Getting to Know the Platforms: Google Android
When it comes to creating your own app, it’s essential for you to have a good background on where you want it to be available. Ideally, it’s best to have it on all platforms.
In this blog post, we will briefly talk about everything you need to know about the Google Android app platform.
Google’s Android platform was released a little while after the iPhone. So it has been seen as catching up. However, they are fairly equal these days when it comes to features.
Advantages
- Open – the source code for the platform is Open so any developer can view it. This means there are many versions of Android out in the wild all slightly different.
- Free development tools and documentation – The tools to create Android apps are freely available and can be used without cost to the developer.
- Apps can be sideloaded – this means they can be installed without using the play store. In a Corporate environment this could be very important as you don’t want your app on the ITunes store when it’s for your own purposes.
- Uses popular Java language – This means that a developer with existing experience in Java can write applications on the android without having to learn a new language.
Disadvantages
- Different Devices – Unlike the iPhone there are many different Android devices out there all different. This can cause issues because the software might not work as expected on a different device. Usually this is not a problem but an app with specific requirements might have issues running on cheaper devices.
- Less Regulated – the Play store has been known to have apps that are Rubbish. Unlike the iTunes store the apps are less regulated.