Mobile Application Development

Android SDK

The Android SDK (Software Development Kit) is a set of tools and resources that developers
use to create and publish Android apps. It includes a Integrated Development Environment
(IDE) called Android Studio, which is used for writing, testing, and debugging code.
Additionally, it includes libraries, sample code, and documentation to help developers get
started with app development.

Android Emulator

The Android emulator is an Android Virtual Device (AVD), which represents a specific
Android device. We can use the Android emulator as a target device to execute and test our
Android application on our PC.

The Android emulator provides almost all the functionality of a real device. We can get the
incoming phone calls and text messages. It also gives the location of the device and simulates
different network speeds. Android emulator simulates rotation and other hardware sensors. It
accesses the Google Play store, and much more

What is an IDE?

An integrated development environment (IDE) is software for building applications that

combines common developer tools into a single graphical user interface (GUI). An IDE
typically consists of:

• Source code editor: A text editor that can assist in writing software code with
features such as syntax highlighting with visual cues, providing language specific
auto-completion, and checking for bugs as code is being written.

• Local build automation: Utilities that automate simple, repeatable tasks as part of
creating a local build of the software for use by the developer, like compiling
computer source code into binary code, packaging binary code, and running
automated tests.

• Debugger: A program for testing other programs that can graphically display the
location of a bug in the original code.
Android Studio is the official Integrated Development Environment (IDE) for android
application development. Android Studio provides more features that enhance our
productivity while building Android apps.

Gradle

Gradle is a build automation tool known for its flexibility to build software. A build
automation tool is used to automate the creation of applications.

The building process includes compiling, linking, and packaging the code. The process
becomes more consistent with the help of build automation tools.

Mobile application concepts

What is Mobile Application

A mobile app (or mobile application) is a software application developed specifically for use
on small, wireless computing devices, such as smartphones and tablets, rather than desktop or
laptop computers.

Types of mobile applications

1. Native Apps

Native apps are built for specific operating systems on mobile devices. That means the app
can run on Android devices or Apple iOS devices but not both.

Advantages

• Native Apps Offer Speed

Because native apps are native to the platform, they work faster. Many elements come
preloaded. The user data is fetched from the web rather than the entire application, and since
they work with the device’s built-in features, they are speedy.

• Native Apps Work Offline

Native apps work even if there is no internet connectivity. So, in situations where you are
stuck somewhere with limited or no service, such as an airplane, underground tunnel, or
subway, native apps are accessible.

• Native Apps Provide a Recognizable Look and Feel

Native applications are a nuanced version of their device’s default apps. When a user
performs some functions, he quickly understands the natural flow of the application because
it is similar to apps already on the device.

• Native Apps Maintain Aspect Ratios

Aspect ratio is the ratio of width to height of different screens. It is an important factor that
determines the quality of an image. Many apps collapse and start functioning improperly
upon changing the device's size and shape. Native apps have better control over the
orientation, size, and resolution of the app.

Disadvantages

• Lengthy Downloading Process

Native apps are ready to use only when users download them from the app store (Google Play
or Apple App Store). This involves a lot of steps – going to the app store, finding the
application, accepting its terms and conditions, and then finally downloading it.

• No Flexibility

Developers have no flexibility regarding the platform for developing native apps. Developers
have to code for one platform at a time, with separate coding for Android and iOS. Much of
the time, if you are hiring app developers for your native app idea, you’ll have to hire two
teams of developers – one for Android and one for iOS.

• Expensive Development

The programming used in native apps is quite tricky, and developers who code in this
language are scarce. Thus, native app development requires more Labor, which adds to the
time and cost of development.

• Time-Consuming Development

Every platform, such as iOS and Android, needs a separate set of codes, which means more
time is required, as it is equivalent to coding for two different apps.

• Native Apps Require Frequent Upgrades

If a bug is fixed in native apps or a new update is about to be launched, developers have to
first submit the updates to the app store and then hope that users will update their apps to the
new versions. If users don't update their app - maybe they didn't notice the update, or they
don't have enough storage space - those users might abandon the app due to unfixed glitches.

2. Hybrid Apps

Combines elements of both native and web applications. They are built using web
technologies but are wrapped in a native app shell, allowing them to be distributed through
app stores.

Instagram and Gmail are 2 extremely popular examples of hybrid apps. These are technically
web apps, but they behave and act like native apps. They run within an app-embedded web
browser. Unlike native apps, however, hybrid apps can function on multiple platforms and
operating systems.

Advantages

• Instant access: Unlike native apps, hybrid apps can be loaded through a link, which
you can distribute through social media and email marketing. By immediately getting
users to interact with your app, you’re bypassing common friction points (app stores).

• Cross-platform: The most obvious reason why businesses opt for hybrid apps is
because they’re built for multiple platforms; so long as your users keep their web
browser updated, they’ll be able to access your software on all of their devices.

• One-size-fits-all: Hybrid apps can cut development time, as most of the functionality
can be built with existing languages like HTML, which are easier to develop and test
on multiple platforms. An iOS app that takes three months to develop might be ready
in a couple of weeks if you opt for a hybrid app instead, helping you launch faster.

• Offline access: On some hybrid apps, data can be stored locally for offline access –
ideal if you’re offering functionality like mapping, video tutorials, or user manuals.

• Easy maintenance: Thanks to HTML and other web languages, hybrid apps are
relatively easy to maintain; you don’t have to worry about new operating system
releases that could change the infrastructure of your application or limit functionality.

• Affordable: Hybrid apps can be developed quickly and require less maintenance than
iOS or Android apps, and are therefore much cheaper for small businesses.
 • No need for approval: If you’ve ever developed an app, you’ll know how difficult it
can be to overcome Apple and Google’s strict guidelines and operating system
protocols – often requiring lots of back and forth. Web apps don’t require approval,
making them the ideal choice for businesses looking to launch their software quickly.

• Automatic updates: Rather than having to submit changes to your app to the App
Store and Play Store, and then wait for approval, your developer can instantly make
amendments to your hybrid app and they’ll appear immediately. Every time a user
logs onto your hybrid app, they’ll access the latest version, enhancing security.

Disadvantages

• Limited functionality: Although hybrid apps are considerably more flexible as

mobile web browsers gain new functionality and performance improvements, your
developer won’t be able to access specific hardware features like augmented reality.

• Browser needed: Users will need to open their web browser to run your app, which
requires more steps and a URL or bookmark. With a native iOS or Android app, your
software will always appear on your users’ home screens.

• Discoverability: As we’ve just touched upon, getting users to find and interact with
your app can be tough without an App Store listing. Be creative with marketing and
encourage users to bookmark your app or save it as an app shortcut on their phone.

• User management: Unless you ask users to create an account and log in whenever
they load your app, you’ll struggle to collect usage and performance metrics which
could improve your app. On the other hand, adding a login screen every time users
load your app could limit engagement and increase abandonment and bounce rates.

Native apps Hybrid Apps

Developed for a specific platform (iOS or Developed using web technologies like
Android) using platform-specific HTML, CSS, and JavaScript
programming languages (Swift or
Objective-C for iOS, Java or Kotlin for
Android)
 Provides better performance and faster load Slower performance and longer load times
times because it is optimized for the specific because it is running in a web view
platform
Can access all the features and capabilities Limited access to device features and
of the device, such as camera, contacts, and capabilities
GPS
Requires separate development for each Can be developed once and deployed on
platform, which can be time-consuming and multiple platforms, reducing development
expensive time and cost
Provides a better user experience because it User experience may be compromised
is designed specifically for the platform because the app is designed to work on
multiple platforms
More expensive to develop but can deliver Less expensive to develop but may not
higher returns on investment due to better deliver the same level of performance and
performance and user experience user experience as native apps

3. Web Apps

Web apps run in a web browser. They are accessed on a mobile device and don’t require
downloading on the part of the user. Commonly, developers use traditional web development
languages like HTML5, JavaScript, CSS, and others to create web apps.

Advantages

• A Better User Experience – With responsive design, it’s a lot easier and cheaper to
make a web based system user friendly across multiple platforms and various screen
sizes.
• Flexible Access – Employees can work from anywhere with internet access.
• Client Secure Login – Impress clients with a modern web portal and improve
customer service with automated processes.
• Easy Setup – It takes a couple of minutes to setup a new user; provide a URL,
username and password and they’re away.
• Always Up To Date – As everyone is accessing the same version of the web app via a
URL, they will always be accessing the most up-to-date version of the software.
 • Storage Increase – With the availability of the cloud, storage space is virtually
infinite.

Disadvantages

• Internet reliance – Whilst 4G & Wi-Fi internet access is available in many locations, if
you happen to lose connection you will not be able to access your web app.
• Security – Whilst many business people may believe that data is less secure in a cloud
environment, we beg to differ… There are ways in which you can reduce risk of a
data breach, such as SSL enforcement for a secure HTTPS access to your app.
• Reduced Speed – It’s likely that a web app will operate at a slightly slower speed than
one hosted on a server locally.
• Browser Support – Unfortunately, we don’t all use the same browser. This means
during development you’ll need to ensure your app is supported across a variety of
browsers.

Mobile application development platforms

When it comes to mobile applications, the two most famous operating system that comes to
our mind are Android by Google and iOS by Apple.

What is Android?

Android is an open-source mobile operating system introduced by Google. It is the most

widely used operating system supporting a wide range of devices. Android is written in Linux
kernel with the help of programming languages like C++ and Java. It is built particularly for
tablets and touchscreen mobile devices.

An Android application is a software developed to run on an Android device. It is an APK

(Android Package) file, Zip archive which contains app source code, resources, and metadata.

What is an Android Mobile App Development Platform?

An Android app development platform provides a set of tools, software, debugging tools,
libraries, etc. to develop an Android application. All these elements provided by the mobile
app development framework along with source code are used to develop apps for various
mobile devices. This strong foundation is useful in developing apps with the help of in-built
modules that provide functionalities like networking, user interface, storage, etc.
Advantages of Mobile App Development Platforms

• Cost efficient: With the help of app development platforms, developing apps become
easy at less cost and can be distributed across multiple platforms. This saves the cost
of hiring different teams for each platform.

• Ease of integration: These platforms provide various libraries and resources that can
be used in apps instead of writing complex codes.

• Enhanced performance: Platforms like Flutter and React Native have enhanced
performance than the others. They focus on improving the user experience as well as
making the app fast and responsive.

• Built-in components: They provide built-in features that can be customized

according to the app’s requirements saving both time and effort for the developers.

Android App Development Platforms

1. Flutter

Flutter is an open-source and cross-platform Android app development platform. It was

created by Google that enables developers to develop apps for Android, Windows, iOS, and
the web with the help of a single codebase. It is written in the Dart language. It contains
widgets, debugging tools, a rendering engine, and tools to integrate APIs to create apps.
Applications such as Google Ads, Google Pay, eBay Motors, etc. are developed
using Flutter.

Features:

• Flutter has a Hot Reload feature because of which only the changes will get loaded
instead of the entire application. This is very useful in saving time as output can be
seen in real-time with less compilation time.

• Various backend features and services can be integrated into the app like user
authentication
(through Google, Facebook, Email/Password, Phone, Microsoft, GitHub, etc), cloud
services, storage, and push notifications.

• Provides various animations and UI enhancement features to make the app look
more appealing.
 • Provides performance closely related to that of native.

2. Android Studio

Android Studio is Google’s official Android Integrated Development Environment (IDE)

that provides a lot of features and functionalities to develop mobile apps. Developers can
easily write the source code, debug and test the quality of their application. It supports
various programming languages like Java, Kotlin, Swift, C++, etc. Google continuously
updates it to meet the latest trends and requirements of developers and allows them to
customize it as per your needs. It has a large community of Android developers to help in
case you are stuck.

Features:

• Has virtual emulators as well as physical connection with devices both wired and
wireless.

• Has Gradle build support

• Provides Google Play services like Google Ads, Google Maps, in-app purchases, etc.

• Has GitHub support so you can perform any Git command just with a few clicks

• Integrated with tools and frameworks for testing

3. React Native

React Native is an open-source, accessible, cross-platform app development platform

developed by Meta that can help developers in creating native applications for Android, iOS,
and the web. It uses JavaScript and React library to develop, test and deploy the app. It
allows fast development and deployment of mobile apps.

React Native has a syntax same as CSS but it does not use HTML or CSS. To take advantage
of native views, the JavaScript thread’s messages are used. Applications such
as Skype, Airbnb, Amazon Prime, etc. are developed using React Native.

Features:

• The app is built using native elements and APIs which provide a smooth user
experience.

• Components can be reused and third-party extensions can be easily integrated.

 • With React Native, a component-based GUI can be created for front-end
applications.

• A single codebase can be used across all platforms to create platform-specific

versions of numerous functionalities.

• Provides a variety of services to create the backend of the application.

4. Ionic

Ionic is an open-source, cross-platform app development platform developed with the help
of Apache Cordova and Angular. It enables developers to build robust and high-feature
native apps both in Android and iOS with the help of HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. It can be
used to develop hybrid and Progressive Web Apps (PWAs) as well.

Features:

• It is simple to work with as it uses technologies that most developers are already
familiar with.

• Various components such as inputs, easy navigation, filtrations, views, etc. can be
integrated to improve the user interface.

• The user interface is consistent and provides flexibility as well.

• The Ionic Command Line Interface is a tool that provides commands

to start, build, run, and emulate the apps.

5. Xamarin

Xamarin is an open-source, cross-platform Android app development platform owned

by Microsoft. It can build apps with the help of C# and .NET that can run on mobile
operating systems like Android, iOS, and Windows. It provides the developers with a variety
of tools to create, test, debug and deploy the apps and can be integrated with cloud services
like Microsoft Azure.

It enables the developers to share the scripts across Windows and macOS. Developers can
create a development environment with the help of APIs, components, backend services,
etc. by using tools, frameworks, and that are supported by an active community.

Features:
 • Developers can use the same code across multiple platforms without compromising
the quality.

• Xamarin’s intermediate layer manages the relationship between the standard code
and the core system code.

• Less time is required in coding as C# uses few lines of code.

• Its integration with Microsoft Visual Studio can help in managing and increasing the
productivity of app development.

6. Native Script

Native Script is an open-source, native mobile app development platform developed by

Progress. It uses CSS, JavaScript, Angular, Typescript, and Vue.js to develop mobile
apps. Native Script Sidekick is a Graphical User Interface used to create tasks via a GUI
tool.

XML files are used to define platform-independent user interfaces. It is possible to construct
application logic independent of the target platform using Angular and TypeScript.

Features:

• Native Script has direct access to iOS and Android APIs.

• Provides strong backend support to apps.

• Has a native UI without Web Views.

• Integration of other frameworks and libraries is easy.

• Uses less code and time to load the app on the system.

7. Apache Cordova (Formerly Phone Gap)

Apache Cordova is an open-source, cross-platform app development platform that

uses HTML5, CSS3, and JavaScript to develop mobile apps. It supports operating systems
like Android, Windows, and iOS. It provides various plugins to developers to integrate
hardware features like camera, GPS, accelerometer, etc. to provide an interface like native.

Features:
 • Cordova utilizes a single codebase to develop mobile apps and third-party tools for
management.

• The development process is very smooth.

• Cordova Command Line Interface is a tool that is used to build and install various
plugins used across different platforms.

• Various core components are provided by Cordova to create the base of the
application on which developers can implement their own logic.

8. Sencha Ext JS

Sencha combined with Ext JS is a cross-platform mobile application development platform.

It is a JavaScript framework to create data-driven mobile and web apps. It has a wide range
of built-in UI components, extensions such as grids, calendars, windows, trees, toolbars, etc.,
and has various themes to enhance the appearance of the elements. Sencha Architect is a tool
provided by Sencha Ext JS to shorten the time it takes to get an app to market.

To change a theme, you need to change the CSS and Script code of the theme. Ext JS is
available in two types: Modern toolkit and Classic toolkit.

Features:

• Provides strong data analytics.

• Has a flexible layout system.

• Has a high level of Data-Driven Documents (D3) package

• Has a graphical data representation.

• Handles and manages millions of data.

Mobile application development approaches

1. Native Development: Building separate versions of an app for each platform (iOS,
Android, etc.) using platform-specific languages and tools. This approach provides
the best performance and access to platform-specific features but requires more time
and resources.
2. Cross-Platform Development: Using frameworks like React Native, Flutter, Xamarin,
or Ionic to build a single codebase that can be deployed across multiple platforms.
 This approach can reduce development time and cost but may not provide the same
level of performance or access to all platform-specific features.
3. Progressive Web Apps (PWAs): Building web applications that use modern web
technologies to provide a mobile app-like experience. PWAs can be accessed through
a web browser and can be installed on a device's home screen, offering offline
functionality and push notifications.
4. Hybrid Development: Using web technologies (HTML, CSS, JavaScript) to build an
app that is wrapped in a native container, allowing it to be distributed through app
stores. This approach combines elements of both native and web development.

Reasons for mobile application development

• Reach and Accessibility: Mobile apps allow businesses to reach a large audience of
mobile device users, increasing accessibility to their products or services.
• Customer Engagement: Apps provide a direct and personalized way to engage with
customers, offering features like push notifications, in-app messaging, and loyalty
programs.
• Brand Presence: Having a mobile app can help strengthen a brand's presence in the
market and improve brand recognition among users.
• Enhanced User Experience: Mobile apps can offer a more seamless and intuitive user
experience compared to mobile websites, leading to higher user satisfaction and
retention.
• Access to Device Features: Apps can leverage device features like GPS, camera, and
accelerometer to provide unique and interactive experiences.
• Monetization Opportunities: Mobile apps can be monetized through various means,
such as in-app purchases, ads, subscriptions, or paid downloads.
• Competitive Advantage: In many industries, having a well-designed and functional
mobile app can provide a competitive edge over competitors who do not have one.
• Data Collection and Analysis: Apps can collect valuable user data, which can be used
to analyze user behavior, preferences, and trends, helping businesses make informed
decisions.
• Offline Access: Some apps can provide limited functionality even when offline, which
can be useful in situations where internet connectivity is limited or unavailable.
• Innovation and Differentiation: Developing a mobile app can showcase a company's
innovation and commitment to technology, helping to differentiate it from
competitors.