If
you are part of the iOS development and wish to design an Android
app, then get ready to enter the Wild West. In Android development,
things are fragmented, dangerous and complex. Well, creating an
Android app is not that tough. The majority of your domain knowledge
and skills can be easily applied to the new platform without any
hassle. There are also chances that you might enjoy building Android
apps more than iOS apps.
If
you are planning to switch from iOS to Android, here's the list of
some exclusive iOS components that are laid out in Android.
Android
Development: More Similar to iOS Than You Think
If
you are good with Objective-C, Swift and worry about learning all new
code starting from the square one, relax there is nothing like that
in Android development. Well, Android is written in Java and OOP
(object oriented programming) which is just like the Objective-C and
Swift. After working with codes like OOP in the iPhone development
you have already wrapped your mind across the concepts such as
objects, encapsulation, polymorphism, and inheritance.
Every
iOS app developer is fully aware of the self,
subclasses/superclasses, overriding methods and delegates of the iOS
architecture. In case you still face any issue then you can take help
of the online articles, tutorials etc.
Xcode
vs. Android Studio
Xcode:
This is the IDE which every app developer love and hate in equal
measure. While Xcode has made lots of improvements in the past couple
of years. You will find some features that you wish you had in the
Xcode. The speed and performance offered by Android Studio are way
better than the Xcode.
Android
Studio: The best thing about this Android application developmentsoftware is that it helps in reducing boilerplate code for subclasses
with pre-population of overriding methods, Import statements, new
method generation, and is smarter with offering fixes for compiler
errors. Otherwise, for the most part, Xcode and Android Studio will
provide the same amount of support in developing your app.
Dealing
with Different Screen Sizes
From
past several years, iOS developers are designing apps for only one
screen size i.e. 320x480px. But on the Android, the developers have
to come up with adaptive app designs as the mobile devices have
different screen sizes. When the iPhone 5 was launched, iOS app
makers were still stuck on the small screens while Android had been
iterating and improving their app making tools so that can not only
develop for multiple screens but also for the multiple screen
densities.
This
brings us to the modern day where Apple devices have large screens
and are now in the same boat as Android. But Apple still doesn't have
the right tools to develop adaptive apps whereas Android is ruling
the roost.
Addressing
Android SDK Fragmentation and API Support
One
of the biggest fears is Android fragmentation. It will be good you
should discuss and analyse how low you wish to set your minimum SDK
(Software Development Kit). While the same question is posed to iOS
developers as well. Android OS versions go back in a long way and the
older versions are still in use. So if you wish to reach as many as
users you can, it will be good if you come up with an app which
functions on the old SDKs as well.