They are easily downloaded from ‘stores’, but how do developers get there? A long process that includes the idea, development, and publication, each one with its complexity. Turn on the cell phone, enter the store, browse, download, and use. That’s how easy the world of front-end applications is. But to get there, entrepreneurs and developers have to go a long way before getting involved with custom Android app development.
The process of creating an app requires certain necessary parameters for each operating system, both in graphics, functionalities, and mandatory data such as performance. However, all the efforts are worth it in order to receive a small slice of this millionaire market.
There are different ways to develop an application. It is possible to hire specialized designers and programmers in the area or use a series of online services that, through a monthly payment, provide the tools and platforms to develop them. But, once it is ready, there is still a long way to go.
The key point is when you want to make the application accessible in one of the two most important online stores in the world: Google Play for Android devices and the App Store for those with the iOS operating system. Each one has its mechanisms for publication. The mechanism in question relates to the ecosystem that houses each OS. In this article, we discuss the Android ecosystem as the most used OS in the world to date.
Android is the most open mobile OS. Manufacturers and developers can indeed adapt its open-source code, based on a Linux kernel, to all types of devices, enrich it with specific layers and specific security modules, develop applications, etc. This openness is not unrelated to the overwhelming success of Google’s operating system on the market. But it is also because of its open source openness, and therefore the multitude of stakeholders who contribute to its development, that Android is more vulnerable than a proprietary system.
Android versions come and go but they all live in the same ecosystem. Understanding the ecosystem is important for every Android application developer to determine the direction of how their application should be made so that it is right on target.
Fundamentally the Android ecosystem is all about the interdependence between various important factors such as the application developers themselves, the equipment running the applications, and the demands (or needs) of the users. These factors are inseparable from one another and determine how an Android application should be developed.
Google as an operating system provider is a party that has a platform for development. It collects resources related to data from various services it provides, especially Google Play. Google Play is a platform that allows applications to be downloaded, given a review and of course, displayed along with a description of their importance. Android applications cannot run on their own without a “container.” The enclosure is hardware compatible. For example smartphones, smart watches, even TVs and speakers. The more compatible hardware, the more opportunities to develop applications. More opportunities mean more ideas that can be developed. In other words, the Android app market is unlikely to die any time soon. Today, there are many new devices supported by the Android system, for example, blood pressure and heart rate monitors.
By understanding the Android ecosystem as a whole, an application developer can understand whether his product will be needed by the market or just passed and forgotten. Not understanding the ecosystem means developing without direction and for a large enough budget, it is an act full of risks.
