The Impact of Android Apps on the Market
There are close to 3 million Android apps available on Google Play, 96% of which are free apps. Of the apps out on the market, Google Play now holds the largest share of the mobile app market, followed by Apple’s App Store. Because of the breadth of the market for Android apps, its versatility, and the accessibility of working in the popular Java language, developers and businesses are increasingly gravitating towards Android app development.
The increasing demand to develop the next best Android apps in the market has also impacted the development cycle and Android development cost. Around 48% of mobile apps take an estimated 4 to 6 months to develop, while Android app development costs now average around 23,000 USD.
To truly understand how much Android app development costs, consider the time it takes to develop the app and, if applicable, the hourly rate of the developer. This is further impacted by the skills and experience of the developer hired to do the job.
Android App Development Trends
With the continued increase in demand for quality applications, developers are now looking towards incorporating new technologies and optimizing current devices to meet such market needs.
1. Expansion of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML)
Artificial Intelligence enables machines to mimic human thought processes to execute tasks and solve problems. Machine Learning enables machines to collect, collate, process, and learn from data and provide information to users for better decision-making and learning experiences. Both AI and Machine Learning technologies have expanded from research and intellectual application and have been adopted by numerous industries.
The trend going forward is the expansion of AI and Machine Learning integration into more day-to-day tools, such as phones, wearable technology, digital assistants, games, and home technology. Android app developers can expect to eventually integrate more AI and Machine Learning technologies and methodologies in their apps, such as:
- Face recognition apps for both games and security augmentation.
- Landmark recognition and image labeling for better navigation and location information.
- Text and Natural Language Processing for communication enhancements.
- Developer-side AI technology that enhances the software development process.
2. Wearable Technology
Wearable technology is the integration of innovative technology into wearable devices. This category has endless application potential for numerous industries. Wearable technologies have the potential to transform our day-to-day lives. With tools such as smart rings, smart watches, AI-powered hearing aids and translators, Google Glass, and VR glasses, our ability to collect, share, and process data has evolved and has become more personal. Technology is no longer just a tool we use to execute a task; it has become a major driver of our daily decision-making.
Wearables will be incorporated into more diverse industries and markets. Wearable technology will be better incorporated in health and medical fields, from tracking heart rate and calories burnt to actual hospital, medical and welfare aids. Wearables will able to be more in sync with other tech-enabled devices and gadgets, and be enhanced with other modern tools, and developers will no doubt be asked to create apps for them.
3. Effective and Optimized Android Apps
Application performance, quality, and sustainability are major factors in today’s consumer market. Apps that are high-performing, high-quality, and usable long-term are in high demand. To adapt to this increasing demand, Android app development has incorporated Android Jetpack to build the best Android apps for its users.
With Android Jetpack, android development tools can integrate libraries and structures that optimize the performance of Android apps and address issues such as app management and software backward compatibility. Android Jetpack libraries are unbundled and can be used and integrated anytime, either to build apps from scratch or update and enhance existing features and tools.
Aside from the optimizing libraries and tools, Android app development teams can build and assure the quality of high-performing apps with Jetpack because of its testability and Kotlin Integration.
4. The Internet of Things
Internet of Things refers to the interconnection of devices, machines, tools, and other devices capable of connecting a network or the Internet. These interconnected devices and machines can be utilized to provide users and technology owners with a seamless and synchronous digital experience. With the advent of smart home technologies and digital assistants like Siri, Cortana, and Alexa, the Internet of Things is even more ubiquitous.
Convenience is what the Internet of Things brings to consumers. Having devices in sync enables consumers to proceed throughout the day seamlessly from one task to another without having to configure or adjust devices as you go.
Imagine this: your alarm clock wakes you at 5:00 am, signals to the coffee maker to start brewing coffee, and then turns on the TV to the early morning news on your favorite news channel. You shower, dress, and then come to the kitchen where your coffee and morning news are already waiting for you. Skilled Android developers can make this possible.
5. Cloud-based Android Apps
With tools leaning more towards cloud-based services and tools, applications—both mobile and web—are also migrating to a more cloud-based environment. Why are apps moving towards cloud-based technology and the environment? In part, to take advantage of these benefits:
- Lower Android app development costs.
- Reduced development turnaround time.
- Interoperability of cloud-based android tools.
- Seamless library and functionality integration.
- Scalability of cloud-based projects and tools.
Because of this influx of tool migration and the increasing demand for cloud-based tools and apps, Android app development teams have now incorporated more cloud-based technology and have started adopting a cloud-based environment in building and enhancing their tools.
Since developing the next best Android apps is the new fad, being able to acquire the necessary Java skills or find an app developer capable enough to meet your needs is essential. These Android app development trends show us the direction of Android apps going forward and can be used as a basis to find the most effective app developer for your team, and/or the Java Android development tools that best fit your project.
And just like these Android app development trends, let your project and tools evolve and be more holistic. User-centric, ubiquitous, and intuitive is the way forward with technology.
Grow and evolve your Android apps!
Anastasia Stefanuk is a passionate writer and Information Technology enthusiast sharing her experience online to help tech startups and companies to be up-to-date. She works as a Content Manager at Mobilunity, a provider of dedicated development teams around the globe.
