Android is the largest mobile operating system in the world. Android became one of the top innovative platforms in the world. Today Android app development is designed to solve people’s problems and drive technological growth as never before.
Android is an open source operating system. It’s free for absolutely everyone. Android has managed to captur and enable innovation in a wide range of products and doesnt’ limit the operating systems possibilities and opportunities. The system hs as well created value to developers and to date, paid over seven billion dollars to developers and content providers who contributed to over 2 millions, Google Play apps.
So what makes an Android development so good?
1. Innovative potential
First, it has greater innovative potential. As you know, Android is a Google’s product. Google is one of the biggest drivers and supporters of innovation and freedom philosophy. It makes app development much easier, challenging, and it gives more space to experiment and innovate. It encourages new ideas and app creation to solve more users’ problems emerging in the late 2010s and early 2020s.
Apart from technical support and flexible policies, Google organizes huge events to encourage developers to shape the direction of Android and fuel Android innovation. These are the events that bring app developers altogether.
Back in 2008 Google announced a challenge for developers. The Android Developer Challenge was a competition to find the most innovative application for Android. Almost 1800 apps were submitted to the challenge. Winners were chosen from those applications that could deliver a better mobile experience.
As the technologies continued to grow and new opportunities emerged, Google announced The Android Developer Challenge in October 2019. The goal was to unlock new experiences on Android and inspire developers to use emerging technologies, like machine learning. The idea was to find 10 Android apps with machine learning functions. While it’s still unknown what apps won, Google told about a possible presentation of some apps during the Android 11 release.
2. Programming languages and development tools
Freedom and innovation bring us to the second benefit of Android app development. While Java is the official language for Android, there are many other languages that can be used for Android App Development. To build an app, the developer can use Java, C++, C#, Kotlin or even Python and Corona. And even more, Android app developers can use Google development tools:
- Android Jetpack, a set of pre-build Android components
- Firebase, a comprehensive mobile app development platform.
- Android SDK, development kit, connected with Android Studio, an integrated development environment.
- Flutter , toolkit for building natively compiled applications for mobile, web, and desktop from a single codebase.
3. Open source system
Besides, Android offers an open system. Android developers receive access to more features. They can customize and exchange source code. It all provides more opportunities for a custom interface design. Developers can use extensive Google design guidelines for developing an intuitive user interface.
4. Easy entry to app market
Android offers an easier app distribution. It’s much easier to publish apps on Google Play rather on App Store. Registration of developers’ accounts and submission of APK may take less a day. The process of app publication ma takes just a few hours, while for App Store it may take weeks.
5. Large audience
In 2019 there were more than 2,5 million apps on Google Play and they generated 250 million downloads per day. Android can be run on a big amount of different devices (including affordable ones) and it makes Android devices the most popular in the world.
What’s next for Android?
Android’s innovation rise is far from its finish line. Android keeps looking to strengthen its leading position. It stays the operating system that attracts more and more new developers who seek for a global market, getting freedom and chance to convert innovative ideas into apps. Google has already funded more than 500 portfolio companies across all stages and sectors, with an emphasis on enterprise, life sciences, consumer, and frontier technology.