The smooth performance and easy accessibility of mobile applications have gained worldwide by storm. A huge part of making mobile applications popular has been the development of the android app. It's not surprising even to know that in the playground there are almost 3 million android apps that people use. As we can all agree, in this world there are more Android users than iOS users because Android mobile phones are affordable, offer all the functions, are quite easy to use, and accessible to a wider worldwide audience because of their affordability.
Let’s think of a scenario where applications will no longer be available, what will we do with our mobile phones? Our phone would be like a T9 phone if it didn't have any mobile applications. It would just be used for calling and messaging.
In this blog, we'll discover what Android development is and what are the tools and languages used in the process of android development.
What is Android development:
Android is a mobile operating system designed specifically for smartphones, and the development of android software is the process by which applications for Android-based devices are created. Google states that "Android applications are possible to write using the languages Kotlin, Java, & C++" with the help of the Android development software kit (SDK) while using other languages.
Did you know that Android is the world's most popular mobile operating system, with over 25,000 different devices available from a variety of manufacturers? Apps for the Android marketplace, which competes directly with Apple's app store, are created by Android developers.
Why develop apps for Android?
For a variety of reasons, developers create apps. They may need to meet business needs or build new services or companies or they may want to offer users games and other content. Developers choose Android to develop to reach most mobile device users.
Most recent Android app development trends:
Instant Apps: Despite the fact that they have been around for a long time, instant apps are gaining in popularity. Customers can use them to try out games or apps before installing them on their smartphones.
Increased AI and Machine Learning utilization: Use of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning on a regular basis on android devices.
Android development Fundamentals
1. Programming Languages for Android development
Programming in Android is mostly done in these languages: JAVA, Kotlin, Python, C#, C++ and XML (eXtensible Mark-up Language). The XML file is in charge of the design, presentation, layouts, blueprints, and so on (as a front-end), whereas the JAVA or KOTLIN file is in charge of the buttons, variables, storing, and so on (as a back-end)
2. Components for Android App
Android's building blocks are the app components. Each component has its own function and life cycle, which begins with the app's start and ends with its termination. Some of these elements are also reliant on others.
The following are the four key app components:
Activities
Services
Broadcast Receivers
Content Provider
Android App’s Lifecycle:
OnCreate: This is called when an activity is first created.
OnStart: This is called when the activity becomes visible to the user.
OnResume: This is called when the activity starts to interact with the user.
OnPause: This is called when activity is not visible to the user.
OnStop: This is called when activity is no longer visible.
OnRestart: This is called when activity is stopped, and restarted again.
OnDestroy: This is called when activity is to be closed or destroyed.
This diagram depicts the activity lifecycle in an Android app:
Different Approaches to Android App Development
Native Android Apps using Kotlin or Java
Native mobile apps, unlike websites and web applications, do not run on the browser. You'll have to get them from platform-specific app shops like Apple's App Store or Google Play. Following installation, you can access each programme by pressing its symbol on your device's screen.
Cross-Platform Hybrid Mobile Apps
The hybrid apps have portability and ease of creation. You only need to write the code once, and your hybrid software will work on a variety of platforms. Hybrid frameworks such as Ionic and Apache Cordova can be used to construct cross-platform hybrid apps.
Native or Cross-Platform Hybrid App – Which one is better?
Almost every contractor considering developing mobile applications has one of the most common questions: whether they want to build a native app or a hybrid app. Both options have advantages and disadvantages, and neither of them is perfect for everyone.
Key Features: Native, & Hybrid application
Feature | Native | Hybrid |
Device Access | Full | Full (with plugins) |
Performance | High | Medium to High |
Development Language | Platform Specific | HTML, CSS, JavaScript |
Cross-Platform Support | No | Yes |
User Experience | High | Medium to High |
Code Reuse | No | Yes |
Android app development
As mentioned earlier, Java, Kotlin, Python, C#, and C++ are all programming languages that can be used to create native Android apps.
Similarly, advanced Android development tools are available from Google, including:
Android Studio: The official IDE for Android, which is a must for both the beginner and experienced Android developer. This studio features great support for many of Android's most common SDKs on top of the respected IntelliJ IDE. Along with some wonderful tools, advanced tools such as memory and CPU monitors help developers ensure their code is highly efficient on a mobile device.
Android SDK (software development kit): The Android SDKs are Java code modules that provide developers with access to functions such as camera and accelerometer. A library called Gradle is a key component of the Android SDK. In the official documentation, the Android SDK comes with many examples that help you understand what every package does, and how it is to be connected to your app.
Tools for the command line in Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux.
Firebase is a mobile programming platform with a lot of features.
Android Jetpack is a set of ready-to-use Android components.
Along with these, here are a few more tools that are frequently used by developers:
Native Development Kit (NDK)
Titanium Mobile SDK
Hypernext Android Creator
ADOBE AIR
Keeping an eye on apps for issues
End-user monitoring is critical for a decent user experience, whether you build native apps from scratch or utilise native frameworks like Tabris. For each native platform, cutting-edge diagnostic tools have unique solutions. Raygun Error Monitoring, for example, includes error monitoring tools for both Android and iOS.
we can also use a few app monitoring strategies to keep track of everything that happens with our app, such as:
Always assess your app's performance through the eyes of the user.
Errors can be filtered based on operating systems, app versions, or device types.
Back-end services and API calls from third parties should be monitored.
Metrics that are important to end-users, such as launch time, UI reaction time, and so on, should be measured.
Final Thoughts
With a total smartphone sales of 80%, Android leads the global smartphone market; and it's much quicker than professionals in any other mobile technology that employers are hiring professionals with certified Android application development experience.
As Android offers an interesting income model, many companies have a dedicated app design team with a hiring speed.
If this interests you and you want to make a career in Android development, the key is not to try and learn “all of Android app development” but to look at a realistic first project. You will continue to learn by adding new features and wanting new things and making your learning fun and structured with an objective. You're going to be a pro before you know it!
We hope you got a better understanding of “Android Development” by reading this article!
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