An Android developer is an expert who creates software that focuses on creating apps for the Android app store. Direct rivalry exists between the Apple app shop and the Android app market. As a result, developing the apps that run on smartphones and tablets is an Android developer’s main duty.
Android developers could be employed by a big business organization or an app development firm. A software developer who works on Android devices is responsible for designing and developing Android applications. They produce Java-written Android mobile applications largely.
The Android app developer is responsible for several duties, such as software development, comprehending how users interact with Android applications, and creating the user interface for devices.
The development process is the effort of many Android developers. A full-stack developer can work on all facets of development, design, testing, and integration. While an application is being utilized, an Android developer is responsible for maintaining its usability and quality.
A software developer who works on Android devices is responsible for designing and developing Android applications. They produce Java-written Android mobile applications largely.
However, if you’re looking to hire a android developer for your business, it’s important to find the best developer who is the right fit for your company. Not all developers are created equal, and you need to make sure you hire an Android developer who is knowledgeable and capable of helping you reach your business goals.
Mobile Application Development
Building software for portable, wireless devices like smartphones and other handheld gadgets is known as mobile application development. Mobile application development is becoming more popular software development due to the explosive popularity of smartphones and tablets.
As users drift away from desktop computing and mobile devices, this burgeoning industry has drawn companies from all corners of the market. Traditional software development is largely responsible for the origins of application development.
However, the ultimate product is software designed to use the particular hardware and characteristics of mobile devices. Modern cellphones include GPS, gyroscopes, Bluetooth, NFC, and cameras. They can be applied to barcode scanning, virtual or augmented reality, and other things.
Mobile apps should utilize the whole spectrum of smartphone functionalities, but this is easier said than done. Software development kits (SDKs), which give programmers a simulated mobile environment to write and test code in, are necessary to create mobile apps. However, creating an app is not necessary to use all of these kits.
For instance, Android app developers can utilize Unity to create mobile games and the Android SDK to ensure that those games can be delivered to mobile devices. In contrast to the free Android SDK, creating apps for iOS requires a premium iOS mobile application developer license.
iOS and Android both hold roughly equal proportions of the mobile market (47 and 52 percent, respectively), but creating for Apple is a little bit simpler because you don’t have to consider a large range of devices from different producers. However, entry-level restrictions depend on the Android operating system you choose.
Types of Mobile Apps and Programming Languages
Mobile apps are created utilizing a variety of programming languages and frameworks, just like desktop software. Despite the best efforts of the most widely used operating systems, iOS and Android, apps can still vary to standardize mobile app development available to Android programmers. Here are a few categories of mobile apps:
Native Apps
These apps were developed using the languages and software development tools supported by the respective operating systems (iOS or Android). Android uses Eclipse and Java, whereas iOS uses Xcode and Objective-C. Because native Android applications can make the most of a device’s capabilities, Android app developers frequently favor them.
As smart home gadgets proliferate, Android developers are developing novel applications that combine wearables, Internet of Things sensors, and smart screens for individualized user experiences. Naturally, platform-specific development is an expensive, time-consuming process that not all organizations can afford.
HTML5 Apps
This kind of mobile software adopts a write-once, run-anywhere methodology for mobile development and is based on the web technologies HTML5, JavaScript, and CSS, which are almost universally supported.
The apps created with this framework are cross-platform compatible, and only minor adjustments are necessary to assure full functionality on each operating system.
HTML5 apps can still initiate interactions via email and other channels and deliver desktop notifications. While the usefulness of web apps shouldn’t be discounted, users are more inclined to use a native Android app.
Hybrid Apps
These apps require the development of a native system container that can accommodate an HTML5 app’s embedding. This enables apps to utilize the many distinctive features of each native system.
Consider using current applications for more impact before developing your custom-branded Android app. For instance, you can promote your website and physical location by leveraging mobile-focused marketing on platforms like Yelp, Facebook, and Google Maps.
Android App Design
Like Apple, Android doesn’t have a closed ecosystem. Compared to iOS apps, you will have much more flexibility with your Android application development and design environment.
You may consult a sizable knowledge library if you’re starting in app design. Designing and releasing an Android app is typically less expensive than doing it for Apple.
Android apps must consider a design that goes beyond devices like iOS apps. It should work with Android cars, VR tools, wearables, and other devices. When developing for Android, you must consider that there are app stores for so many different device types and platforms.
The best way to explain wireframes is as a general layout design for the Android app. Functionality is not something you need to worry about too much just yet. Just now, you drew out the user path to determine the fundamental layout of your sites.
Wireframes may be created using various excellent design tools, one of the first phases in the design process.
Mockups advance the wireframes. These are extremely realistic simulations of the app’s final design. It mixes high-fidelity UX/UI design elements with UI elements while maintaining the structure and logic of a wireframe.
Although creating wireframes and product prototypes on paper is still necessary, app design software has made it less time-consuming and simple to share work with customers, developers, and designers. Here are some of the best app designing programs:
Sketch
For contemporary app designers, Sketch is a portable UI/UX design tool running on a MacBook. Although it was designed primarily for app prototypes, Sketch is more similar to Adobe Photoshop and has one of the largest market shares in the wireframing and prototyping area.
BuildFire
An excellent tool for mobile app developers is BuildFire. This end-to-end app development platform enables you to construct a functional prototype of your designing app. BuildFire’s functionality is completely adjustable; you may upload any of your designs and change the fonts, colors, and other elements.
You might even discover that the built-in features on the BuildFire platform have everything you need to create a completely functional app that you can publish directly to the iOS and Google Play stores from the platform.
You may construct your prototype, develop apps for both Apple and Android users, test them on your phone for free, and then pay to launch them.
Axure RP
An all-inclusive app design tool for experts is Axure RP. It makes an effort to provide you with all the features required to develop an app from scratch while putting the user experience first.
Naturally, that doesn’t imply that it’s faultless. In addition to prototyping, it enables you to create wireframes, mockups, flowcharts, personas, concept boards, user journeys, UI design, diagrams, and graphical documentation, among other things.
The intriguing part is that it allows you to write and add ready-to-use components and libraries to assist you in effortlessly creating even better designs if you’re a code geek and like to do some coding.
Marvel
Considering prototyping, designing, and working with your design team? You can accomplish all of that with Marvel.
Additionally, it is simple to synchronize your designs with other programs like Illustrator, Sketch, Photoshop, and online storage services such as Dropbox. As a result, you may incorporate your creations created with various tools and use Marvel’s animation features to bring them to life.
Proto.io
With Proto.io, you can streamline your work thanks to the abundance of design and prototype templates. Since no coding is needed, it is simple to use. Moreover, you can easily import your UI components from Photoshop or Sketch.
The timeline function can create creative animations that illustrate how your software moves between several screens. The design aims at simplicity and elegance. The features in Proto.io are numerous.
Do you have files on Google Drive or Dropbox? You may quickly synchronize them with Proto.io to streamline your workflow. Despite being a web design program, Proto.io‘s intriguing features (Material Design UI Library and Offline mode) can’t be ignored because they allow you to use the software even when you’re not connected to the internet.
App Development Process
The app development process involves six essential steps, regardless of the Android project you wish to start. You may create your app quickly and effectively by breaking the project into six easy steps.
- Idea: When coming up with app concepts, research to find the answers to a few questions. What issue does this app address? Who are the intended recipients? Why are these characteristics crucial? Do your rivals’ apps resemble yours?
- Design: The user interface (UI) will guide the user through the app and make it simple to understand.
- Development: In this phase, you’ll write and develop your app’s code and begin early testing.
- Testing: By testing your software, you may assess its functionality, look for bugs, and identify areas for improvement.
- Launch: After your software has been thoroughly tested and is ready for use, you can upload it to stores like the Apple App Store and Google Play.
- Marketing: Construct a marketing plan to encourage users to download your app and provide you with feedback on how to increase user engagement.
How to Find Top Android Developers
Finding the ideal app developer to match your unique requirements and launch your app most effectively is challenging due to the size of the Android developer market. Here, the following is the advice on how to locate and work with the top Android developers:
Necessary Android Developer Skills and Qualities
You and your recruiting team need to know the skills required of an Android developer before you begin the hiring process. This will help you and your development team know exactly what to search for when seeking top talent.
Java
A programming language is one of the fundamental building blocks of development, including Android app development. It is the language of choice for creating Android apps.
Thus, any reputable Android developer must be familiar with its fundamental ideas, including its syntax and foundations, collection system, concurrency and multithreading, generics, and functional programming.
Android SDK
Software Development Kit (SDK) is a fancy name for a collection of pre-packaged code. For any developer, installing the Android SDK is one of the fundamental responsibilities. Everything an Android developer needs to create apps is included in this development kit, including tools for data storage, action bar creation, and app scaling.
API Integration
Application programming interface, or API for short, is a collection of definitions and integration guidelines for application development. From a developer’s standpoint, APIs are crucial for Android developers to access and utilize the functionality of other existing applications and online services, such as Google Maps.
Mobile UX/UI
While mobile user interface (mobile UI) is the graphical, typically touch-sensitive display on a mobile device that enables the digital user to interact with the device’s apps and features, mobile user experience (UX) refers to the positive experiences during the use of mobile devices, and applications or services running on such devices.
As a result, an Android app developer must have a solid understanding of mobile user interface and user experience (UX), as you cannot create anything without considering the user’s experience.
Mobile App Security
This is called mobile app security in protecting a mobile app against malicious attacks like malware, hacking, or other illegal manipulations. Without the right security measures, mobile apps can pose serious hazards to users and Android developers by making them easy targets for virus attacks or data breaches.
To secure user privacy and data, it is essential to hunt for Android developers knowledgeable in offering the newest security features.
Communication Skills
The app developer has to be at ease talking verbally and in writing with team members who are both technical and non-technical. They must also be able to comprehend instructions and decipher your app requirements.
Collaborative Skills
For a design project to be successful, an app developer must work well with multiple team members and stakeholders.
Critical Thinking
Android app developers must have good critical thinking abilities to build clean, maintainable code.
Problem-Solving
Troubleshooting problems during the mobile app development process make up a significant portion of a developer’s job. Android developers must be able to identify issues and possess the know-how to fix them.
Where to Find Android Developers
Our first piece of advice is to broaden your search and hiring choices, be creative, and make the most of all of your tools. Some of the perfect areas to look at are listed below:
IT Outstaffing Agencies
When some personnel is removed from a corporation, it is known as outstaffing or distant employment. A middleman or out-staffer resolves the employment relationship between the employee and the corporation.
You can engage best Android developers using IT Outstaffing services without paying expensive taxes, insurance, salaries, etc. Additionally, since the IT outsourcing company serves as the remote team’s legal employer, you have no legal obligations as there are no employees.
The Mobile App Development Company
A company developing mobile apps offers various services, such as custom mobile development for Android platforms. Your team may be assured of good assistance in defining system requirements and an established track record in software development by hiring through this kind of firm.
However, you should be aware that using mobile app development businesses to hire Android app developers means that the technical know-how will stay outside your business, leaving you dependent on outside talent. Additionally, you will typically incur additional fees with this form of hiring.
Freelancing Platforms
Employing freelance Android developers is a terrific way for businesses to access talent globally while cutting costs. Numerous candidates are available on freelance platforms, making collaboration safer thanks to quality assurance measures, user reviews, and user ratings.
Professional Social Networks
Nowadays, it is rare to find a talent who does not regularly use LinkedIn or another professional social network in their hiring process. According to LinkedIn, most users are “passive candidates,” or professionals who are not actively seeking a new job but are active on the platform.
As a result, recruiters should target these individuals for hire. Additionally, experienced developers typically have comprehensive LinkedIn profiles and a strong network of contacts, which will make the recruitment process simpler and faster.
How to Hire Android Developers
Your team must create a thorough recruitment plan before hiring an android developer, especially now that you know more about how to uncover top talent. You can locate the best candidate while also saving time and money.
Step 1: Prepare a Technical Project Description
Outlining your project’s purpose and the goal you hope to achieve is the first and most crucial step. It’s important to make the description brief and to the point rather than going into excessive detail without too much depth, including the overall approach, goals, and objectives.
Step 2: Specify Candidate Requirements
When you search for something, you cannot find it. Before you begin your search, you must know what qualities you are seeking in your future Android app developers. The list of abilities mentioned above is helpful in this situation.
Be as particular as necessary; a well-organized list of needs will enable you to focus your search and make it simpler to identify the ideal individual.
Step 3: Choose an Engagement Model
Once you’ve identified your ideal applicant, decide how you will interact with them and which model would work best for your business.
Do you require a full-time employee or part-time Android development freelancers? The correct engagement model should be chosen for your team just as carefully as the perfect applicant.
- In-house: This concept refers to carrying out a task or operation within a business instead of using an outside vendor.
- Predetermined cost pricing provides a fixed budget for a specific project, regardless of its length or actual costs. The fundamental benefit of a fixed price model is that it enables precise planning and budgeting.
- Hourly pay, also called a wage, is the practice of compensating an employee based on the number of hours they put in. Hourly rates vary by area; for instance, an Android developer’s rate in the USA ranges from 15 to 35 dollars per hour, whereas it is 6.8 dollars per hour in India.
Step 4: Find Candidates
You are prepared to start looking for candidates once you have determined your engagement model and have the ideal individual in mind.
You can begin your search by contacting individuals with the qualifications and experience you require in the ideal Android developer for your project using the suggested locations discussed earlier.
The developer’s abilities are crucial to a project’s success. Ensure they have the technical knowledge, design, communication, teamwork skills, and the capacity for critical thought and problem solutions.
Step 5: Conduct Interviews
You may be sure you’re only employing the best developers for your Android app project by conducting interviews with potential hires. Following a consistent interview format, being clear about the requirements of the position, and what you are looking for in a candidate are all important.
Conclusion: How Android Developers May Improve and Help You Reach Your Business Goals
Choosing the ideal Android developer is essential for creating a successful Android app. Decide whether hiring an in-house employee, a freelance developer, or enlisting the services of a mobile app development company would be the best way to meet your objectives.
Next, think about the budget you have available for the project. While choosing a less expensive option may be tempting, remember that this may not be the best method to meet your goals.
Furthermore, the developer’s abilities are crucial to a project’s success. Ensure they have the technical knowledge, design, communication, teamwork skills, and the capacity for critical thought and problem solutions. Finally, hire the candidate that best fits your needs.
