Android, a Unix-like mobile os that runs across smartphones, tablets, smart TVs, wearable technology, and a variety of other devices, was being used by well over a billion people as of the start of 2016. It is free and open source that anyone who can use and alter, despite being created and maintained by Google. As a consequence, many large device manufacturers, including Samsung, LG, Sony, and HTC, produce Android-based smartphones.

The process of creating Android applications can take many different forms. But in this series, we’ll only be concentrating on native apps because they provide the highest performance, incur the least amount of overhead, and can utilise the features of the Android operating system to the fullest extent.Java is the coding language of choice for creating native Android apps, which by default use the controlled environment known as Android Runtime (ART) on devices running Android 5.0 or higher. The majority of developers decide to use Android Studio, the official Android IDE created by Google, to create such apps. Windows, OS X, and the majority of Linux editions all support Android Studio, which is free.

It is simple to create an Android app that functions effectively on a particular Android phone or tablet. However, due to the wide variations in operating system versions, screen sizes, and device capabilities, creating one that functions properly on all Android devices can be exceedingly challenging.

Usually Android smartphones receive very little, if any, software upgrades, in contrast to Apple’s iOS devices. Even though Marshmallow, the most recent version of Android, was introduced a few months ago, or less 1.5% of all Android phones are currently running it. It means that if you choose to develop an app, it must support earlier Android releases like KitKat and Lollipop. Additionally, it’s advised to support earlier ones all the way to the back to Android Gingerbread if your target user base is primarily from underdeveloped nations. But doing so would be typically simple because of the Android Support Libraries as well as several other open source libraries from other sources.

When Android first came out, there were very few devices that might run it, and practically all of them have been phones. But as more device manufacturers adopted the platform over time, the range of device bigger screens & pixel density grew significantly. Android started supporting large screen gadgets like tablets and smart TVs with the introduction of Android Honeycomb. In order to serve all those various displays, programmers are now obliged to use a variety of picture formats and styles.

To create apps which stay true to user expectations, application developers should stay current with current developments as the Android operating system is always growing.

A set of thoughtful design principles known as “Ui Elements” may be used to create apps that have the same aesthetic appeal as Android Lollipop and Marshmallow’s native interface. Material design is very well-liked by both engineers and designers because to its simplicity and modern appearance.

Android Wear smartwatch are gaining more and more popular since the most recent models have superior looks and features like updated gestures and entertaining watch faces. As a result, an increasing number of developers are including the Wear API in their apps to ensure that they can communicate with smart watches.

After developing an app, you may publish it online for download and usage by anybody in the globe. There are many Android app stores where you may publish your app, but Google Play is now the most well as it comes with pre on the majority of Android phones. You must register an account on Google Play and pay a $25 registration fee before you can publish your app there. Once you’ve created an account, releasing an app entails uploading the app’s APK (a compressed package file you generate utilizing Android Studio), a few images, and information like the title and descriptions.