Android App Development Companies in 2023 | 2023

What does an Android application development company do?

An experienced android application development company will provide a comprehensive range of services that are required to develop and launch a user-friendly and efficient app. The services offered by a top android app development agency are,

• Consulting: The company will work with you to understand and capture the essence of your idea and your needs and requirements. They will also align your idea with the expectations of the Android user base.
• UI/UX Design: Making sure you get the UI/UX feature of your app right is crucial as it ensures that your app is navigable and user friendly.
• Application Development: Experienced app developers will take your idea and turn it into a robust, functional and custom Android application.
• Software Testing: The agency will then carry out rigorous end to end testing to ensure that the application is glitch free and has no lags. The testing will also verify the security standards and performance of the application.
• Deployment: Finally, the application development agency will ensure that there is a seamless deployment of the application on the Android platforms. Experienced Android app development agencies can help with streamlined multi-platform deployment of your app.

As of 2021, Android users have roughly 3.48 million apps to choose from in Google Play Store, making the Android app market one of the most crowded markets. In order to make sure that your application stands out and is a success with your audience, it is not just important to have a unique and valuable idea for the application. It is also important to make sure that your idea is turned into a robust, flexible and user-friendly application that gives the consumers a memorable experience.

Why you should opt for an Android app development for your mobile app project?

One of the biggest reasons why you should opt for Android app development is the sheer market reach of the Android OS. With 2.5 billion active users worldwide, the Android OS remains the preferred operating system for both developer and customers alike. Apart from this the Android OS provides a whole host of benefits that make it an easy and preferred choice for developers. Some of the key benefits of Android app development are,

• Open-Source App Development Platform: The android platform for application development is royalty free and open source. Also, the architecture of the Android Software Developer’s Kit allows you to communicate with the community for further expansions of the mobile application development.
• Cost effective: The Android Software Developer’s Kit is available free of cost to developers and this reduces the development and licensing charges. Thus, on the overall the investment for Android app development is low giving a higher ROI.
• Easy Adoption and Launching: Android applications are scripted using the Java language and hence anyone with sound knowledge of Java can develop an Android application. Over the years, research has shown that developers find it easy to script code and adopt applications for the Android OS. Also, the process of launching applications is also simple and straightforward on this OS. For launching the application, developers need to register themselves and then submit the .apk file.
• Proactive Testing: The SDK allows the developers to install and run the app on the device every time they compile. This enables the developers to run and test their application on multiple devices without any additional costs. Also, this enables the developers to develop a glitch free and error free application and also modify the app according to the requirements of the clients.

The step-by-step approach followed by an expert Android app company to build an Android app

In order to ensure that the application development process is both efficient and streamlined as well as the end product is of a high quality, it is important for the application development process to follow certain steps in an orderly approach.

• Work on the idea: Firstly, the app developer and the client need to work together so that the developer has a clear understanding of the idea. This is important to ensure that the app completely captures the essence of the idea. Secondly it is important to have a clear understanding regarding factors such as who are the target audience of the app, what is the USP of the app etc.
• Build the wire-frame: This step materialises the idea behind the app and serves as a blueprint for the further development process. It will display the design of the app and give a feel of the functionality helping you get a look and work of the application. Selecting a mobile frame and an UI/UX design is a part of this step.
• Development: In this crucial step, the actual application is developed by means of coding. This step involves setting the development environment, developing the code for the app, preliminary testing and developing the first version of the application that can be installed and further tested.
• Testing: This step is important to ensure that there are no errors or glitches in the app and to ensure that it satisfies all security and compliance requirements.  This step involves documentation testing, functionality testing, usability testing, UI testing, compatibility testing, performance testing, security testing and certification testing. Certification testing is done to ensure that the app meets all the industry standards, terms of use and requirements of stores such as Google Play.
• Deployment: This step involves launching the application on Google Play Store. To deploy the application, the developer needs to upload the apk file of the application, set the content rating and the app’s pricing and launch the application.

Essential skills required for an Android app developer

Android application developer is one of the most sought-after careers and job profiles for developers around the world. This is primarily due to demand for experienced Android app developers as well as the sheer size of the Android ecosystem. Let us take a look at the skills required for an Android application developer,

• Knowledge of Java and Kotlin: In order to develop quality Android applications, the developer must be proficient in Java and Kotlin. These two languages are used to develop native Android applications. Kotlin is a cross platform statically typed language which Google has announced as the first choice for Android application development.
• Sense of UI/UX: Today users demand high quality applications that are user friendly, easily navigable and are engaging and responsive. In order to deliver this the developer must have a sense of UI/UX to ensure a good user experience.
• Technical Expertise: With technology constantly advancing by the day, it is necessary for the developer to stay on top of the latest technical tools and trends. With new technologies like AI, Blockchain and 5G coming to the forefront, it is important to have sound technical expertise for application development.
• Business Acumen: While developing and launching an application is one part of the story, it is also equally important to market the application well and ensure it has a wide reach amongst the audience. Processes such as conducting market research, performing a competitive analysis, targeting the right audience and developing a budget are part of the overall application development process. This requires the development team to possess a certain level of business acumen and knowledge.
• Cross Platform Capability: Cross platform solutions are becoming increasingly popular as they reduce the time to market for the applications. This requires the developers to possess the skills required to develop these cross-platform solutions.

In-house app development vs Outsourcing: Pros and Cons

One of the biggest decisions that will have to be taken before the beginning of the development process is on whether to do the development in-house with an internal team or to outsource the development. Both the strategies have their own set of pros and cons and the decision will have to be taken with regards to the business model, goals, needs and requirements of the business.

By deciding to outsource the app development project, the benefits that the business will get are access to experienced talent, a streamlined development process, flexibility to scale the project and lower overall costs. However, the cons of deciding to outsource the project are the challenge of finding the right developer, communication barriers, security and data integrity risks and an intellectual property rights issue. On the other hand, by deciding to develop the application in-house the biggest benefit is the ability to directly communicate with the team. This prevents any misunderstandings or communication gaps and any modifications or changes can be carried out immediately. However, there are several negatives that come with in-house application development such as higher costs and the challenge of hiring and training the right talent for the job. Also it is unlikely that the in-house team has personnel who are experts in all the latest technologies and tools that are currently in trend in the market.

Thus, business will have to clearly weigh the pros and cons and align it with their goals and needs before deciding whether to outsource the project or go with an in-house development team.