A security guide for the Android App Development process

The Android is a Google-powered mobile operating system which is based on the Linux open-source tech. No doubt, that Android OS has changed the whole mobile world. The recent statistics reveal that the sale of Android devices is much higher than iOS and so is the demand for Android apps. As the consequence, the app market is flooded with app developers who have an expertise in building superb apps. 

No matter how huge the demand is, accomplishing the same process is not simple as it sounds. The best thing about Android App Development is that the SDK (Software Development Kit) is available for free and getting your app published on Google Play is also hassle-free. As there are a wide array of Android devices available in the market and distinct flavours of OS versions, the app security has become a major concern for the developers.

Given below are some security features which you can implement to ensure the safeness of your Android app. 

Be cautious what data app stores in the device: While developing an app you need to draw out some parameters like what data would be cached, logged as well as what else will be stored in the structured data. Common vulnerabilities include unsafe storage of user credentials and sometimes even passwords within the structured data or system cache. 

Always Use Encrypted Communication: When it comes to communicating with the backend application server its recommended to opt for the encrypted format. The use of certificate pinning is a very good example of enhanced security and is considered as the best practices while developing an app. 

Don't trust any user input in a web app- As with the Apps, all user input should be treated as un-trusted and same should be done with Android apps as well. Various issues involving Cross-side scripting (XSS), SQL, JSON/XML and OS Command Injections, need to be handled by both the client and backend app server. It will be good if you avoid using classes with known faults in the code. 
Avoid storing any sensitive data: Make sure avoid storing any sort of sensitive information on your Android devices, especially during the run time. Doing this will surely discourage the hackers and prevent them from tampering your app. The idea behind this is the data processing, which can be deleted as soon as the requirement ends. 

Go through Perplexity: It is essential that your app must face an obfuscation process. This should be done to encrypt the key which has been used for the encryption. A good approach would be to avoid downloading the key from the server, especially during the run time. 

Avoid Unnecessary Permissions: Asking for excessive permissions should always be avoided in the Android apps. Only ask for the urgent ones. It should be strict “No” to use permissions that try to give access to personal information. 

Summing Up

This is a discussion on the potential security tips for Android development. Remember that it's essential to merge an effective and efficient app development life cycle which contains multiple app protection layers. It will be good if you draw a strict security checklist. This can help you pre-identify vulnerabilities present within your Android app.

Some challenges faced while developing enterprise applications

The rising popularity of mobile apps has motivated several companies to come up with enterprise apps which can be deployed to accomplish in-house tasks. These apps are developed with the motive of solving complex problems faced by the company. Usually, these apps are quite large and complex so there are great chances that you might face some challenges during the development phase. 
It will be good if you take help of skilled Mobile App Developers who possess great knowledge and right tools that help in developing a feature-rich enterprise application. In this article, you would be reading about some common challenges which are faced during the enterprise app development process. 

Challenge 1: Fragmentation of Devices and Mobile Operating Systems

At present, there's a significant amount of fragmentation among mobile devices and operating systems that are currently available in the marketplace. So the first challenge you would be facing is choosing the between the mobile platforms i.e. iOS, Android, Windows and Blackberry. It will be good if you ask your client about his preference and then move further. As a developer, it's your duty to develop an app with configurations and capabilities that allow it to run on different devices. 

Challenge 2: Development Technology

The mobile app development is mainly segregated in two types: 

1) Native app development- These apps are compatible with only one platform such as iOS, Android, Windows or Blackberry. The native apps are usually developed to offer a better usage experience and superior app performance. 

2) Hybrid app development- These are made using the HTML5 coding and can be installed on any smartphone or tablet but they run via a web browser. Hybrid apps take less time to develop and function over multiple devices but they do lag in performance.Always keep your client's needs in mind and provide him with the best app. 

Challenge 3: User interactivity and experience

No matter how much money you spend on your app, if the UI or UE is not good, the app won't be able to survive in the marketplace. Always keep the app interactions as simple as possible so that even a non-technical person can also use it. Another challenge for the developer is the variability of the screen-sizes and to eliminate this you should create a responsive app which can adapt to different display resolutions. 

Challenge 4: Content management and security

The need of unique mobile app content is increasing at the very rapid pace. Apart from text, there's also demand for high quality images, videos and animation which can be merged with the overall content. Nowadays, there are several mobile app management solutions present in the market and it will be good if you experiment with a few. Besides, another major concern of app developers is the security of such content and overall app. The app makers are working really hard to keep their app safe and secure. 

Summing Up

In this article, you will come across four common challenges which are usually faced by the developers while building enterprise mobile application