Development of Android Apps: Goods and Bads
There are many factors to consider when deciding which platform to use for your Android app development, including the popularity of an operating system in a given region. It is, of course, our goal to develop apps that are accessible to all users regardless of their beliefs, brand loyalty, or financial situation. When native development is concerned, you usually begin with one.
Android app development: advantages
Whenever Android is mentioned, its duopoly partner Apple cannot be avoided in comparison. We will explore where Android beats or ties with iOS and how it benefits developers.
Simple process for app acceptance
Apple is well known for releasing very selective apps in its App Store. Although their quality assurance guidelines are similar, Apple and Google use different approaches. As long as you do not violate Google’s content policies, its approval process is quick and easy, unlike the App Store’s.
Hardware-independent
Hardware is the least of your concerns when it comes to building Android apps. Android apps are developed in Java, making them cross-platform. Windows, Mac OS, and Linux users can use and download Android development tools such as Android Studio, Eclipse, IntelliJ IDEA, Fabric, and many others. Apple requires Macs or virtual machines for iOS development.
Programming languages such as Kotlin and Java
The Android platform supports Java and Kotlin as official programming languages. It has been the most popular language for more than two decades, and in 2018 it ranked 5th most popular. A cross-platform object-oriented language, Java is used in everything from fintech startups to data analytics. A separate blog post examined Java’s pros and cons for web, desktop, mobile, and IoT products. You will have a lot of options for Android developers since Java is popular, even within your own team.
Resources for learning
We’re talking about a level of documentation you’ve probably never seen before. In addition to the vast amount of information online, Google also offers free Android development classes for beginners, experienced engineers, and for special cases requiring deeper knowledge. Material is well organized, including graphics, animations, explainers, and interactive exercises.
Training consists of three streams: Android Development Fundamentals, Kotlin Bootcamp, and Native Apps with Flutter.
Flutter
Google’s new Flutter SDK lets developers create native iOS and Android apps using a single codebase. The idea of writing-once, running anywhere has been popular for a while, but Google offers its own approach to the growing trend.
Instant Apps
It was an innovative year for Android developers. Kotlin is not the only new technology Google introduced. It also introduced Instant Apps — native applications you can launch directly from Google Play. This type of application is comparable to progressive web apps, but they are faster, more accessible, and more engaging. Users can take advantage of limited features of the full service or see a demo of the full service before they purchase it.
Android app development Disadvantages
It won’t take long for you to realize that Android’s main challenges are actually advantages. Let’s look at them.
Security concerns
It can be a blessing and a curse to developing for Android since it’s open-source. Security patches from Google keep Android users safe almost weekly, despite millions of malware and hacks targeting them. People rarely update their devices. As a result, app developers must perform complex encryption, include additional security features, or avoid submitting personal information altogether in order to protect user data.
Fragmentation of OS adoption
Tests for Android are a big, fat con. One of the challenges of app customization is that there is a wide range of operating systems.
Device fragmentation
While there are many mobile device manufacturers, the amount of devices they release is manageable compared to their screen sizes, sensors, performance issues, and graphics drivers. According to Google’s official Material Design documentation, quite a few Android (and iOS) devices are listed along with their screen dimensions and resolutions. The line is much larger than Apple’s lineup of 14 devices.
Copyright problems
Our previous article explained that Google Play allows you to release your MVP with a much shorter timeframe than the App Store. But this advantage comes with a downside.
Conclusion:
Technology choices, platforms, or devices are sometimes not even driven by development challenges. In terms of marketing, you must first consider demographics, which do not favor Android in the US.
iOS is the wrong place to release beta versions, MVPs, or even high-fidelity prototypes of an app, which is why Android is a good place to test beta versions, MVPs, or even high-fidelity prototypes. If you’d prefer openness, independence, and more freedom, Android is also a good option. Cross-platform is also an option if all else fails.