The android platform has been growing at a rapid rate over the years. With the high number of new devices being activated every day, it is becoming more and more necessary to have apps on the market. The huge market presented by this new ecosystem is one that can be taken advantage of by having apps on the Google Play Store as soon as one is able to. The increased use of mobile devices on the android platform for daily use such as business and communication also makes it a huge potential for apps to thrive. Companies can have a custom app for android made so that they are able to take advantage of the mobility presented by these devices to make the best of their employees. There are a couple of things that are involved in making a custom app for android and these involve a couple of steps which are listed below.
1. Planning the app
The custom app for android needs proper planning in order to be successful. Things that should be taken into consideration at this point include the type of app. This can be
- Multimedia based
- Location based apps
- Web based apps
- Enterprise apps
- Entertainment apps
- Productivity apps and so on
The type of app will determine the APIs that will be used in the app and the Smartphone features that will be utilized. For example, a multimedia app may make use of the camera, sound recorder, and speaker among others. This will need to be taken into consideration before the actual development is started in order for the developers to make an estimate of how long the development is going to take and how much it is going to cost. The user interface is also designed at this point and the client agrees with the developers on the best user interface to use. This having being done, actual development can now start.
2. Development
Developing a custom app for android takes time, resources and dedications. Developers make use of a variety of tools at their disposal such as the eclipse SDK or Android Studio to make the apps. The assets to be used for the app such as buttons and icons are also designed using graphic applications such as Photoshop. Throughout the development period for the custom app for android, testing is done to ensure that the app performs as expected. This is done on emulators and on actual devices. Working prototypes can be sent to the client so that they can experience the progress being made by the developers and if possible suggest changes and improvements that should be made. When this is done and approval is done by both parties, the app is ready to be deployed.
3. Release of the custom app
There are a variety of ways in which the custom app for android can be deployed to the users. This can be done using official channels such as app stores and also through other means such as email and posting on company websites. This is entirely on the clients to decide and it only takes a few days to complete.
In conclusion, developing a custom app for android does not take much and can be done in a few weeks as long as the requirements are captures clearly from the beginning.





