All the apps you’re familiar with on the Google Play Store and third-party stores have passed through Android app development. Someone designed and executed their user interface, layouts, buttons, menus, and other visual elements that you interact with.
Underneath these elements is a code that makes them run well together. Here’s a list of the codes and what they do:
- Java: The main language developers use to create Android apps, defining their behavior and features.
- Kotlin: It’s simpler to use than Java, requires fewer lines of code, and has become the new standard for Android development alongside Java.
- Python: A more challenging language than Java, yet highly versatile. It’s also suitable for Progressive Web Apps (PWAs).
- C# and C++: It’s compatible with Android Studio and iOS mobile development. Developers often use C++ for 3D games. They use C# for game development and scripting on Android systems, especially for beginners.
Integrated app environments
Developers often write and edit these codes within an integrated development environment. Inside the environment is a code editor, layout editor, debugger, and other features. Integrated into the IDE is the SDK, which provides tools and libraries to build and run Android apps.
Essentially, the tools carry libraries, agee:, and other things necessary for app development. Once development is complete emulation enables you to simulate an Android phone. To make it clearer, think of the IDE as your workspace and the SDK as a box of resources within it.
Although there are many IDEs, Android Studio is the main one everyone uses. After all, the creators of Android itself designed it and it comes with the latest features. To avoid bias, here are five other IDEs worth knowing:
Eclipse
A flexible software for creating apps in different languages, including Java, C/C++, and Python. It offers a customizable workspace to suit individual needs.
Visual Studio with Xamarin
It enables creating native Android, iOS, and Windows apps using a shared .NET code base. It provides access to native features and Azure integration for scalable cloud-driven applications.
Intellij Idea
It’s primarily for Java, Kotlin, Groovy, and other languages based on the Java Virtual Machine. It’s a product of JetBrains, and it offers advanced coding assistance, built-in tools for integration with various technologies, and a vast plugin ecosystem to extend its functionality.
Droidscript
A mobile app development tool that allows rapid creation of native Android apps using JavaScript, along with the capability to build HTML5 apps. It offers a simplified coding experience with portable functionality, enabling coding from any device without requiring an internet connection.
The core components of Android app development
Android app development components are foundational elements that define how your app behaves. Basixally, they’re must-haves. They include the following:
Activities & screens
Every app consists of activities. Each activity represents one screen in the app and controls what you see and interact with. So, an app with multiple screens has multiple activities. Usually, there’s one main activity, which is the first screen you see when you open the app.
From there, each activity can lead to others. You could move from your email inbox to composing an email. Even though activities work together to make the app work smoothly, they’re not tightly connected. They can even start activities from other apps.
When you first open Snapchat, the default main activity the camera. This activity lets you take pictures, use filters, and record videos.
Services
Services run in your app’s background to perform tasks without providing a user interface. There are two types of services. Started services go to work when you launch an app, and continue running independently to perform a specific task in the background. For example, your music streaming apps will play music in the background even when you switch to another app.
Bound services, on the other hand, are tied to specific parts of an application. Let’s say you’re developing a music streaming app, this time around. First, you’ll create a bound service, DownloadService, in your IDE. That service is tightly integrated with the download functionality of your application. When a user selects a song to download, the UI component (the download button) binds to the DownloadService and sends a request to download the selected song.
Broadcast receivers
This component allows apps to respond to system-wide announcements, even when the app is not active. For example, it can trigger notifications when your battery is low battery or downloads.
Content providers
They manage shared app data that the device stores in various locations, such as the file systems, SQLite databases, or web services. Other apps can query or modify this data through the content provider if permitted. For instance, Android’s system content provider handles user contact information, accessible to apps with appropriate permissions.
Android emulators
An Android emulator is any application that closely mimics an Android device. The application generates the virtual version of the device, and it’s able to replicate the behavior of an actual gadget.
After development, you need an emulator to test your app’s functionality, performance, and user experience in a controlled environment. You want to make sure that the app works as intended before deploying it to real devices or the Google Play Store. BlueStacks and NoxPlayer are examples of Android emulators.
The app life cycle in a nutshell
The app lifecycle refers to the different stages an app goes through from its creation to its termination. It includes six stages.
App development stage
It covers everything from conceptualization to market research, user interface (UI) and user experience (UX) design. It’s where you’ll use agile methodologies and prototyping. Agile is a set of principles and practices for software development that prioritize flexibility, adaptability, and customer collaboration. Instead of following a rigid plan from start to finish, you’ll divide the projects into smaller iterations or sprints.
Each iteration typically lasts from one to four weeks and results, and there’s the potential to increase it if you encounter unexpected challenges. Meanwhile, prototyping is when you create a physical mock-up of an app or its features to gather feedback, validate ideas, and refine the design before investing in full-scale development.
Market introduction
After development, you introduce your app to the market. Then you’ll work on your strategy, validating selling propositions and target audience, as well as set measurements of success. Marketing efforts focus on building product awareness.
Growth
Here, the app experiences increased demand and begins to generate profits. Your focus shifts to establishing a unique brand presence, investing in new features and distribution channels, and implementing advertising campaigns.
Maturity
Your app reaches its peak growth during this phase, with the highest profits. The business becomes more efficient in understanding its target audience and tackling problems. Strategies focus on competition and differentiation rather than customer acquisition.
Saturation
At this point, your app’s success stabilizes, and there is no significant growth or decline. Competition intensifies, and the focus shifts to maintaining brand preference and continuous development and improvement.
Decline
The final phase where the app either maintains its position or experiences a decline. Innovation and brainstorming will help it stay competitive and prevent decline. Some products may experience inevitable decline due to changing market conditions or relevance. It’s just how business works, really.
Kickstart your app development journey
Now you know the basics of Android app development. Don’t be afraid to take the next steps in developing your own application. If you’ve started,, don’t hesitate to seek help. The official Android documentation offers comprehensive guides, while online tutorials on Udacity, YouTube, and other platforms provide step-by-step instructions.
