Mobile application development is the basic term given to the several processes involved in the creation of applications for mobile devices like personal digital assistants, enterprise digital assistants, or mobile phones. These applications can exist as pre-installed software on these mobile devices or can also be provided as web applications using server-side or client-side processing in a web browser. In this article, we would be discussing the various stages of mobile application development. If you want to be a mobile app developer, then this article is for you.
Mobile app development turns out to be a very good skill to learn. It is advisable for everyone to learn how to code apps as this skill turns out to be very viable and profitable especially for an indie developer (individual developers) who wants to go into the world of freelancing because of the low competition.
To be honest, this skill can be a very difficult one to learn due to the level of complexities beginners face while trying to learn a new language or IDE.
Difference between IOS and Android App Development
In the wonderful world of technology, there are so many different mobile devices, and these devices all run on different operating systems and as such, the processes involved in the development of apps for these devices will be different. These differences tend to occur in the requirements for starting out on your developer journey.
WHAT YOU NEED TO START AS AN IOS DEVELOPER
1. Buy a Mac computer and an iPhone
This is the most basic requirement for starting out in this space. You need a mac computer to be able to use the Xcode IDE (integrated development environment) as this IDE is only available to IOS developers. And Android and IOS development mobile devices are also needed to test and run your applications.
3. Learn the basics of programming
Now, the can be a little intimidating for a beginner with no prior experience of coding but is certainly possible if you have a solid interest. You need to learn the Objective-C language (harder to learn) or Swift (easier to learn) in order to begin this journey.
3. Create a few different apps
After having a good understanding of either the objective-C language or the Swift language, together with the understanding of how the Xcode IDE works; you need to start getting your feet wet. ‘Practice makes perfect’ and this is very applicable in programming. Build a few sample apps and aim at creating a unique project to help your skills improve.
4. Publish your app to the app store
This is completely optional. Uploading your app to the app store can help your app get a little more exposure and it can be also very exciting to see other people use and enjoy your mobile app. There is also a developer’s fee of $99/year, so you have to also keep that in mind.
WHAT YOU NEED TO START AS AN ANDROID DEVELOPER
1. A GOOD COMPUTER
This is the most important thing to keep in mind. The system requirements for Android Studio (the IDE for Android Developers) should be kept in mind while trying to buy a PC for this purpose. A bad system can cause certain drawbacks.
2. LEARN THE PROGRAMMING LANGUAGE FOR ANDROID
Java has been the main language used in Android studio until the new arrival of Kotlin in 2017. These languages are powerful and very interesting to learn. The learning curve for these languages can be high for beginners – especially if you are beginning with Java, so you need to stay motivated.
3. PRACTICE
Like I said earlier, you need to practice. In programming, no matter how proficient you think you are, you are still considered a beginner to someone else. So practice and develop your first few apps. Also, try not to begin with something too difficult – a lot of beginners do this and sooner or later you will see some improvement.
Becoming a mobile app developer is a very good achievement as there are lots of opportunities in this space. If you are really passionate about coding and how the technology works, then you will be very successful. This skill can take some time so you have to be prepared because there are no shortcuts to any place worth going.