A guide to Android app development for complete beginners in 5 easy steps - Android

Learning Android app development may seem like a daunting task, but it can open up a huge world of possibilities. You could create the next “hit app” that changes the way we work or interact with each other. Maybe you’ll develop a tool that you can use yourself to improve your workflow. Or perhaps you’ll just gain a new skill that lands you a great job!

Also read: Making an app with no programming experience: What are your options?

Whatever the case, learning Android app development might not be as tough as you think, as long as you understand what all the different moving parts are for, and have a roadmap to guide you through. This post is that road map!

Step 1: Downloading the tools you need for Android app development

First, you need to create your development environment so that your desktop is ready to support your Android development goals. For that, you will need Android Studio and the Android SDK. Thankfully, these both come packaged together in a single download that you can find here.

Android Studio is an IDE. That stands for “integrated development environment,” which is essentially an interface where you can enter your code (primarily Java or Kotlin) and access all the different tools necessary for development. Android Studio allows you to access libraries and APIs from the Android SDK, thereby giving you access to native functions of the operating system. You’ll also be able to build your app into an APK using Gradle, test it via a “virtual device” (emulator), and debug your code while it runs.

With all that said, keep in mind that there are other options available for your Android app development. For example, Unity is a very powerful tool for cross-platform game development that also supports Android. Likewise, Visual Studio with Xamarin is an excellent combination for creating cross-platform apps in C#.

We have handy guides to getting started with each of these options:

• How to create non-game apps in Unity
• An introduction to Xamarin for cross platform Android development

Android Studio is the best place for most people to start (with Android game development being an exception), particularly as it provides all these additional tools and resources in a single place.

Fortunately, set up is very simple and you only need to follow along with the instructions on the screen.

Get set up with Android Studio by following our handy guides:

• Android Studio tutorial for beginners
• How to install the Android SDK

Step 2: Start a new project

Once you have Android Studio on your machine, the next step is to start a new project. This is a straightforward process, but you’ll need to make a few decisions that will impact on your Android app development going forward.

Go to File > New > New Project. You will now be asked to select a “Project Template.” This defines the code and UI elements that will be included in your new app when it loads.

The word “Activity” refers to a “screen” in your app. Thus, a project with “No Activity” will be completely empty, apart from the basic file structure. A “Basic Activity” on the other hand will create a starting screen for your app and will add a button in the bottom and a hamburger menu at the top. These are common elements in many Android apps, so this can save you some time.

That said, it can also risk making things more complicated when you’re first getting to grips with development. For that reason, we’re going to choose the “Empty Activity.” This will create an activity and some files for us, but it won’t add a lot of additional code.

Choose a name and “package name” for your new app. The name is what your audience will see when the app is installed on their device. The package name is an internal reference used by Android to differentiate it from other apps. This should be composed using your top level domain (e.g. .com), domain name, and app name.

For example: com.androidauthority.sampleapp.

If you don’t have a domain or a company, just use “com” followed by something that appeals to you!

You’ll also need to decide where you want the files to be saved and what language you’re going to code in: Java or Kotlin.

Java vs Kotlin for Android app development

One of the biggest decisions you’ll need to make as an Android developer is whether you’re going to learn Kotlin or Java. Both languages are officially supported by Google and Android Studio, but they have some distinct differences.

Java has been supported by Google the longest and is what developers have been using to craft Android apps for years. Java is also one of the most in-demand programming languages in the world, which makes it a great choice for those who want to begin a career in development. As the oldest Android programming language, there is also slightly more support for Java vs Kotlin, although it’s not by much.

Kotlin on the other hand has become Google’s preferred choice for Android development. This is the default when starting a new app, and it is likely to become more common going forward. Kotlin is also significantly easier to get to grips with if you’re a complete beginner.

For these reasons, Kotlin is probably the language of choice for Android developers that are learning for fun, or that have no aspirations to develop for other platforms. However, Java makes more sense if you’re interested in becoming a professional developer.

You can learn more about the two options here:

• Kotlin vs Java for Android: key differences

Minimum SDK

Finally, you also need to consider your Minimum SDK. This is the lowest version of Android that you want your app to support.

The lower you make this number, the broader your potential audience will be. Keep in mind that there is a relatively low adoption rate for the latest versions of Android, so sticking with the latest update will prevent a lot of users from trying your creation. If we leave the version as the default (Android 10), then we only support 8.2% of devices!

Google: do better.