Top Mistakes Every Android Developers Should Avoid During Development

by Joe Richard Android Application Developer

Appreciated by users worldwide, Android is getting more innovative with each passing day. Currently, 85 percent of smartphone users prefer this Operating System (OS) due to easy availability and adaptability across devices. This has also given rise to a slew of new application releases to take advantage of the demand scenario. With the Google Play Store already hosting close to 3 million apps, the competition is noticeably intense.

For Android application developers, building best-in-class applications is critical as the competition is tremendous. In other words, it is difficult to survive in case your app lacks a feature or is less competent than a similar one which is slightly more advanced in terms of performance.

An Android developer company should focus on building superior quality apps providing a seamless user experience in order to stay ahead in the competition. However, apps tend to perform differently when employed on a diverse set of devices. Android application developers need to take this into account before app development. Let’s take a look at some of the top mistakes, that need to be avoided for successful application development.

Multi-Tasking Application

There will always be the temptation to build an application that will be able to address a lot of things in unison. But Android application developers should not give in to such allurements as this is a difficult approach and may result in poor development. You should first try to incorporate a many single functionalities in the best possible way.

This does not mean that your app should do with just one feature. You need to strike a balance between the app features with your programming abilities. Basically, your ideas should be in sync with your abilities. However, the inclusion of too many features slows down app performance leaving the users confused. This might prompt the user to uninstall the application altogether.

Reworking of Already Existing Codes

Rewriting existing codes result in duplication of efforts and wastage of precious time. This is especially true for features such as network calls, database access, social logins, JSON parsing, and image loading. All these features have predefined codes and further rewriting can be avoided. A basic research on this will help to figure which ones are best suited for the app.

Not Following Android Guidelines

Android has its own design and programming guidelines to improve the refine the overall quality of an app release. From time to time changes are introduced in the guidelines to facilitate innovation in application development. Material design, for instance, is a great approach undertaken by Google and Android. The platform also presents layout of home and internal app screen guidelines which states that:

It is better to avoid creating static tabs and placing them at the bottom
No color should be used while designing icons for system notifications
Do not place any app icon inside a rectangle with a round corner
The splash screen should not appear beyond the introductory stage.

Avoid Beta Testing Altogether

Once you develop an application, it is important to have real-time feedback from the users, post-release. Beta testing enables that, and you get the requisite information based on actual usage from the consumers. For instance, beta testing will indicate the user expectations when it comes to user interface and how you can improve the quality based on that. This is also an effective way to test your application across multiple hardware and OS platform and check if the software performance is optimum.

As a result, your application becomes versatile and has the capability of running across any hardware or OS as there are certain limitations in hardware-based applications. So, in no way beta testing can be avoided as an app might perform very well on iOS but come up with massive errors on Android or vice versa.

Not Releasing Updates

The Android application needs constant innovation in order to manage competition. It is difficult to build an application without error-functions that address all user requirements. Hence, it is crucial to stay abreast of technology and current market trends based on user experience. Time and again new features should be included to garner user interest and satisfaction. Every mistake leads to undesirable results and time gap, so every version of the app should be better than the other. The application release should be backed with continuous support and upgrades to make it sustainable.

Unregulated Battery Usage

The influence of your app on a device’s battery life will greatly influence whether a user will uninstall or chose to retain it. Your app should not make your device run out of power easily. You need to ensure that your app does not drain the battery unnecessarily usage. During the development phase, you need to check the impact of your application on the battery life to avoid such inconvenience.

Just eliminating these pitfalls alone will eradicate a significant chunk of your competition, giving the Android application the desired jumpstart to succeed quickly.