Android App Development for Beginners

So you have a killer app idea and you’re ready to turn it into a reality and take it to market. No doubt you’re itching to start getting your first downloads, reviews and profits… But there’s just one problem: you don’t have a clue where to start!

Learning to code is difficult enough on its own but with Android development it can be more complicated. Not only do you need to understand Java, you also need to install all the Android-specific software and learn all of the unique quirks of Android app development.

In general, creating an Android app requires the SDK (Software Development Kit), an IDE (Integrated Development Environment) like Android Studio or Eclipse, the Java Software Development Kit (JDK) and a virtual device to test on. All this takes work to set up, and that’s before you’ve even started looking into things like Google Play Services, screen sizes, API levels…

It’s just such a dense amount of information and it’s enough to put an awful lot of people off before they even begin. My aim with this article then, is to provide an approachable guide to try and make the whole prospect of creating an app a little less daunting… I’ll explain the bits you need to know and gloss over the rest and by the end you should have a basic app that you can start iterating on and experimenting with.

Go and make yourself a cup of tea first though, this may take a while…