Android is an open source mobile operating system, bought by Google in 2005. It is the worlds most popular mobile operating system, with a total market share of approximately 88%.
Since 2011, Androids has been the world’s best-selling OS with over two billion monthly active users.
Typically, the operating system is written in Java, C and C++
Android apps are typically uploaded onto the Google Play Store, to allow users to download, install and update their applications. With access to the open-source nature of the Android system, third party market places also exist to allow for applications not allowed on Google Play Store due to policy violations or other reasons.
Google announces major upgrades to Android on a yearly basis which has a major impact on android mobile application development.
WHEN considering android mobile development businesses must consider:
- Choosing the target platform – iOS / Android or both.
- Decide if it’s better to go native or cross-platform.
- Decide if the app should be developed on-shore or off-shore. Note that on-shore development companies may still outsource their development off-shore.
- Decide to release a cut-down version first (MVP) or with the full set of features.