Are you hardcore tech-savvy and looking for ways to escalate your expertise in mobile app development for iOS and Android edition 3.0? Or are you planning to be a rising mobile app developer and need guidelines on starting your work in the lucrative field of mobile app development from scratch?
Look no further, as you’ve just hit the right article, as we’ve curated an extensive guide to help you acquire everything you need to know while developing an app! From planning the raw drafts of your app to uploading it to the Google play store or App Store, we’ve got it all for you!
While every other person in today’s world has a mobile phone (of course, an Android or iPhone) in hand, as a tech-aficionado or novice mobile app builder, you need to ensure developing the best apps to engage more and more users.
And to build the best app, you first need to know how mobile app development evolves! So without any further delay, let’s dive into today’s topic and keep reading till the end to unlock all those Android and iOS app development hacks!
What are the different types of Android and iOS mobile apps you can develop?
You can develop all Android and iOS mobile application types, starting from full live streaming apps like Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, UI-UX, and front-end and back-end-supported apps.
Apart from it, we can classify the types of Android apps into three prime categories:-
Native app
They are designed specifically for only one operating system and platform. For example, an app you developed for Android Edition 3.0 will only run properly on that platform; it won’t run on iOS.
Web-based app
While these apps require navigation from browsers, they are the type of apps that can run on any Android and iOS platform. In simpler words, these are the apps built after a website conversion.
Hybrid apps
They are the kind of apps that you build using a mixture of concepts from Native apps and web apps. However, the responsiveness of the app is similar to web-based apps.
Before we dig deeper into mobile app development, isn’t it a good practice to review the preliminaries and basics of Android Edition 3.0? That makes your query’s relevancy more vivid, right? So let’s head off to our following section.
What is Android Edition 3.0?
Android Edition 3.0 is a version of Android which is an operating system popularly known as the Honeycomb, developed only for large-screen devices, such as tablets. However, the latest release of Android is version 12.0.0_r47, and Google no longer encourages serving the older Edition.
The reason is the Android Edition 3.0’s interface settles aptly only for larger screen-oriented devices. The operating system doesn’t fit the bill for the rest of the platforms. Released on 22 February 2011, Edition 3.0 was famous for its content-focused orientation, holographic, and virtual UI design. It is an updated version of the previous one, the Android 2.3 Gingerbread. Later it got updated to Android 3.1 Honeycomb.
How is Android Edition different from iOS?
The fundamental difference between iOS and Android is iOS has a physical in-built home button, while Androids only work with multiple clicks and navigation of icons. Androids are generally more customizable in terms of features than iOS. Also, removing any icon from your iOS means you’re permanently deleting the app, while in Android, deleting the app icon doesn’t necessarily mean that you’re uninstalling the app unless you manually hit the uninstall button.
Let’s dive into the following data table to have a detailed discussion about their differences:-
| Characteristics of iOS | Characteristics of Android |
| iOS provide software-based security protocols, and each update focuses more on increasing security. | It provides both hardware and software-based security. |
| It has a series of processors, making it faster and more efficient, but it only offers a few specification options. | It has many specifications in the market, so users can get more options according to their budget and desired model. |
| iOS uses Swift for its mobile app development. | Android primarily uses Kotlin or Java. |
| iOS apps are proprietary software, and only a few parts of them are open source. | Android is an open-source platform; hence back-end codes can be easily obtained and modified. |
| Siri serves as the virtual assistant, but iOS doesn’t provide users complete control of the device during bootloaders. | For Android, it is Google Assistant and apps built for Android provide complete control to users. |
What are the new things in Android Edition 3.0?
Improved text selection, enhanced copy and paste feature, multitasking, customized home screens, updated notification system, 3D interactions, and redesigned keyboards are some notable new updates in Android Edition 3.0.
From updated widgets to powerful graphics, Android 3.0 has it all, and hence applications developed for Android 3.0 engage consumers in multiple new ways, such as enhanced media handlers, extended UI object sets, new navigation commands, and customizations. To know more of its features, take a glimpse at the followings:
- New connectivity options
- Drag and drop feature
- New UI framework for developing tablet-oriented apps
- Global status System bar
- Improved Multitasking
- Powerful Set of Built-in Default apps
- Enriched 2D and 3D graphics
- Enhanced control and flexibility on the device’s content
- Updated multimedia
- Pluggable DRM framework
- Compatible with previous versions of applications
- Improved animation framework
- Wider home screen widgets
- Digital Media File Transmission
- Private Browsing (Incognito Mode)
What is the difference from previous Editions?
The main difference between Android edition 3.0 and the previous version 2.3 is the older version doesn’t optimize large screen-oriented devices like tablets. The Honeycomb edition 3.0 is also the first version that facilitates multitasking in a multi-core environment.
Apart from it, some other notable updates of Android Edition 3.0 from the previous versions are:
- Offers five scrollable and customizable home screens
- Auto form fill
- Bookmark syncing
- Create your customized widgets
- Private browsing
- Tablet-optimized YouTube, Google Maps, and ebooks.
- Google Maps with 3D effects
- New wallpapers
Where to get the updated Android Edition 3.0?
Open your device’s settings, navigate through the security tab, and finally, click on Check For Updates to get the latest Android version compatible with your device’s specifications. However, you may need to be connected to a stable wifi or internet connection to get the updates. Sometimes your device might need a reboot or restart to install the updates.
You can also check which version of Android you are currently using by simply navigating through the settings and, tapping on the About Phone section, then clicking on the Android version.
Why is Mobile app development for iOS better than Android edition 3.0?
iOS mobile app developments are better than Android Edition 3.0 because they are comparatively easy to build. It uses Swift Programming, which demands less coding while making the development process efficient and faster. Thus creating an iOS app would cost you much less time than Android, and the maintenance and building costs of iOS are also cheaper.
The exciting part is Swift works with the notion to help beginners develop iOS apps; it requires no prerequisites, no prior knowledge of coding, and is easy to learn and ace. However, if you want to incorporate back-end functionalities and Artificial Intelligence concepts in your app, you should also consider learning Python.
How to build Mobile Apps For Android Edition 3.0 and iOS?
For your mobile app development for iOS and Android edition 3.0, you first need to research your app’s idea, take feedback from your client by showing the prototypes, go for the real-time code implementations, test your app, and finally publish your app and make sure to keep your developed app under regular maintenance. As for an Android app, most of the time, we use Android Studio, and to build an iOS app, we use the Xcode software.
Generally, we follow Agile methodology to make our mobile app development more manageable. The method breaks down the process into several phases to ensure you build the best and bug-free mobile apps. For your convenience, we’ve added the detailed steps for developing mobile apps for Android edition 3.0.
Step By Step Guide To Develop Android Mobile App Using Android Studio
1. Download Android Studio from their official website; extract the downloaded zip file.
2. Follow the guidelines in the setup wizard and start installing the software by clicking on “Run as Administrator.” Remember to install your required SDK packages during the installation (Android SDKs are software development kits that provide app development tools such as debuggers, frameworks, code libraries, etc.)
3. Ensure you follow the installation guidelines with extra care because any installation faults might hamper setting up the Gradle and not let your app run.
4. After installation, double-click on the Android Studio icon, and you should see an interface like the snapshot below.
5. Then click on “Open New Project.”
6. Select “Empty Activity.”
7. Add a name to your app and select your preferred programming. If you’re making your app for Android Edition 3.0, select Edition 3.0 (Honeycomb) as your minimum SDK from the drop-down menu and wait for the Gradle sync to finish.
8. Once the coding layout appears, click on the activity_main.xml file and remove the “Hello World” textbox (if you want, you can run the hello world app for testing purposes). Place your desired widgets like buttons and TextViews, and add variable names as the ID.
9. If you want customizations for a particular widget, head to that widget’s section in the XML file and edit (you only need to write the first few letters, and you should have Android Studio to auto-complete it.)
10. Constraint each widget from all four sides each time you place one so your app’s design and layout remain intact.
11. Once you complete the app layout, head to the Java file and add your app’s logic via Java code (if your IDE lacks any of the packages, you can import it easily by pressing ALT+ENTER.)
12. Finally, after you’ve completed and customized your XML and Java code, it’s time to run and test your app. Select your preferred emulator (mobile device in which you’ll run your app) and hit the green play button, and you should see an output similar to the one below if you’re making an Android simple calculator app.
Try testing your app with multiple inputs so that there are fewer chances of crashes and bugs.
Later, when you start sharpening up your skills, you can add more functionalities like adjusting hardware, persistent data (ensuring the longevity of data when the app is closed), and sensors.
That’s how you can develop an Android app from scratch, and thus is becoming more and more popular because the revenue of Android apps is around a whopping $82,500 on a daily basis.
For iOS apps, it is around $320 billion on a yearly basis. And as we’ve already mentioned iOS, it’s time for us to know how we can develop an iOS app with the following section.
Step By Step Guide To Develop iOS Mobile App Using Xcode
1. Download Xcode from their official website; unzip the file once downloaded (make sure you download the version compatible with your device’s specification.)
2. Run the .exe file for installation.
3. Once installed, launch the software, and select “Create New Xcode Project.”
4. Select your desired platform, UI, and programming language, add a name to your app, and fill out the other necessary fields.
5. Head to the ContentView file to add your Swift code for the app.
6. From the top, select your desired iPhone simulator by which you can see a live preview of your app. You can also change the theme of the simulator by pressing SHIFT+A.
7. Finally, when your code is ready, run and test your app with multiple inputs and check whether you’re getting the desired output. If the outcomes of your app are incorrect, check for errors in your code.
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Best framework for iOS and Android app development
Before we head to the top frameworks of iOS and Android app development, it is essential for us (especially for newbies) to have a clear concept of what an Android framework is, and for that, let’s take a look at the following section.
What is an Android framework?
Android app frameworks are pre-built codes that help your app get an outlined structure. They are software toolkits that ensure better results with less coding and time. In other words, android frameworks provide a skeleton for your app. After applying it, you can easily add more and more features to your mobile app.
Top 5 Frameworks for iOS and Android App Development
1. Flutter
Download Link: https://docs.flutter.dev/get-started/install
It is an open-source mobile UI framework that lets you build apps for both Android and iOS. Working with the Flutter framework will be much easier if you have a good grip on basic OOP principles. In fact, Flutter is the easiest option for new learners as it is easy to operate. Some notable features of it are:
- It shows real-time results once you edit a part of your code.
- Offers fully customizable widgets
- Offers Hot restart and Hot Reload, ensuring you get faster compilation and execution
- Has a responsive support community, so you’re good to go if you’re stuck anywhere in your codes
- Gives an attractive layout design within a shorter time
- Android Studio and VS code support Flutter; the IDEs have available plugins for it.
- Offers SDK for cross-platform mobile apps
- It is easy to learn.
2. React Native
Download Link: https://reactnative.dev/
It is also an open-source framework that uses JS and React, which can help you make high-quality mobile apps efficiently. It also facilitates building cross-platform mobile apps and offers both free and paid toolkits.
React Native features:
- It helps you to build platform-oriented versions of your app components.
- Has enriched UI building blocks
- Facilitates fast refresh functionalities
- It is your framework if you’re a team player, as it also allows conference options.
- You can restore your prototypes.
- The Flexbox Gap simplifies app layouts.
- Supports Third Party libraries
3. Ionic
Download Link: https://ionicframework.com/getting-started/
If you’re looking to utilize your expertise in HTML5 and CSS, you can go for Ionic frameworks, as they allow you to build hybrid mobile apps. Typically it charges $499 monthly but also offers a 30-day free trial.
Ionic Features:
- It gives 120+ native device functionalities.
- Has a huge library of JavaScript and CSS elements to make your mobile app more attractive
- Integrates with Microsoft Active Directory and Ping Identity
- Uses native software development toolkits
- It facilitates a wide range of integrations.
4. Xamarine
Download Link: https://www.xamarin.com/download
This cross-platform app development tool not only helps you build Android and iOS apps, but you can also develop Windows applications via it. The framework is completely free to download since it is an open-source platform (but it doesn’t support game app development.)
Xamarine Features:
- It supports DB2, MySQL, SQL server, C#, SQLite, and .NET.
- Gives attractive components, cross-platform libraries, UI controls, Native UI, and Third-party libraries
- Allows interactions with device API
- It will enable you to do deep linking and indexing for your app.
- The Xamarin Test Cloud automatically enables you to run and test your app on 2000 real-time mobiles.
- App monitoring is much easier as it gives live testing modules.
5. Firebase
Download link: https://firebase.google.com/
From web applications to Android, OS X, and iOS, Firebase offers the tools to make your mobile app efficient in terms of storage and bug-free servers. But remember that Firebase requires $1.04 per month as a subscription fee (free trials are also available.) Some notable features of it are:
- Google Cloud Storage itself gives the backup for your app’s file storage.
- It provides audit logging, multi-factor authentication, blocking functionalities, user support, data security (2048-bit SSL encryption), and SML.
- There’s no chance of data loss as Firebase stores data in multiple secured storages.
- It allows users to build apps faster as it can seamlessly integrate with codes.
- Supports Slack, AdMob, and Google Ads and incorporates them effortlessly
- It supports NodeJS and Angular JS.
Top 5 iOS App Development Trends Of 2023
The highly sophisticated industry of mobile app development for iOS and Android edition 3.0 is improving with each passing day, thanks to the new trends introduced to enhance digitizations.
However, as an aspiring mobile app developer, you can’t afford to miss the recent trends in the industry. You need to be familiar with the latest mobile app trendsetters, so let’s take a look at our following section to know some of the best iOS app development trends:-
1. Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning
Well, do we have anyone who doesn’t know ChatGPT? Most of us are familiar with the famous and dominating AI tool, right?
There’s nothing to be shocked about seeing the tool’s name because, similarly, the iOS mobile app industry is getting highly influenced by the AI trend. With the influence of this very trend, iOS apps are providing a more robust, promising, engaging, time-saving, and efficient user experience, from classifying images and text to face and speech recognition.
As for machine learning, iOS mobile app developers are collaborating with the core ML framework, so machine learning will also dominate as a killer trend in the long run.
2. Utilization of IoT
App built with the “Internet of Things(IoT)” is the most diverse because it can serve as a whole environment. Apple’s unique framework, HomeKit, currently utilizes IoT with the motto “connected homes.” It is because IoT-optimized apps can track and link wearable devices such as Apple Watches and bands, making it easier for users to track their wearable devices via their smartphones.
3. Enhanced Security Protocols
From making online transactions to refraining from cyberbullying and data hacking, security is everywhere and is something developers should treat with zero tolerance in case of any data breaches. And that’s why iOS developers utilize ATS (App Transport Security) to add that extra layer of security to your mobile apps.
4. Swift 6 Programming
Due to its high-quality code, compatibility, straightforward syntax, user-friendly nature, and portability, Swift 6 takes its firm position among the latest trends that iOS developers look for. iOS and MAC will add Swift libraries to their new releases. Swift ensures smooth functionalities of your app and makes the development of iOS apps even simpler and more efficient.
5. Chatbots
From the newly arrived Snapchat My AI to the dominating ChatGPT, and Google Bard, chatbots are an integral trend that makes users happy and satisfies their needs within a much shorter time.
Chatbot trends for iOS mobile apps are dramatically increasing revenue since Chatbots are highly responsive. Unlike humans, they have no peculiar nature, making them more appealing to users.
This trend isn’t only making your mobile apps more attractive but also helping to make apps more user-friendly and engaging.
Which Programming Language is Best For App Development?
Java and XML are the programming languages you must learn to help you build your mobile app for Android. However, Kotlin and Javascript are also seamlessly popular, making app development more accessible. While to build an iOS-oriented app, you need to learn Swift and Objective-C.
Apart from these popular ones, we’ve:
- React
- HTML5
- CSS3
- jQuery
- MVC
- Rust
- Javascript
- Ruby
- Dart
- Applescript
- Python (and even)
- C++ language
These are the programming languages you should consider learning that will help you build creative and attractive user interfaces for your developed mobile apps and can also help you in many fields like web designing and software engineering.
While many of the Newbee programmers might believe in the myth that only C language might be enough to build an app, in reality, this isn’t the case, and we discourage possessing such a myth thought.
It is because knowing just the basics of C language might not turn out to be much helpful to you for your mobile app development for iOS and Android Edition 3.0; you must grow your skills for other languages, too, especially the ones we mentioned above, to make your apps stand out.
You can start with any of them because if you are good at one particular language, it’ll be easy for you to get a grip on the others too! That’s because most programming languages have many similarities in the syntaxes and semantics.
But are you also looking to serve your app’s server-side technicalities?
Then you should get yourself enrolled into back-end server connectivity courses, and be familiar with the terms SOAP or REST, JSON, Google or RESTful APIs, Firebase (to handle your app’s database), SQLite, version control systems JIRA, GIT, TFS, SVN, IIS Web Server knowledge, Object Oriented Programming principles and of course knowledge of the Android SDK.
5 Tips for Beginners For Mobile App Development
To ace the art of mobile app development, you must maintain some basics that could escalate your skills. And for this, we’ve jotted down a list of tips for novice mobile app builders so that you don’t fall short on the basic skills at the very preliminary stage. Let’s take a look at the followings:
1. Scalable Codes
Ensure that your codings are scalable enough so that if you need any instant changes in your code, you should face no difficulties doing the edits.
2. Reusable and Documented Codes
You might need to work on team projects with various coders for your mobile app development for iOS and Android edition 3.0.
If you do not document your codes well, your teammates might find it hard to get the semantics of your code. Also, you need to ensure that your codes are reusable so that you can do further modifications if any updates or bug fixes are required. So make sure you add comment lines in your codes.
3. Learn Gradle, Apache Ant, and Apache Maven
All three mentioned are powerful toolkits that’ll make your app development easy and set up the environment seamlessly. They provide a set of helpful tools to ensure you make it to your desired customizations.
4. Master your desired programming language
Learning knows no bounds! And to build apps on your own, there’s no alternative to enhancing your coding skills. So make sure you ace at least one programming language that we mentioned in our previous section.
5. Stay up-to-date and updated
Try to be a part of all the app developing stages, from design, modifications, development, implementation, and testing; stay involved and updated even if you’re a rookie because that’ll highly help you to gain experience and level up your skills. Also, you need to know the latest updates and trends in the mobile development industry so your app doesn’t fall back on fulfilling the newest user trends.
What Are The App Design Issues and Considerations?
Layout and indentation issues, adjusting screen orientations, and sizes, operating system issues, battery fixations, hardware compatibility issues, and connectivity problems are some of the mobile app design issues and considerations.
But the most horrible kind of issue among these is having an app design that doesn’t correspond to different devices. Imagine your app works perfectly on your Android but becomes unresponsive and doesn’t retain its layout on another Android platform.
Therefore, the design phase plays a crucial role in developing your mobile app from start to end, so be aware of each step you take while designing.
How much does it cost to build an app for iOS and Android?
For developing an iOS app, the typical expenditure ranges from $8000 up to $50,000+ on average, depending on the complexity of the app design and the time to build. As for Android, the range starts from $20,000 to $300,000+, depending on the app size and other constraints.
Initially, for an Android app, you need to count on around $250 to $500 per month for the maintenance of your new app because newly developed apps tend to be more vulnerable to crashes.
Which Softwares To Install For Mobile App Development?
For developing Android mobile apps, you need to install Android Studio; for creating an iOS app, you need to install the Xcode software. If you’re looking for an alternative to Android Studio, you can opt for the software Eclipse. For building cross-platform apps (apps that run on both Android and iOS), consider installing Xamarine, a free, open-source software that facilitates building apps with .NET and C#.
Android and iOS Mobile App Ideas For Beginners
Some simple mobile app ideas for newbies are:
- Tic Tac Toe
- Simple calculator
- To-Do list app
- Count down app
- News app
- Quiz taker app
- Tracker app
- School Attendance app
- Recipe app
- Medicine Delivery app
How Can I Convert My Website to A Mobile App?
By copying and pasting your website’s URL, you can convert your website into an app via converter websites. Many companies provide the service. Some even offer the service for free, while some take a bare minimum charge. Some notable agencies for the service are AppsGeyser, Appy Pie, and GoNative.
Some online marketplace sellers also offer the service from a starting price of $4. If you opt for the convertor tools, you also have the freedom to customize your app’s layouts, add specific options, choose a logo and name for your app, and finally build and preview before publishing it to Google Play Store or App Store.
How To Publish Your App in the Google Play Store?
To publish your Android mobile App in Google Play Store, you first need to have a Google Developer account, the necessary license documents, and privacy policy notes of your app. Once you do the configuration settings, add a version to your app, sign it, and upload it by clicking Publish option for Play Store to review your app. You need to count on a one-time charge of $25 when you first upload your app. Typically after submission, reviewing any app takes 2-3 days.
While publishing your app, you need to ensure to make no mistakes while dealing with the configuration settings, as this includes crucial ones such as:
- The language in which your app will operate
- Selecting the targeted country for your app
- Add the different charges for different countries where you will publish your app.
- Categorizing your app to reach more users.
How To Publish Your App in the App Store?
With an annual fee of $99, you can publish your app in App Store; you need to log in to Apple Developer Program, add the legal documentation, listings, and screenshots of your app, test it, and upload it via Xcode and finally, your iOS app is ready for submission in Apple Store connect.
You can also use the developer account that you use in your Xcode software to publish your iOS app. If your app includes purchases, you need to sign the terms of Apple’s payment contract and read out the pages in the tax and agreement dashboard of Apple Store Connect.
How To Monetize Android And iOS Apps?
You can monetize your apps by facilitating in-app purchases, providing specific services with annual or monthly subscriptions, or selling them to users through appropriate stores like App Store or Google Play Store for a one-time superfluity fee. The more apps you sell to consumers, the more monetization you get. However, if your app supports ads, you can make money each time only when the users click ads.
Other than that, there can be several ways to monetize your app, but if we sift through the above information, we mainly have four ways by which we can monetize our app, and they are:
1. By selling your app
2. In-app purchases
3. Ad-supported apps
4. Subscription-based fee
FAQ
Do I need prior programming knowledge for mobile app development?
No, you don’t need to have prior programming knowledge to develop a mobile app! It is because there are app builder tools that can help you create apps without coding. But you need to understand how to edit the pre-built templates of these tools; otherwise, you won’t be able to add customizations. However, these app builder tools are limited to certain features only, and you may not fully get the freedom of customization of your app as you desire.
In fact, anyone can build a mobile app by using the free version of Alpha Anywhere Community Edition Software, so yes, mobile app development for iOS and Android edition 3.0 is not restricted to app developers only!
Are the software used for developing mobile app free?
Yes, Android Studio and Xcode are the popular free software and IDEs (Integrated Development Environments) to build Android and iOS apps, respectively. Other than that, you can also use many open-source mobile app development software such as BuildFire, Flutter, and Felgo. Though each has limitations in specific fields, some might not be suitable for game development; some might not support hot reloading, missing a user guide, and some might even have lackings on UI widgets and customizations.
Final Words!
Well, there you have it all! Since we discussed the nooks and crannies and everything on- mobile app development for iOS and Android edition 3.0, we hope that building an Android or iOS app on your own has become easier and is no more fear or a nightmare to you!
And as we discussed, you can also monetize your developed app and earn some juicy bucks but remember to watch out for the strenuous debugging process of the issues of your apps since there might be aligning issues and layout fixing issues. Removing the bugs might require you to recheck your XML and Java codes with great inspection because sometimes the syntax errors are way too silly or trivial that might get missed by your eyes.
While Android Studio and Xcode are the most popular software for developing apps, you can convert your handy websites to apps by following the process mentioned in our guide or just by spending a mere $4. Using converter tools, you can also do this for free (for specific apps), so yes, it’s a win-win situation for web developers, website owners, and mobile app developers!
