Android is the largest player in the mobile app market, powering every 1 in 3 smartphones worldwide. In the year 2021, there were more than 11.3 billion mobile apps downloaded from the Google Play Store. So, you understand the reach and potential your Android mobile app can potentially have. I say potentially because millions of apps are available on the Play Store, and chances of your app getting lost in the crowd are highly likely. So how do I stand out with my Android mobile app? You Hire Android developer from a reliable mobile app development company who has the right skills and experience working with various clients and follows Android development best practices. What are Android development best practices? Let's find out!
Best Practices in Android App Development
If you want to refine your skills in Android apps or want to improvise your Android app performance, you should pay close attention to the Android app development best practices we are mentioning here. Irrespective of your experience level as a developer, following these practices will help you write more efficient, scalable, and optimized Android apps.
Understanding of Android Fundamentals
Most times, developers rush to learn how to develop their first Android app without mastering the fundamentals of Android app development. If your basics are clear, you can easily develop Android apps in the later stages and not stumble or pause upon any challenges since you'd have a better grasp of how everything works. Even if you are a senior Android developer, you should keep revising the fundamentals to stay sharp.
Write clean Android codes.
You should follow clean Android coding guidelines for writing optimal, clean, and efficient Android code. This will help reduce the chances of errors, avoid unnecessary iterations and optimize your Android app. Writing readable and maintainable codes also makes it easier to find bugs and errors while making collaboration on the project easier as all developers can easily understand the code. It also helps reduce app development time and, subsequently, app development costs.
Learn Java and Kotlin in detail
Native Android development is an essential skill if you plan to become a professional Android developer. Both Java and Kotlin are widely used for developing native Android apps. They both support various third-party tools and pre-built features that ease Android development. Both these platforms can potentially develop some of the most robust, scalable, and secure Android app solutions that can use the user's device hardware and software optimally.
Focus on optimizing Android app performance
Performance optimization is paramount for any Android app development project. If your app isn’t optimized for performance, it will be slow and filled with bugs, causing choppy and sluggish performance, which might lead to users uninstalling your app. It will also make your app seem like a weaker alternative than your competitors, leading to negative reviews on the app store.
Prioritize Android app security
You should learn and implement Android security best practices, especially since Android is an open-source platform which makes it vulnerable to exploitations, cyberattacks, and bugs. Some Android app security best practices include securing your network connection, adding a network security configuration, using high-level authentication, paying attention to data storage, and reviewing source code.
Understand different Android Testing Methods
Testing your Android app is one of the Android app development best practices as you cannot be sure your app will work or will not crash if you don't constantly test it for various factors. Some important tests you should know thoroughly and put your Android app through are – Beta Testing, Security Testing, UX Testing, Functional Testing, Battery Consumption Testing, Manual and Automatic Testing, Platform and Device Testing, and much more.
Make Quality Assurance an integral part of Android SDLC.
You need to hire QA experts and make them a part of the Android app development process from the first stage to develop a fully functional and bug-free application. You should test each app function against its expected outcome to ensure the app matches the client’s user requirements.
Understand ASO Best Practices
App Store Optimization is one of a complete Android app solution's most underrated yet most important aspects. From the name of your Android app to your app description and categorization, everything plays an important role in Android App Store Optimization. You need to balance keeping your app user-friendly and SEO-friendly; hence, naming the Android app should be done in a way that is associated with your app category and gives users an idea of what your app is about. Clients prefer to hire dedicated developers with proper ASO understanding.
Learn how to make Android apps for other platforms
Android is primarily a mobile app operating system, but it is now used in various platforms such as SmartTVs, wearables, tablets, and more. Hence, you should not limit your knowledge to mobile app development but also expand your skills to develop Android apps for all other smart platforms in the Android ecosystem.
Test Android Apps on Low-End Devices
Generally, Android apps are tested on flagship-level mobiles such as Pixel and Samsung. If the app works decently, it is considered a well-tested and fully functional mobile app. However, this is far from true, as what works on high-end devices with high specs might not work on a low-end budget smartphone with limited resources.
This will make you lose out on most Android users who don't have an expensive phone. Hence you should expand the range of devices you use to test your Android app to ensure it is truly usable and seamless across major Android devices.
Focus on App Design
You should understand the difference between the UI and UX of your Android app and gain mastery in optimizing both as they both play important roles in how the user perceives your Android app. UX design focuses on user flow and app flow, whereas UI design is more about app aesthetics and look and feel.
Observe Expert Android App Developers
One of the best learning sources is observing the work of experienced and senior Android app developers who have undergone their journey to a stage where they follow Android coding best practices and have some insider tips and tricks to avoid most Android challenges.
You should see open-source projects on the net and understand the code and the purpose of that code to truly understand the logic and mindset behind every line of code. This will help you easily implement some best practices in your next Android project.
Final Words
These are the Android development best practices to follow whether you are an entry-level Android developer or a senior Android engineer. These fundamentals will help you develop cost-efficient, highly performant, secure, and robust apps for your clients.
Author Bio
Ronak Patel is a CEO and Founder of Aglowid IT Solutions, an ever-emerging Top Web and Mobile Development company with a motto of turning clients into successful businesses. He believes that Client's success is company's success and so that he always makes sure that Aglowid helps their client's business to reach to its true potential with the help of his best team with the standard development process he set up for the company.
