The mobile app development market was valued at a staggering $106 billion in 2018, and this figure is further expected to swell up to over $400 billion by 2026. Also, studies have estimated that by the year 2022, the number of mobile app downloads would cross 200 billion.
With such dizzy numbers, it is no surprise that businesses – both start-ups and those with a foothold in their respective markets – are looking to expand their operations by taking advantage of the latest opportunities presented by these contemporary technologies.
With more than 70% of the worldwide market share, Android apps are becoming increasingly popular. The astounding growth of mobile first businesses, the heightened focus on apps coupled with the enhanced advancements with every development iteration, and the increased comfort and ease with which customers complete in app purchases and payments have all led to the rapid popularity of Android application development services.
Android app development trends have been further fueled by the fast-paced development of the necessary infrastructure required for wide usage. The populace has also consistently seen the cost of the mobile data becoming more and more affordable over the years.
Businesses have never had access to the robust features that Android mobile app development has made possible, where they can sell their wares at the click of a button and get paid instantly.
Having said this, the demand has only driven businesses to be at their best, and this is in turn has led to more and more people wanting to become mobile app developers to quell the appeal.
Those starting off on their development journey need to be aware of the vast possibilities that this genre of work presents and be equipped to do their best.
These five Android app development tips for beginners will help you along the way in this immensely rewarding journey.
1. Android Development Platform & Tools
It is important to understand the development platform that can be used to build Android apps and become comfortable working with one of them. Google’s Android Studio is one of the most popular IDEs (Integrated Design Environment) for Android mobile app development. Launched in 2015, Android Studio provides some of the best tools that not only helps quicker and feature-rich app development, but also supports a seamless testing, debugging and editing environment.
With regular updates providing access to latest features, this platform is the go-to for any company that provides Android application development services. Android SDK is another tool that equips developers with API libraries, documentation, tutorials, etc. to hasten development.
2. Activities and Threads
An Android Activity helps control the app interface. An app may have one or more Activities, which are further broken down into Fragments that also let users interact with the app. Threads in Android app development help build background tasks, as the user interacts with the app. They ensure a smooth app operation.
3. Database
A robust database management is critical for any mobile application. SQLite is widely used to store offline data as it provides supports for many features like SQL syntax, transactions, etc. It supports all data types including text, numbers and integers, important aspects for B2B Android development.
4. Bitmaps
Bitmaps help display images in any Android app. It is recommended to use high-definition images that load quickly and this can be done by optimizing bitmaps. If not implemented correctly, this can lead to a sluggish performance.
To increase bitmap efficiency, ensure local image sizes are small, and vector images are used wherever possible. RecylcerView is a very handy tool that reduces the size of the image to the required size before it is loaded. Caching is another technique that can make images load faster.
5. Build and Test
The latest Android app development trends have led to the Android OS being used on devices of varied form factors, such as smartphones, foldables, phablets and tablets. And even within the smartphone market, the size of the devices varies greatly.
Apps need to be visually appealing across device sizes and must be responsive across languages and OS versions. This can be achieved by choosing different layouts for multiple devices to give a consistent performance. Once built, testing the app is another very critical step before releasing it on the marketplace.
Strong testing modules ensure the app is bug free and provides an enriching user experience, something that will make it popular amongst the user base.
If you are looking for Android application development services to take your business to the online market, contact the experts at Smart Sight Innovations.
