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Journal - App Development

Top 8 Android Programming Languages for App Development

Written By Aisha Ahmed – Last Modified On July 3, 2024

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Android apps are a crucial element of our day-to-day life. Most service-based businesses are leaning on approaching their potential customers through android applications and that is because the number of people using android apps nowadays has doubled in the last three years. 

Another reason is that these applications also keep track of everything; Your email list, the newsletters you are subscribed to, the music you are listening to, and even the e-commerce stores you are purchasing from. This helps the right brands reach out to you through ads. But that’s the topic for another day. 

In this article, we will take you through the 8 best programming languages for app development.

What Is an Android Programming Language?

An android programming language is a language programmers use to develop software and applications for computers to perform.

Programming languages are a method for interfacing or speaking with your framework or device. PCs, as we probably are aware, just comprehend binary language at the machine level, i.e.0s, and 1s. 

To switch our guidelines over completely to a machine-reasonable language, we want a programming language. In this way, programming language assumes a critical part in communicating and performing wanted activities on a device or framework.

At the point when you consider associating with android gadgets, we want android applications. For fostering those android applications, we need to have knowledge of a programming language. The Android working framework is principally written in Java, and its low-level libraries are essentially written in C++.

How Long Does It Take to Learn Android App Programming?

Learning Android application programming is definitely not an easy task. it requires an investment of your time.

Obviously, the timetable for chasing after the expertise would differ depending on the foundation you have a place. By foundation we mean, whether you are just starting out or as of now have some substantial information about app development. 

Deciding the right and the appropriately scaled timetable for the specific is an unclear thing. Since it changes from one person to another relying upon their devotion, assurance, capacity to get a handle on their abilities, etc.

Thus, every individual has their own speed to learn and upgrade themselves. Be that as it may, we can provide a rough estimate of how long it takes to learn android app programming, which is crucial for learning android application development. However, bear in mind that This is totally founded on our experience and exploration.

In this way, a fledgling who has exceptionally sharp or no information on web development should begin with Java to move to android application programming. Chasing after the abilities of center Java which prompts android advancement would require 3-4 months. Becoming an expert is supposed to require 1 to 1.5 years.

Hence, if you are a fledgling, it is assessed to take you something like two years to have a decent comprehension and to begin with android programming projects.

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Top 8 Programming Languages for Building Android Apps

1- Java

Java is known as the preferred language when it comes to android application development. Nowadays Java is being supplanted by a more brief and secure language known as Kotlin. Java is a huge language, and a large portion of the applications distributed on the Google Play Store are based on Java.

Java as a wide language includes numerous ideas, similar to work superseding, constructors, holders, classes, objects, strings, exemptions, invalid pointers, and the list goes on. In the event that you are a fledgling and searching for something simple, to begin with, Java may not be the most ideal decision.

Even Java is by all accounts muddled, yet it’s an extraordinary language to learn and apply. Getting skilled in Java would likewise assist you with understanding ideas like Object Oriented Programming and give you the high ground in building servlets with JSP(Java Service Provider).

2- Kotlin

Kotlin is one of the most evolving and well-known dialects for creating android applications. An open-source programming language permits you to compose compact codes with greater security. It has as of late acquired a great deal of consideration on the lookout, and fledglings in android found this language moderately simple to learn and execute.

You may have already heard the name Zomato, the notable food conveyance application. Zomato engineers use Kotlin to code their applications. Zomato has altogether decreased the length of code for their application with the assistance of Kotlin.

Kotlin has a lot simpler grammar and requires fewer lines of code contrasted with Java. The all-new Kotlin was proclaimed as an authority android application improvement language by Google in the year 2019. Kotlin can run on Java Virtual Machine and goes about as a substitute for Java in android improvement.

3- Dart

Dart is perhaps the latest language that Google produced with the end goal of Android Application development. The steady rendition of Dart was delivered in 2021 and is at present getting a lot of popularity. Dart is typically utilized for creating applications for clients. Its grammar is like a C-style language structure and supports object-arranged programming.

Dart sentence structure is generally simply contrasted with different programming languages and is utilized to foster some effective UI parts. It turned out to be more famous because of the Flutter Framework.

Flutter, alongside dart, is notable for creating multi-stage applications. This means you can create applications for stages like Android, IOS, or even desktop applications. At present, the user community for dart is extending and gradually will arise in the market as one of the most amazing programming languages for android advancement.

4- C#

C# is additionally one of the most usually utilized programming languages for developing android applications. The sentence structure is similar to Java, and furthermore, C# gives trash collection like Java. 

The difference is that in C#, there is less likelihood of memory spills because of a noticeable garbage collection tool.

C# couldn’t fundamentally make a steady situation in the android development because of the absence of stage support. 

In the good old days, C# was just strong in .NET structure frameworks like Windows. With the launch of Xamarin and Unity, this issue is additionally tackled. Xamarin and Unity give an android SDK that assists in coding android applications with the assistance of C3.

 Xamarin with C# is utilized for creating cross-stage applications. Simultaneously, Unity is very notable for creating cross-stage games.

5- C++

C++ utilizes the Android Native Development Kit(NDK) for creating android applications. For building an application, you require both C++ and NDK. The sentence structure turns out to be very mind-boggling, and a portion of the things require broad information on C++ center libraries. Along these lines, we would recommend Java or Kotlin over C++

6- Python

Python is one more approach to making phenomenal android applications. Utilizing python, you can’t provide foreign elements. In Python, you have a library named “Kivy” that assists you with building android applications quicker. Python, nonetheless, is a strong language but we would still advise you not to involve it in Android Development since it’s not so reasonably contrasted with different alternatives.

7- Lua

Lua isn’t so famous nowadays yet a decent option for creating android applications. It is utilized mostly with the Corona SDK that gives highlights to foster local android applications. It concocts Corona Simulator and Corona Native.

Corona SDK is not difficult to advance yet is basically used to develop graphical applications and games. Be that as it may, you can utilize it to foster your local applications as well.

8- JavaScript

JavaScript is intimately acquainted with most web engineers. It is famously utilized for web development, and large numbers of engineers know about this client-based coding language. JavaScript has a few systems, for example, React, Vue, and Angular. You can utilize these structures even to foster android applications.

Two excellent examples of these are React Native and Ionic, which uses Javascript and HTML, and CSS and furnish you with the element to assemble applications for cross stages. If you are a web engineer hoping to jump into android app development, the best way is to take either React Native or Ionic as your development structure.

Developing Mobile Apps for the Web Platform

Mobile application development is the most common way of making applications that run on a smartphone, and a regular mobile application uses a connection to work with remote figuring assets. Subsequently, the mobile advancement process includes making installable software packages, carrying out backend administrations, for example, accessing data through an API, and testing the product on model devices. 

There are two options in the advanced cell phone market. One is the iOS platform used by Apple Inc. IOS is the working foundation that controls Apple’s popular line of iPhone cell phones. 

The other option is Android from Google. The Android working structure is commonly used by Google devices as well as by numerous other OEMs to construct their own smartphones and other advanced devices.

Although there are a few similarities between iOS and Android platforms, creating for iOS as opposed to producing for Android incorporates the use of different programming improvement units (SDKs) and different improvement toolchains. While Apple utilizes the iOS platform for its own gadgets only, Android is accessible to different organizations through Google given they meet explicit prerequisites, for example, memorizing specific Google applications for the devices they conduct. Engineers can assemble applications for a huge number of gadgets by making use of both Android and iOS.

There are four significant android app development approaches while building mobile apps. 

  • Local Mobile Applications
  • Cross-Platform Native Mobile Applications
  • Hybrid Mobile Applications
  • Progressive Web Applications

Each approach has its own fair share of pros and cons. While picking the right development method for their undertakings, developers prioritize classic client experience, the figuring assets and the special elements expected by the application, and the budget, time span, and assets needed to develop the application. 

Challenges in Android App Development

Creating a user-friendly and error-free app is a challenging task. And if you are developing an app that lacks the ability to change with time, you might have a harder time than others. Here are the 3 most common challenges in Android App Development.

1- Software Fragmentation

While downloading the latest variant of an application, you might see an Android version incompatibility error. This is where the issue of programming discontinuity becomes possibly the most important factor. It is a hurdle faced by Android application engineers during the improvement stage.

Consistently, Google refreshes and dispatches different Android applications with different new highlights and upgrades. Be that as it may, these ongoing variants of Android are still behind regarding acknowledgment and are not viable with all Android gadgets. Android 6.0 Marshmallow, for instance, has a bigger portion of the overall industry than Android 7.0 Nougat and Android 8.0 Oreo right now.

Subsequently, while building android applications, developers should consider Android portable applications that work with all variants of the Android working framework. They habitually find it challenging to make the application exploit the capacities presented by both the most current and past renditions of the Android framework.

2- User Interface Design Rules 

The application’s User Interface (UI) is fundamental for further developing user consistency. On a single page, it upgrades the application’s appearance and usefulness. Nonetheless, when you employ the best android application developers, you get the most. A decent UI not only speaks for your brand but also has a good influence on the clients

Notwithstanding, the advantage of OS customization forces experts to consider whether to stay with the standard of custom UI.

If the specialists select a redid UI, they will not have the option to get too many capabilities. They should stick to explicit models. Just an application with a very planned UI will be viable with various gadgets. Also, consequently, choosing the best application developers requires broad examination.

3- Security Issues

An application should be planned in such a way that it provides the client with a feeling of safety. As recently said, Android is an open-source working framework, simplifying it for makers to alter it to their singular requirements.

Be that as it may, due to its transparency and enormous share in the market, Android is an ordinary objective for hackers. In spite of its safety efforts, there stays a threat of malware entering programs and diverting clients to different URLs without the developers’ consent. Therefore, designers should bend over backward to make a protected application. This, nonetheless, is the most difficult aspect.

Android is especially helpless against designated security dangers due to its huge worldwide accessibility. Google discharges security fixes and redesigns consistently to address security defects in the essential Android working framework. However, adjustments carried out by device manufacturers’ to stock Android have brought about an excessive number of safety issues.

4- Application Visibility

The Google Play Store has a huge number of mobile applications to browse. The most recent information from Statista shows that over 3.29 million applications were available on the Google Play Store in the main quarter of 2022, with most of them being free to download. 

The number of android applications available to the user by means of the Google Play Store expanded consistently between the start of 2019 and the finish of 2021, cresting at 4.67 million in the final quarter of 2021.

In the application store, another application with progressive elements is presented consistently. You will not have the option to fulfill your client’s needs until you plan an application with a perfect composition.

Because of this inclination, engineers are often pressured to make an application that stands apart from the group and stands out for the common people. They might connect with clients and forcefully push the application in the market by utilizing unmistakable application symbols and visuals, high-goal photographs, and web-based entertainment adverts.

5- Patent and Copyright Issues

The other significant issue that Android application designers face is this. At the point when an app developer presents another Android application to the Play Store, Google, in contrast to Apple, doesn’t force severe quality control rules. Designers face a few patent-related difficulties because of the absence of value assessment models.

Thus designers should adjust and reconstruct their applications in the future to keep away from patent issues. In any case, the Google Play Store has a major number of applications that are clones of other android applications concerning ideas and usefulness.

Since they know nothing about specific patent guidelines, designers habitually add explicit elements and capabilities to their Android applications. There have been a few situations where Android application designers have been sued for encroachment of a patent or an intellectual property regulation.

In this way, every Android application developer should practice wariness and consideration to follow current patent limitations.

Be that as it may, when you employ the best Mobile application development team, you will not need to stress over any of these issues. Professional designers can undoubtedly deal with every one of your concerns because of their insight and authority.

Top iOS Programming Languages

Every year a lot of applications are being distributed on the iOS platform upheld by Apple’s App Store yet the method for making it out isn’t as basic. They have specific agendas, a determination of dialects, and a bunch of rules which must be followed by each engineer. Here are the top 6 programming languages for iOS. 

  1. Swift
  2. C#
  3. Objective- C
  4. Flutter
  5. React Native
  6. HTML 5 

Native Android Apps vs Cross-Platform Apps

Native App

  • Timely updates and stable maintenance 
  • Exceptional application security
  • Provides the best use of hardware functions 
  • Customized UI/UX 

Cross Platform

  • Speedy development process
  • Value for money
  • Consistent UI/UX
  • The extensive market potential for prototyping

Is It Best to Specialize in One Android App Language or to Diversify?

An app developer’s ideal profundity of information is “T-shaped”, implying that one should know a tad about a ton of things, yet a ton about one or two things.

All engineers should know a little about every language, except areas of profound specific information that can make you more significant for specific positions than that large number of different designers who know a tad about everything. Also, the way that you are a specialist in something will look great to a business, regardless of whether that business isn’t keen on that specific something.

Do you want to create your own app? – Feel free to contact Hapy!

Hapy has a one-stop solution for creating the application of your dreams. Our team of experts makes sure that each one of your requirements is fulfilled. Contact us today and let’s get working.

Bottom Line

Learning a programming language can be pretty overwhelming, however, if you already know what type of language you fit the best in, the process can get a little easier. Once you have done scratching the basics, everything starts making a lot more sense and you will most probably start enjoying the process. 

FAQs

What Programming Language Does Android Use?

Java is the default language used for android applications.

What Is the Best Android Programming Language?

Kotlin is the best programming language used by top development companiesÂ