How to Make an Android App? [Complete Guide 2024]

If you are reading this guide, most probably you want to build an Android app or are curious about how to develop an Android app. From whatever category you belong to, this article is going to define all about how you can make an Android app. But, first, let’s have a look at the Android app market and its vastness.

There are more than 2,673,292 Android apps available on the Google Play Store in the first quarter of 2024. At the same time, 111.3 billion Android app downloads were registered in the year 2021 only which has significantly increased since then. So, you can imagine the Android app development market and the android app development companies landscape with these numbers.

What are Android Apps?

Android apps are basically the software or applications that are meant to run on the Android platform. Android platform is the Operating system built for mobile devices and thus the Android apps of different types help the users to maximize the usability of their Android devices. For example, different Android apps can be used to perform different tasks including messaging, calling, media sharing, opting for a service, or buying products.

How to Make an Android App?

When you decide to build an Android app, being completely unaware of the development process might not be a good idea. There is some basic knowledge that will help you ensure that your Android app development company is working according to the defined process and your expectation. At the same time, you can also make sure that the Android developers are not skipping any essential stage of the Android app development process. So, here are the core steps of this process-

1. Idea Generation

The very first step is idea generation which helps to find out what actually you want to develop. There are thousands of categories and hundreds of ways to work in each category. So, before starting the development process, you have to be clear about what you want to create. Analyze the problem you want to solve. Identify your potential competitors, what they are offerings, their target audience, and the response they are getting from the market.

Bring out a vision of what your software is going to look like. Describe the features and functionality that you aim to foster in your application. Define the basic operation of your software and the benefits it is expected to deliver to its target market.

2. Business Stages and Structure Finalization

Once you are done with developing your Android mobile app idea, it is time to take bigger decisions. In this stage, you define the business model of your application. When you develop an Android app, it is important to be ensured about monetization strategies. How you are going to make money from your investment is a big topic of discussion. Also, the confirmation of the monetization model for the app is essential before moving to the development stage.

Moving ahead, all the necessary communication to the development company regarding the project will also happen at this stage only. Talk about your budget and the timeframe in which you want to get your app developed. If everything goes well, you come into contract with the development partner.

3. Design and Development stage

This is the core stage of creating a mobile app where all the coding work and technical infrastructure is built. A plethora of tasks are completed at this stage. First of all, the development team will deliver a prototype of the app where you can experience the features, functionalities, themes, and overall appearance of the app. Here, you ask for the changes and pass the prototype. Once you have confirmed the prototype, the development firm will perform all the coding, utilize various APIs and perform third-party integrations to connect the backend and front end of the application.

This is the stage where your application is made functional with the help of different technological tools. The whole infrastructure of your Android application is given life through coding.

4. Testing

When targeting a huge audience base, it is important to ensure that you deliver a seamless experience to them. However, the newly built app carries a lot of bugs that have to be identified and eliminated. For the same, the testing phase is conducted by the Quality Analysis team. Testers perform several tests such as performance testing, bug removal, speed testing, feature testing, UI/UX response timing, and much more. This helps to bring the best output of the application and make it ready for deployment.

5. Deployment

When talking about the development, this is the final stage where the application is submitted to the respective app store. Here, the Android application is deployed to the Google Play Store. Your android app development partner will do this for you while you have to pay a fee of $25, asked by the Play Store. This is the platform that helps you make your application available to your target audience.

6. SEO and marketing

To get a good response from your target audience, first, you will have to tell your target audience about your application. For the same, you can rely on Search Engine Optimization and marketing tools. Ensure that your application is displayed on the top whenever any customers search for relevant content on search engines. Similarly, connect to your audience via social media platforms like Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, etc.

7. After-deployment maintenance

Deploying the app is not all as you have to take care of your digital product just like you do with an offline business. Remove the bugs as identified, provide the new features, introduce the new updates, and keep your users interested in your application. The competitive rivalry might eat up your customer base if you don’t fulfill the latest tech trends and requirements of the users.

What Types of Android Apps Can You Make?

As per the nature of your business or your idea/vision, there are different types of Android apps that you can build. In this technologically evolving market, each type and segment of the app has a market of billions of users. As long as your application is delivering its worth to its target audience, you can perform well. Businesses and industries are going digital which is resulting in the emergence of different types of apps. Here are some of the major types of Android apps that you can make-

List of Top 10 Android Apps

Before planning to make the Android app, you should know the market inside out. There are some popular Android apps, that have a tremendous number of downloads, delivering the purpose to its target audience in an innovative way. Here is the list of the top 10 Android apps-

Benefits of Developing an Android App

You might be wondering why one should consider developing an Android app. Well, not one but there are several benefits that you will leverage with an Android app for your business. Let’s discuss some advantages of developing an Android app-

1. Lower cost and higher ROI

Android SDK i.e. a tool to build an Android app is easily available. Developers can use the material design from these software development kits to develop the apps. Undoubtedly, one has to pay the one-time registration fee for application distribution. However, they can use any computer device to test as well as build the digital product which leads to lower investment and increased user engagement. Providing the right services to your target audience brings good revenue to your pocket.

2. Faster deployment

Android apps have a fast deployment cycle which takes only a couple of hours to make the app available to the target audience. So, if you want to launch the digital platform of your business as soon as possible, it is one of the best options you can go for. Reduced Time to Market (TTM) is one of the core benefits of developing an Android app.

3. Capability to target multiple markets

Android apps are basically built on Java as a programming language. This programming language makes it easier to port the application to multiple operating systems. So, the businesses can target multiple platforms to further increase their ROI.

4. Versatility and Scalability

The flexibility and adaptability of the Operating system have increased since the inception of Android Studio. It can be integrated with the entire Android ecosystem such as smartphones, tablets, wearables, as well as Android Television. At the same time, it also makes your app compatible with trending technologies like IoT, AR, VR, etc. The versatility of the Android app platform allows Android development companies to build dynamic mobile applications to serve multiple purposes for the end-users.

5. Enhanced security

Android app development has several in-built security features that help protect the application from different types of viruses and malware attacks. So, when you plan to make an Android app, you don’t have to worry about its safety from the dangerous viruses that can harm the user’s data and experience.

6. Customization

You can make an Android app, entirely according to your preferences and the requirements of your business. From colors to themes, buttons to features, functionalities to API, everything can be instilled according to your choice. Android Operating system enables to create the app that can be easily integrated into multimedia tools and data management functions.

Top Platforms Used to Make Android Apps

Here are the top platforms that are preferred by Android Developers around the world to develop Android apps-

1. Android Studio

This is the official integrated development environment (IDE) for the purpose of Android app development. At the same time, this is considered the best choice for most Android developers. Android Studio was developed by Google which offers many features to build top-notch Android apps.

Key Highlights

• Android Studio allows you to leverage the drag-and-drop features to add UI elements and create an attractive User interface for your application.
• Android Studio provides a range of tools for testing, debugging, and optimization of your application.
• This platform can support multiple programming languages such as Java, C++, and Kotlin.
• Android Studio integration with Google Play Services allows to easily implement the features like maps, in-app payments, and ads.

2. Xamarin

Xamarin is a cross-platform, open-source app development platform that not only allows you to create applications for Android devices but also for iOS, and Windows using the same codebase. The platform is based on C# programming language that uses the .Net framework.

Key Highlights

• Native UI development support to create apps that feel specifically developed for Android
• Integration with Visual Studio, a popular IDE for .NET development.
• Wide range of frameworks and libraries to perform common tasks like database access, networking, and cloud integration.
• Support for iOS and Android app development.

3. PhoneGap

This is a cross-platform app development platform to create apps using JavaScript, CSS, and HTML. this platform is based on the Apache Cordova framework that uses web view to render apps. So, you can write your app using web technologies and then package it like a native app for Android as well as other platforms.

Key Highlights

• A wide range of plugin support as well as access to different features like GPS, Accelerometer, and camera.
• Wide range of tools for testing, building, and deployment of apps.
• Various platform support like Android, iOS, and Windows.
• Integration with Visual Studio and Eclipse.

4. Flutter

Flutter is an open-source app development framework which is developed by Google. Dart Programming language is used in this framework which makes it much easier to develop high-performing Android applications.

Key Highlights

• Hot reload feature helps to make changes and see the results in real time without manually rebuilding and deploying the app.
• Built-in widgets and tools help create beautiful and responsive user interfaces.
• The framework supports Android as well as iOS app development to help you reach a wider audience.
• Integration with Android Studio and Visual Studio Code.

5. Unity

This is basically a game development platform but can also be used to build non-gaming apps. This framework also uses C# programming language and a visual editor to create and edit the game scenes and objects.

Key Highlights

• Access to a range of tools to create 2D and 3D graphics, particle effects, and physical engines.
• Support Android, iOS, and Windows.
• Integration with Visual Studio and MonoDevelop.
• Large community support as well as online resources and tutorials.

Cost to Build an Android App

Without having a complete vision of the app, its features, functionalities, and all the technologies that will be incorporated into the app, it is not possible to have the exact figure of the cost. Various factors come into play to determine the cost of Android app development. You can get an Android app developed for as low as $10,000 to as much as $100,000. Let’s first know the factors that determine the cost of app development–

• App complexity
• App type
• Design Layout
• Location of developer
• Time consumed by developers
• Post-deployment support
• APIs and third-party integrations

To have a basic idea of the cost of Android app development, you can refer to the following table-

Conclusion

There are more than 3.6 billion Android users in the world which can be communicated with an efficient Android app. Thus, a mobile application is undoubtedly the best medium you can refer to connect to a huge audience base in no time. At the same time, developing an Android app has also become easier with support for different Android app development companies. So, we invite you to come up with your business idea and give it a digital shape.

FAQs

A) Can I Make My Own App for Android?

yes, you can make your own Android app. However, you will have to learn coding, testing, designing, and many other skills to develop an Android app on your own.

B) Can I Make an Android App for Free?

There are several app-maker platforms that you can use to create an Android app for free and publish it on the Google Play Store.

C) How Can I Make a Simple Android App?

One of the best methods to make a simple Android app is to connect with a reliable app development company and work on your project with them.

D) How Can I Create My Own App for Android?

The platforms like Android Studio, Xamarin, Flutter, etc. can you help you create your own app for Android.

E) How do I create an Android App from the Play Store?

You can deploy your application on the Google Play store by paying a fee of $25 and completing the registration.