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Technologies are developing quite quickly. Developing an application based on the Android operating system has several advantages and disadvantages. Why do more and more people choose Android for app development? How well do apps built with Angular work? What are frameworks suit Android the best? SECLGroup experts will answer these questions below.
What Are the Pros and Cons of Using Android for App Development?
The advantages of developing applications for Android include the following:
The ability to reach a large audience. The number of Android users worldwide is approximately 65% of all mobile operating systems users. Accordingly, the development of an application on Android will allow you to reach a sufficient number of users and make the application in demand and popular.
More development options. The Android OS is generally more open, with more options for connecting third-party and unique services. This allows you to develop more unique and personalized functionality for the application and becomes possible only when you know how to choose technology stack for a native platform.
Convenient development environment. Android has a handy Android Studio app creation environment. It simplifies the development process and allows you to finish the project quickly.
What do the users dislike in developing mobile applications for Android?
- Longer testing period. Due to many Android devices, the testing process will be longer. After all, you need to test a variety of smartphone models. Moreover, the screen sizes of many devices are different.
- High competition. The popularity of this operating system means that there are a lot of applications on the market. And just developing an application without a preliminary analysis of the market and target audience will not be enough to create a genuinely in-demand application. This stage is mandatory for creating and implementing a project in our studio. We will tell you more about it below.
- Longer development time. This disadvantage directly relates to testing the application on more devices. On average, creating an Android app takes 25-30% longer than developing an iOS app.
Frameworks for Android, How to Choose?
A native programming language is the natural language for each operating system. To develop an App for Android, you need Java – the most popular “native” language for this OS. You also create a mobile application using JavaScript Framework such as Angular/ React / Vue
Native mobile apps are targeted to a specific operating system, so they are more secure and intuitive, work better, and give developers full access to the functions of the target device (GPS, camera, phone, etc.). At the same time, the creation of native applications requires more time and financial costs.
Despite the more expensive development, most orders fall on native products. Using native technologies, you can implement almost everything that the customer wants. Applications are technically adequate and capable of solving the maximum number of tasks.
How Do You Benefit from Native Apps?
Performance
Speed is the first thing you should pay attention to. This affects the user experience of the product. If the service constantly slows down, the user experience can be ruined. Because of this, people will uninstall the app and install the competitor’s product.
In this aspect, native mobile development in Java or Swift wins. Such products are compiled using their natural programming language, increasing the speed of the program’s interaction with the operating system. That is why most games are made with the help of native development: instant response to user actions is vital in them.
Safety
Apple and Google are constantly improving their programming toolkits. Using “native” development tools reduces the number of errors when writing code. This means that there will be fewer vulnerabilities in native applications.
Ability to Use All the Functions of a Smartphone
If you are thinking of a photo editor in which a person can take a picture of himself with filters applied, the service must have access to the smartphone’s camera. And if you want to make a messenger in which you can send voice messages, the application will need access to the microphone. Integrating GPS, camera, microphone, calendar, and other device features will be much easier in native development. Since such an application meets all the operating system’s requirements, compatibility will be better.
Stability
We have already mentioned that Apple and Google are regularly working on updating and improving their operating systems. This is reflected in the stability of “native” applications. Operating systems fully support them, so there will be fewer errors and failures. This means that users will be satisfied with a product with virtually no bugs.
Friendly and Straightforward UX/UI
In terms of convenience, native projects are ahead of others. Since they are implemented taking into account the features of the operating system interface, users do not need to remember new gestures and movements. For example, android has a navigation bar at the bottom. This panel has a button that takes the user one step back. By entering an application developed specifically for Android, the user will know that with this button, he can return to the previous page.
Thanks to familiar patterns, user interaction with native applications will be easier and more convenient.
Summing Up
Android is a popular operating system with incredible opportunities and unique functionality. Many native Android applications don’t need complex technology stacks. Nevertheless, the development process takes longer due to testing it on different devices.
