Vishal BhatiaIntroduction
Today, the use of smartphones is more prevalent as mobile app development has become a profitable venture. The most important question you should ask yourself if you want to venture into mobile app development is what platform should you target and why. Different operating systems and technologies are used to power smartphones, so this question is very valid.
A big web and mobile app development company has no problem making use of multiple platforms, but when it comes to a small app development company, a decision has to be made as resources are not available to work on various platforms. Even though different technologies are available in the market, the most popular platforms (Android and iOS) are dominant in the market and powering these smartphones.
Due to the dominance of these two platforms, mobile app developers are always confused about which of these platforms to choose. Google drives the Android platform, while Apple engineers iOS. Both of them vary in different ways like costs, limitations, features, and more. Android app development is, however, taking the lead according to market share statistics – as a Net Marketshare report stated that in 2017, Android dominated over 50% of the global market share.
This market share means that the Android platform will offer an extensive customer base for your mobile app. In this article, we’ll discuss the top 5 reasons why the Android platform is the best platform for a mobile app development company. Although the stats speak for themselves, these reasons will prove that switching to Android development is the right choice. Let’s get right to it.
Worldwide Reach (Open Source)
Compared to iOS, Android dominates the mobile market – as it’s available everywhere regardless of location. The fact that Android is open source is another reason Android overtakes other platforms. Because of its open-source nature, mobile phone manufacturers from all over the world can easily access this platform.
An added advantage of Android is the fact that the code is free and not discriminating to any phone manufacturer. It’s been reported that over 70% of smartphones produced in the world run on Android OS – this makes switching to Android the best decision for any Android app development company. Android app developers will find the Android market very lucrative.
Active Marketing
Unlike Apple, which is a closed ecosystem; which means external factors affect the presence of your app on the app store. This isn’t the case with the Android platform. An Android app development company can submit applications on third-party app stores like F-Droid, Amazon App Store, Mobogenie, and others to improve the presence of their app in the App store.
Android allows you to also improve the popularity of your app in the market by providing an option for you to work on your app’s search engine position to drive better results. This means that you can also invest in referral marketing, social media marketing, and web page optimization.
Customization
Android has always been the leader over other platforms in terms of customization options. There are different options that Android offers developers to build a customizable, engaging, and unique mobile app. The Android platform allows a web and mobile development company to choose different devices from the devices it runs on so they can develop advanced designs for these specific devices only.
Android developers can also initiate launcher apps which is not possible for iOS. There are different alternatives to choose from for each app for Android – this is also not possible on iOS. This means that Android users can make apps they downloaded on the app store as default.
Developer Friendly Tools
Any web and mobile development company will enjoy working on the Android platform because of the tools and technologies available. Any mobile app developer can work on the Android platform regardless of their technical proficiency. The Android Software Development Kit (SDK) can be downloaded with Eclipse, the official Integrated Development Environment of Android, at any time.
The tools that come with the Android platform are free, which makes it easy and cost saving for an Android app development company to build a mobile app. Android developers make use of Java for programming as it’s widely known and accepted because of its user-friendliness. With Android, you can make use of different software development frameworks to address any issues at any time. Android also provides support for Linux hardware and associated tools which are advantageous.
Easy App Approval (Low Access Barrier)
When it comes to app approval, Google Play store is very efficient and prompt when responding as all apps go there. A mobile app development company can get their app approved for the Android app development marketplace within a few days. Google Play Store allows app developers to keep their apps on the store by paying a one-time fee rather than paying all through the year. Unlike the Apple store, Google has a lower access barrier and app submission guidelines.
Automatic updates of all Android apps are facilitated by the Google Play store. These Android apps can also be downloaded from other sources apart from the Android market – to provide more visibility for your apps. Switching to Android app development can help the success of your business as Google plans to develop different hi-tech devices with embedded Android OS.
To Wrap It Up
Mobile app developers opt for the Android platform because of the numerous advantages it presents. The global reach, customization options, lower entry barriers, open source nature, and other features of the Android platform are a few reasons why app developers opt for the Android platform when choosing a platform for mobile app development.
The prevalence of smartphones with Android OS also plays a huge role in decision making. Android developers will get a high return on investment as it’s a cost-effective option and they can experiment with different technologies unlike with Apple iOS which has rigid hardware requirements.
