps it publishes. Google and Apple have distinct approaches to quality assurance while having comparable rules.

The approval procedure for the App Store can be time-consuming and rigorous, but as long as you don’t break any of its primary content standards, Google’s review system is generally favourable.

Apple, on the other hand, examines apps more rigorously; if your programme contains problems, crashes, inconsistent UI, or broken links, the system won’t allow it.

The same applies to relatively subjective criteria that have no long-term worth and measure the usability of your software instead of its specialty or content strength.

Although thorough assessments are not always negative, they do require developers to pay thousands of dollars up front with a chance of rejection from the platform.

Because Google is open to fresh material, you may publish a minimal viable product or an early version of your app to get feedback or show off a preview to your Kickstarter backers.

+ Hardware neutrality

Hardware will be your least important issue among the requirements for creating Android apps.
Java is used for Android development, which makes it cross-platform.

On Windows, Mac OS, and Linux, you may use and download a variety of Android development tools, including Android Studio, Eclipse, IntelliJ IDEA, Fabric, and many more.

It’s necessary to use a Mac or virtual machine to create iOS apps.

+ Programming languages Kotlin and Java

Java and Kotlin are the two official programming languages for Android.

The first has already been a popular language for 20 years and was ranked as the fifth most popular technology in 2018.

Java is a cross-platform, object-oriented language that is utilised in everything from data analytics projects to financial firms.

The merits and downsides of using Java for web, desktop, mobile, and Internet of Things products have recently been covered in a separate blog article.

Because of Java’s widespread use, it will be simple for you to locate qualified Android developers on the market or even inside your tech team.

Kotlin is a different well-regarded technology. It’s more like a novel coding technique built on Java than it is a language per se.

The entire process of creating apps becomes quicker and more pleasurable by eliminating all the complexity and verbosity of Java.

Any Java developer can quickly become proficient in Kotlin.

but unless you have a little more time to dedicate to switching to a new process, it’s not required.

Another plus is that Jotin and Kava (see what we did there?) are totally compatible and may be used together.

A solid indication of the direction Android is moving in with its new programming method can be seen in this presentation from Google I/O 2017.

It seems sense to point out that there are other, albeit official, solutions outside Java and Kotlin. For instance, C and C++ are also supported by Android Studio.

Both of which are more difficult than Java yet are useful in some circumstances, such as game programmes.

Additionally, the language pool is considerably larger if we take into account cross-platform technologies; examples include C# in Xamarin, JavaScript in PhoneGap, and Dart in Flutter.

+ Educational materials

If you’ve ever dealt with any form of Google documentation, you know what level we’re referring to. In addition to the vast quantity of material available online.

Google also provides its own Android development training for newcomers,

seasoned engineers, and even unique situations that call for more in-depth understanding.

Materials are organised well, equipped with images and animations, and and explainer videos, along with some interactive exercises.

The course now offers three streams: Kotlin boot camp, native apps using Flutter, and foundations of Android development.

Additionally, software developers can earn official Google Developers Certification.

The one-time exam costs $149, lasts eight hours, and assesses a person’s practical knowledge using Google self-study tools.

Plus Flutter

With Google’s brand-new Flutter free SDK, you can create native apps for both iOS and Android using a single codebase.

Google shares its own perspective on the rising desire for the write-once, run-anywhere programming method,

even if cross-platform tools have been well-liked on the market for a while.

Although not without its flaws, as we shown in our Xamarin vs.

Flutter comparison, Flutter offers a few unique capabilities that facilitate and streamline Android development.

For instance, when you only want to replicate the default Google look and feel,

the tool’s integrated Material Design library eliminates the need to develop UI code.

You can continue using the programmes you already know and adore because it is fully integrated with Android Studio and IntelliJ.

Additionally, you are able to reuse the Java code that already exists, making it simple to integrate native apps into the Flutter environment.

Despite the availability of several cross-platform solutions.

Android developers should investigate Flutter more and evaluate the potential benefits it may provide.

In-App Purchases

There were several advancements presented during the 2017 Android Developer Conference.

Along with Kotlin, Google also debuted Instant Apps, which are native apps that can be run straight from Google Play without having to download anything.

These are quicker, more accessible, more entertaining applications, similar to progressive web apps,

that can allow consumers access to the basic features of the complete service or a sneak peek at the premium app.

Users may register, make purchases, and access any material by just hitting the.

Try Now button on the shop page; only the publisher has the authority to impose restrictions.

The development process is equally simple; all you have to do is construct a regular app,
like you usually would, and then alter a few settings before publishing to customize the user experience.

Additional to mobile app solutions

You may recall from reading our introduction to VR development that creating virtual applications is not necessarily a hassle.

The king of mobile VR, Google, currently offers two headsets: the affordable Cardboard and the feature-rich Daydream.

In a move that creates a true ecosystem, you can create apps for both of these headsets using the same Android Studio and Android SDK.

The only addition would be Google VR SDK, but when compared to tech stacks for other devices
this is undoubtedly the one that an experienced Android programmer can work with the most easily.

You may upload the release-ready APK to Google Play or make it discoverable via the Daydream app. The publishing platform for VR apps is also the same.