Organizations need to develop mobile apps to grow their businesses and acquire a larger customer base. The Android operating system dominates the smartphone market, with a market share of over 86% for application development.
According to Statista’s latest poll in January 2021, Android has a whopping 72% market share, iOS 24%, and the rest is divided into Windows, KaiOS, and so on.
Android app development primarily depends on factors such as target audience, app capabilities, project schedule, profitability, and budget. For large organizations with multiple resources, it is possible to use multiple platforms to develop applications at the same time, but for small businesses, this can be difficult.
The Factor of Choice between Android and iOS
It is all about personal taste when it comes to choosing between iOS and Android. But as an entrepreneur, you will consider your standard and brand power to facilitate the decision of comparing different indicators between the two. Both have their strengths and weaknesses, but the underlying factors lead to the ultimate choice
- Target audience
- Features offered
- Timeline to create the app, test it, and launch it
- Revenue generated
- Budget
The first thing you need to understand is, who the target interest groups are, where these people live, what their salaries are, and which platforms they prefer. Another reason to start developing Android apps is to consider the unbeatable features of the Google Play Store. This is a feature that releases your app as beta, alpha, or both and may only be available to developers.
This allows you to quickly access a limited number of users and get feedback from them before releasing this app to the entire population.
How is Android App Development Relevant to Business?
In the world of mobile application creation, Android applications are key to conquering a large chunk of the ever-expanding mobile market. This allows the company to reach more customers.
You can use notifications to attract customers and inform them about the latest deals and discounts. You can use creativity, visuals, and images to grab the attention of your customers.
If you develop a paid app, it can give you more benefits, and if you develop a free app then you get more downloads.
Android, includes applications that give developers the freedom of experimentation and innovation. Choosing Android app development plays a key role in creating apps that inspire new ideas and already add value to your customers’ lives.
Why Should You Develop Android Apps Instead of iOS?
1. Market Statistics
By analyzing market share statistics from the past five years, Android is growing the market at a steady pace, proving its presence across a wide range of demographic and geographic mobile users.
The development of mobile phones had a direct impact, with sales of $189 billion coming from Android-loving stores. According to IDC data, the Android market will fully dominate 87% of the market share of smartphones shipped globally by 2019.
With 2.6 million apps, the Google Play Store is number one when it comes to downloadable apps, and iOS is number two with 2 million apps. According to data from App Annie, in 2018 it was downloaded more than 20 billion times from the Google Play Store.
2. Larger Customer Base
90 billion Android apps were installed in 2016, according to a statistical app. That year, the number of downloaded iOS apps reached around 25 billion. As Android apps run on more devices than iOS apps, the apps can reach more customer groups.
3. Android Development Is Cost-Effective and Generates Higher ROI
Apps are cheaper because Android has a large number of customers from increasingly diverse backgrounds. Most of the apps are free to download on the Play Store compared to other operating systems. This is especially useful when a new organization launches an application. Reasonable apps can be a great help in promoting your app and the organization behind it.
The most expensive part is the application design phase. This includes assets, images, audio creation, and encryption. You can hire android developers who are experienced in keeping the investment low and customer engagement high. Therefore, end-users will benefit from interactive applications, resulting in a higher return on investment.
4. Expand the Possibilities of Innovation
Google relies on innovation which is embedded in apps hosted in stores. App embedding policies are more flexible and encourage new ideas. It plays a key role in creating apps that add unparalleled value to your life.
5. Low Barriers to Entry
Designers use Mac to create iOS apps, however, Android apps can be created on Windows, Mac, and Linux systems. Additionally, Apple App Store comes with an annual fee, while registering on Google Play Store has a one-time lower fee. If you develop an Android app, it will be approved and published on Google Play within one day. It takes half a month while you are in the App Store.
Based on user feedback, unlike the iOS apps, the Google Play Store app can be updated as often as you like.
6. Easy Installation
Android apps can be downloaded from any website, not just the Google Play Store, and can even be hosted on 3rd-party websites. The Android Software Development Kit also allows you to install the app directly on your device which gives more users access to your app. This is one of the main reasons to invest in the Android app development platform.
7. You Can Target Different Platforms
Using the Android Java app development platform, you can easily transfer your app to different platforms allowing entrepreneurs to focus on a variety of channels when developing Android apps.
8. Compatibility with Multiple Devices
Device manufacturers that support Android apps outnumber devices developed for specific iOS apps. The simple reason is that they can run on more devices and more Android devices are being used by more people because of affordability.
9. Easy to Learn
Android is a platform that developers of different skill levels can learn easily. Android uses Java, a programming language known to most developers. For iOS apps, you need to select Apple’s development language, Objective-C or Swift. Both languages are only useful for iOS app developers.
It is not necessary to hire rare and expensive people with many years of specific technical experience to develop Android applications. Even amateur developers with the necessary innovations can learn how to create great apps on Android.
10. Android App Development Offers Maximum Customization
Since Android is an open-source platform, it offers excellent customization options for Android app development. That’s why Android app development is very popular.
11. Social Media Optimization
Android is great for social app development. Business mobile applications have become one of the most effective forms of social media marketing, so social media features need to be integrated.
Apps developed on Android also can improve integration with various social media sites, facilitating the dissemination of information by companies. Connect your app to social media applications like YouTube, Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook to ensure greater user engagement.
12. Scalability and Versatility
With the introduction of Android Studio, the flexibility of the operating system has increased. You can scale your app with the entire Android ecosystem using Android Studio, including tablets, smartphones, Android TVs, wearables, and future technologies like AR, IoT, and VR. Therefore, after developing an Android app, you can be sure of its benefits.
13. Helps in Launching Reasonable and Free Apps
Android is usually cheaper as it serves more users with more different backgrounds. There are also more free downloads available than on other platforms. This is particularly suitable for new companies launching their first application. Free and cheap apps are a great way to promote your app and the organization behind it.
14. The Deployment Process for Android and iOS Apps
iOS app development takes less time than Android app development, but when it comes to publishing apps to the store, there are a few steps that need to be taken before the app is released on iOS Live. However, this is not the case with Android app development where you can just upload your app.
Conclusion
These are some key points you need to know as an entrepreneur planning to build an app for your business. Major changes have occurred in the development of Android applications in the past two years. Google’s Android operating system is currently migrating to a faster-unified experience planned to meet customer demands.
As Android app development continues, it’s vital to evaluate the latest innovation updates, understand the association, and take advantage of it for better competition. Android is often the right choice for startups, and you can also hire android developers to build applications.
