The smart device revolution has been one of the biggest moves in the tech industry in the past decade. It is a market that has not stopped growing and that has billions of users worldwide.

Today if we see, almost everyone has a smartphone or any kind of e-device that has dozens of applications installed, each one that actually claims to solve a real-world problem.

But have you ever wondered how an application is made?

What does it all include?

What are the essentials of app development?

What do I need to know to build an app?

What is the technology stack involved?

One might also wonder upon whether creating applications is a possibility for the future or not.

Whether it is to satisfy your curiosity or because you have a simple interest in knowing how a person goes from scratch to be able to create an application, this article will guide you through from A to Z for the creation of an android application.

The most basic way to create an Android application is to check its feasibility to run on Android programming platforms (like Android Studio and more) and one can officially use languages like Java, Kotlin, or C++ to develop one. If you face certain API restrictions with the tool there are a number of languages that can be used with endless possibilities (JavaScript, C or assembly, etc.)

First, let’s check out the computer configurations that are needed:

Operating System:
- Windows 7/8/10 32/64 bit
- Mac OS 10.10 onwards
- Linux with Gnome or KDE desktop environment
RAM memory: 4GB minimum, 8 GB as recommended
Hard Drive: at least 2 GB of free space, 4 GB of free space as recommended
Screen with a minimum resolution of 1200 x 800

One must consider all these obligatory parameters as the development environment is heavy. So if your computer meets the minimum requirements, it may be the only program that you must have open for it to work well.

It’s also crucial to consider that depending on the magnitude of the project you may require more advanced equipment.

Get An Idea to Start

The most significant thing to start making an application is to have a clear idea what you want to do and must be clear in your mind about what you have to create that would add value to the end-user and something that will be a great incentive to stay strong on the road with motivation.

The next thing is how to get an idea to make an application?

The best way is to relate to a real-life problem and think whether the solution can be provided via programming.

Not necessarily the application must be that changes your life, it could be something that actually makes a difference in the life of the target audience. Simply, it should be realistic, interactive, easy to use, and must post all the basic and necessary features as required.

[Prefer Reading: “10 Unforgivable Mobile App Development Basics Mistakes Everyone Makes.”]

Where to Start From?

This is one of the biggest barriers to start programming, to program applications you need to know how to program. There is no magic shortcut for an application to be created. You have to dig deep and learn and acquire knowledge first on the fundamentals and then start from scratch.

Learning about android app development from useful and relevant sources would form a base of your knowledge on the same and would help you to get hold of the criteria before you actually start to apply your programming skills.

-The free Google course introduces us to programming

-In addition to the workshop, Google has a mobile application called Grasshopper. This application teaches visually with which one can easily overcome the first steps of the programming world.

There are many other free courses that are built to help beginners and coders to learn the essential concepts of programming in pseudocode.

What is a pseudocode?

In itself, it is not a programming language, but a kind of metalanguage common to almost any programming language. Knowing how to make pseudocode you will understand the programming logic, something that will make you learn any programming language in a matter of days.

What is a programming language?

Simply put, it is a way in which we give orders to applications. As of today, if you have to learn a programming language that puts you directly into the application market where one must need to dig deep into the pool of languages, depending upon the type of applications to be built.

Let’s talk about a few:

–Javascript

It’s one of the most versatile languages since with it you can write applications for mobile phones as well as apps for the web.

–Kotlin

If you want to specialize in creating exclusive applications for Android, this is the language that you should master, since it is a first-rate language for Google and one of the ones with the greatest future projection.

–Swift

If you want to develop iOS applications, Swift is the language you should learn. If you have an iPhone or iPad, download Swift Playgrounds, an official Apple application to learn how to program extremely easily.

–Dart

It’s a programming language created by Google itself, which is the engine of Flutter, Google’s development environment for making Android and iPhone applications with the same code. It is a very young and immature environment, but with a great future projection.

Java vs Kotlin which Language to prefer?

Ever since Kotlin became the official language for Android development, many programmers who dreamt to become Android developers went into a dilemma regarding which language to learn and acquire expertise in.

Well, beginners should start their journey with Java while Java programmers should go for learning Kotlin!

There is a huge community of the well-established language Java, where all the technical problems faced, can be resolved by getting answers wherever you get stuck.

For Java programmers to be more productive, it’s best to learn Kotlin which is fully interoperable in Java. as Kotlin generates Java bytecode, one can use his favorite Java Frameworks and libraries in Kotlin where many of the peers can also use the developed Kotlin framework.

Android Development Tools

Technologies linked with Android applications have a different set of libraries and codes that need to be installed along with the SDK.

If you have confusions among the best software to download for programming apps in Android, go for choosing Android Studio. It’s unquestionably the best IDE for Android and most amazingly it’s offered by Google, the overlord.

To look for other options check out Top Essential App Development Tools for Android [2020] that details the best Android tools that are crafted for developer’s convenience in inventing extraordinary Android mobile apps.

The most difficult step in creating an application is building the first application that requires a considerable amount of time, learning, practice, testing (at your own level), and programming. Once you finish it, you’ll acquire much more experience, knowledge, and motivation to create the next one.

Steps Involved

How to start Android app development might not be tough as long as you understand the different moving parts of development and you try your talent and skills over any Android platform.

Take a tour of mobile app development android via following the steps mentioned below:

1 Download the Necessary Tools

Create a development environment and make your desktop ready for the application development process. Download the pack of Android Studio and Android SDK in a single go.

Android Studio is an IDE that is an interface to enter Java/Kotlin codes and access the different tools necessary for development. Android Studio provides access to all the requisite libraries and APIs, thereby giving access to the native function of the OS.

Android Studio has a very simple set up where you need to simply follow the instructions as shown. For instant guidance on the setup and installation of the Android platform check out the below links:

2 Initiate a Project

Starting a project is merely taking decisions on the project that influences the development of your app.

Select a project template by making a few clicks: File > New > New Project, this will enable code and UI elements in your app.

‘Activity’ here refers to the app screen.

‘No Activity’ is a project that’s empty

‘Basic Activity’ starts the screen of the app, adding some buttons and a menu.

Choosing Empty Activity first would be better on the initial state that would create an activity with a few files and limited code reducing the early development risks. Then choose a name and a package name for your app where the package name is nothing more than a reference used by Android to distinguish it from others.

3 Get Familiar with the Files

There are myriad different files, codes, folders, and more.

The file MainActivity.java is the main logic file that controls how an app behaves. This file can be found in: MyApplication > app > src > main > java > com > companyname > myapplication.

The files and folders are crucial components as they help Android Studio to build your app and cannot be renamed as they are pre-built names. The code that is being displayed on the main page is the boilerplate code that is almost similar across different projects and helps to activate the basic functions.

[Kotlin requires less boilerplate code.]

Once you start with the coding you can view the changes made side by side and edit the code accordingly. To grab the procedure for developing an app in-depth, check out the visual that explains the development procedure bit by bit.

The end of developing an application doesn’t limit itself only to completion of coding, testing the app is a crucial element which involves the various iterative steps that validate and verify the app features and functionalities.

[Prefer Reading: “Top 10 Trends that Define the Future of Mobile Applications in 2020 & Beyond.”]

Android Development Useful Resources

This is where I would love to share my knowledge with all of you out there and that would help you explore more on android app development, thus, narrowing your research on digging into the same over Google’s knowledge base.

Planning, Organization, and Patience are Your Best Weapons to Create Applications

Programming and coding aren’t difficult to program. Anyone can program and as a sample of them, applications like Grasshopper or Swift Playgrounds are capable of teaching anyone the key concepts.

If you think it’s hard to program and create applications, then I would say it simply depends more on your patience and the goals you set for yourself.

Imagine that you see a skyscraper and you intend to go up the stairs to the top floor. So at first, it seems very hard, but what if instead of proposing to upload it to the full you intend to upload half? What if you lower your purpose to upload a plant?

It is still too much. Before going up a plant, try to go up a single step and continue climbing each step each day. Little by little and with time, you will see how you go up to the skyscraper, and what seemed so huge is nothing more than a continuous succession of small challenges.

App development has the same analogy and relates well to real-life instances. Set sights on a realistic app project and get going with your learnings and skills where having a goal will continue to have your learning fun and structured.