Android App Development Fundamentals for Beginners‍

Android is the dominant mobile operating system with the highest app market share and user base. Naturally, for aspiring android app developers, Android remains to be the natural first choice. But Android as a platform is also challenging because of the diversified device ecosystem. This is why it is necessary first to have a strong command of the basics.

Here for beginners, we will discuss the fundamentals of Android app development.

Programming Languages for Android

Let’s begin with the programming language Android app developers need to use for coding. There are several programming language options for Android app developers. Let’s have a look at each of them.

• Java

Java was the official programming language for Android app development before Kotlin was launched and is still the most widely used language by Android app developers worldwide. It is an object-oriented language with a class-based structure. One significant advantage of Java is the lack of dependencies.

• C++

C++ is a widely popular general-purpose language that some android application developers use. Mobile app projects. Though its popularity has been waning recently, it still ranks among the top languages beginners use to build simple features and functionalities.

• XML

Android app developers use XML or Extensible Markup language to encode files and documents in format humans can read without coding. Most app developers popularly use it for encoding files in a portable and readable manner.

• Kotlin

Kotlin is now the official programming language for Android app developers. It became instantly popular since its launch because of its flexibility, low-footprint coding, null safety feature, and interoperability with Java.

Android Components

Android allows app developers to use components to shape the app’s look, feel, and user experience. Hence, understanding Android elements is essential for aspiring developers.

The key app components in the Android ecosystem includes the following.

• Activities:

This Android component handles the app screen’s user interface attributes and corresponding user interactions.

• Services:

Services refer to all the background activities that the app performs in response to user interactions.

• Broadcast:

Broadcast component triggers messages based on the devices or other apps’ alerts and warnings.

• Content Provider:

The Content Provider is the Android component responsible for incorporating data from other applications for the app users to consume and use.

Understanding the Android App Layout

Another fundamental requirement for aspiring developers is understanding the layout and structure of Android apps. Since Android has a stringent layout with specific folders for different tasks, the would-be developers should have a comprehensive knowledge of how these folders and the entire layout work. Each folder in the Android layout plays a significant role, so it is important to have a hands-on experience of how these folders work.

• Android Manifest

Android Manifest is a folder built with XML that combines all the critical app information such as operating system version, build tools, and Play Store information. Android Manifest folder containing all the different permission requirements for task execution plays a critical role in development, maintenance, and updates.

• JAVA Folder

The JAVA folder contains the JAVA files required for carrying out app tasks. This folder contains functionality, button utility storage, pop-up messages, variables, and calculation. This folder also contains the source code for Java and kotlin both.

• Resource Folder

This folder is for containing all app resources except the code. Containing all non-code resources such as XML layouts, UI design strings, images, etc., designers frequently access it. It also consists of several subfolders based on the type of resources.

Learning to Choose the Right Tools

Another crucial fundamental on which would-be developers, irrespective of the platforms, should always have command is the choice of the right tools for the app project. Since Android, unlike other operating system platforms, is highly diversified and vast, the selection of tools can impact the app’s performance consistency across devices and operating system versions.

Let’s begin by explaining the computer system and desktop platform you use for building your Android app. In this respect, Android offers you the ultimate freedom to choose from many desktop platforms, including Windows, Mac, Windows PC, any version of Linux, Eclipse, etc. You can also use free tools like ADT Plugin. It doesn’t need to say that you can also use the Android SDK free of cost. Moreover, for Android app developers, Google allows setting the development environment easily by following well-articulated documentation.

It is also important for the new Android app developers to understand all the qualitative parameters in-depth to ensure top-notch development excellence. Let us quickly look at the key parameters Android specialists should follow for their projects.

• App Performance and Response Time:

The standard response time and execution speed are widely considered as less than five seconds. Suppose you do not want the Android operating system to show users the ANR (application not responding) message. In that case, the app against user requests should respond within five seconds. This is a crucial performance requirement would-be Android app developers should be fully aware of.

• Optimum Resource Management:

Android platform offers developers certain inbuilt mechanisms to deviate from the best practices for resource management. Wake-locks are a kind of mechanism that can allow doing certain activities in the background even while the device by the battery manager is taken to sleep. Future aspirants in the Android development space should be aware of these mechanisms and prioritize best resource management practices.

Summing It Up

All the essential android app development fundamentals we spoke about are not new to experienced Android experts. These are the fundamentals that successful android app developers have gone through, and their command of these critical technologies, tools, and practices helped them make their footprints with winning app products. So, if you are serious about your Android developer career, there is no other alternative but to master these fundamentals.

Author Bio:

Juned Ghanchi is the CEO of IndianAppDevelopers, a top mobile app development company in India with a global presence in the USA. He explores all things in the software industry and oversees company growth as CEO.