How to Become an Android Developer

At the current time, there are over two billion monthly active users worldwide and this number is growing up day by day. and with the growing number of users, there is also a need for more Android developers. so in this post, we are going to learn about how to become an Android developer.

before we learn about how to become an Android developer we need to understand some topics about

What is an Android developer?
Role of an Android developer
Basic requirements for Android development

What is Android Development?

Android is a mobile operating system used in different types of devices like smartphones, tablets, etc. Android Development is a part of Software development. Android development is not platform-oriented as we can create Android apps using Windows, Mac, or Linux unlike IOS development as you need to have a Mac and an iOS device.

Android Application Development is about building an app and publishing it on the play store. There are certain steps you have to follow like planning & research, design, development, testing, and finally publishing your app.

Role of an Android developer

The main role of an Android developer is to build advanced applications.
Work together with a cross-functional team that can handle your app analysis, design, and testing.
Create a bug-free application, try to minimize the bug by proper testing of the application
Upgrade your application with new technology and features to improve performance and efficiency.

Android is an open-source platform. You have access to the code, you can edit it and make it as you prefer. Open-Source means you are interacting with the community for upcoming expansion for Android application development.

Nowadays, Android supports a wide range of devices which include Smartphones, Smart TVs, Smartwatches, Tablets, Car systems, and many more. There are over 73% Android device users worldwide today, so it makes sense that creating an app on Android is beneficial as there is a high range of audiences.

It has a vast community. Too many developers are working with Android. So, if you are stuck in any problem or error, there are people available on the internet to help you. You are not alone.

Basic Needs for Android Development

To become an Android developer, the first thing you need is a laptop or PC. You can choose any of the operating systems between Windows, Mac, or Linux.

Minimum 4GB of RAM or Recommended 8GB or more for smooth working. Android Studio is installed on your system with the Android SDK. A real Android device or Android Emulator is installed on your system.

Programming Language for Beginners

It will be a great start for you if you have learned JAVA before. But if not and you are a beginner who does not have previous knowledge about any language or development and wants to become an Android developer, still you can start your development journey by learning JAVA as Java/kotlin are native languages for Android development. I will recommend you have some basic knowledge of core Java. If you are coming from any other language background.

Note: Do not spend too much time learning Java. Learn some basics like loops, functions, object-oriented programming, and basic working, and then direct jump into Android.

Languages Used for Android Development

Java
Kotlin
Flutter Dart
React-Native
Python

Getting Started as an Android Developer

The first step to start Android development is from Documentation provided by Google at developer.android.com. This is a guild officially created by the developers of Android, which will help you in the entire process of Android development.

Next, I will recommend you get an online course for Android development as it is easy if someone is teaching us live. There are many courses available on the internet free and paid. The first thing, in my opinion, is to try and look for free courses or crack some paid courses. Do not invest money in starting, first start coding for free, and then if you get an interest in Android development then you should try some paid courses as well.

The next step after Java and Android development is to register as an Android app developer.

After your app is ready, the next thing you have to do is register on the google play store and publish your app. You can continue evaluating your app and upgrading to new technologies to your app.

After publishing your app, now it’s time to market your app so that your app reaches a wider audience.

How to choose a Programming language for your app?

Now the time there are so many programming languages or frameworks out there that can help you to develop an Android application. But you need to choose a particular language if you want to be your application live for the world.

Why choose Java?

Java is a great programming language and if you choose Java for your application then it would be great but in no time it is a little bit off. But there are so many companies using Java for their application because it is quite old and has had a presence for the last 20 years. So if you are planning to get a job as an Android developer then you can choose Java.

Why choose Kotlin?

Before Java programming completely dominates the world of Android development. Google came up with a programming language called kotlin and in 2019 google officially announce that kotlin is officially preferred for Android development.

So if you want to choose kotlin for your application then it is a great decision but if you are planning to get a job as an Android developer then you might need to think about and do some research before taking it. Because it is a little bit new in the world of Android development.

Why choose to React Native?

React native is a javascript-based library that uses React to develop an application. The good thing about react-native is that we don’t need to write platform-specific code just like we use Java or kotlin for Android and Swift for ios. We only need to write code once and we can use the same application for ios and Android platforms. And this thing makes react-native a powerful programming language for Android development. Also, there are so many jobs for react-native developers in the industry.

Why choose Flutter/Dart?

Flutter is not a programming language. It is a UI toolkit or we can say a library that is used for creating a beautiful interface in the application. Whether you choose Java, Python, or react-native you can integrate Flutter or Dart programming language with any one of these technologies. So it is essential you have knowledge of Flutter if you want to become an Android developer.

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