Are you a fan of application development? Would you like to develop your android application? Well, if your answer to these questions is yes and yes, you remain with one more question which we can answer. That question is, how challenging can android development get? Over the years, the average number of android application developers has grown immensely. As per today’s market, we have over 5.9 million individuals who offer android application development services. And even with this vast number of individuals who provide this service, there is still a shortage of people in the IT sector. So would it be a great idea to learn android applications development? Yes, but where should you start?

Ways to Build an Android Applications

There exist three main and efficient approaches to building your first android application. Of course, each of these methods has a couple of cons and pros, but they all work impeccably.

• Android Application Builder

By utilizing the android application builder (dragging and dropping app development). You can quickly develop an application. However, this often leads you to sub-par outcomes, but the advantages outweigh the disadvantages.

• Learning Android Development

Learning android development can help you develop an application from scratch cost-effectively. What’s more, you get to customize your application to meet all your needs. However, the time you take to master android applications development will be pretty long. Hence it will take you longer to develop and present your applications.

• Hiring Android Development Experts

The android application market is pretty competitive. Therefore, creating an application stands out can be pretty challenging. Therefore, you can opt to hire android development experts to develop your application for you. Of course, this option is way more expensive, but the results are mostly impeccable.

What’s more, you can opt to hire one person or an entire team of developers under this approach. Hiring a whole team brings to the table more flexibility and expertise. All these are essential in developing a complex application.

Steps to android development success

First step: Learn how to write Android Programs

There are so many android development language choices out there. However, only two of them are official, which are:

• Java and
• Kotlin

Kotlin just recently became the official android programming language of Google due to its efficiency. What’s more, this language is also pretty easy to learn and master, which makes it great for beginners. On the other hand, Java is a multi-purpose programming language that offers endless software development possibilities. Learning Java might be challenging, but you can push your creativity to the very edge after mastering it.

To learn Java or Kotlin, you can refer to a couple of resources which include:

• The official Google/Android developers’ website
• Using online academies – include JetBrains (mostly recommended for Kotlin), Udemy, and Pluralsight. Try to utilize those formats that align with your working style and knowledge.
• The Kotlin site
• Utilize a tutor and read books

Second step: Download Android SDK and Android Studio Code

After familiarizing yourself with the official android programming languages, move on to the IDE. Android Studio code is the official IDE (Integrated Development Environment) for android development. Even though another android IDE exists, we recommend you utilize Android Studio code if you are a beginner.

The impeccable android studio code comes bundled up with its software development kit or SDK. The SDK is a collection of excellent software development libraries, tools, documentation, and scripts that helps you develop your application efficiently. The SDK also bears an emulator, which you can utilize to test your software before trying it out on a real phone. In doing so, you get to optimize the production phase immensely.

Android studio code support multiple programming languages, which include:

• Java
• Kotlin
• C++ et cetera

Using Android Studio code and this language, you can build, test, compile and refactor applications easily.

What’s more, this fascinating IDE features an impeccable layout editor. Using this editor, you can just drag and then drop different User Interface components to build that perfect UI for your users. The layout editor also lets you preview your layout across different screen types. While you can still develop your application from scratch using this IDE, utilizing this editor can save you a lot of time. Hence, you can get to launch your application in less time and under less stress.

Third step: Start working on a new Android Application Project

Once you have your IDE set up and all the necessary tools installed, you can now start working on your app.

Android studio code makes android development pretty easy. All you have to do is break down the complex problems into more straightforward problems that you can solve. Once you have that on “check,” move on to choose a template for your project. Here are a couple of things to note before choosing a template:

• Activity simply refers to your app’s screen
• “No-activity,” on the other hand, is an application that begins with a simple file structure
• “Empty-activity” is an application that commences with a mere white screen
• And lastly, “Basic-activity” is an application that starts with pre-coded navigation elements.

After successfully choosing the proper layout and activity, it is now time to name and then select your development language. You should also select the minimum software development Kit. If you are looking to place your application on the Google Play store, your application should aim for android ten and above.

If you’re developing an android application that acts as a studying tool, you do not have to sweat it on minimum SDK. However, if you’re creating your application for the public, you have to put more effort into the software development process.

Fourth step: Design your Application

When you make an android app solely with little to no help from experts, it can result in a UI that has an unprofessional feel.

To avoid such a case, try to base your design away from the “material design for android,” which is a design system made by Google. Even though applications made following this “Google” system have a feel and look that is recognizable. And they also offer a pretty consistent UI across different devices. The problem comes in when you look at the system from a flexibility angle. The “Google” system tends to limit your customization flexibility. Hence if you want to have a custom design that looks and feels innovative, you have to go “rouge.”

Fifth step: The Application Development Process

The application development process follows six major phases, which are:

1. Creating a project
2. Defining your layout
3. Writing your program
4. Building and running your program
5. Testing and debugging your program
6. Publishing your program

The phases dictate that you have to code your app, build it on a virtual or a real device, test the app for error and then publish it to the public. So for the question, how challenging can it be to develop your android app? The answer would be yes and no. It all depends on your expertise and how much effort you are willing to put into the development phase.

Conclusion

Android application development isn’t just for those individuals aspiring to become Android developers. It is also a pretty valuable skill to learn in the modern world. Using this skill, you can bring great ideas to life and share this idea with the world. What’s more, you can also capitalize on this skill as the niche is pretty broad.

Connect with mobile app development company in order to know more about the concepts of Android app development.