Savvy Apps started using Kotlin for its new Android projects late in 2016, right around when Kotlin 1.0.4 was released. Initially, we saw an opportunity to try out Kotlin on a smaller scale project. Once we tried it out and saw the ease of use, being able to easily separate functionality from business logic using extensions, and generally, the hours of development time it saved for us, we decided it would be the language of choice moving forward. Since then, we've used Kotlin to create multiple Android apps and have also developed a number of internal Kotlin libraries.
If all you've ever done in the past is iOS development, looking to build an app on Android might make you feel like you're entering the Wild West. Things seem more fragmented, more dangerous, more complex, more green. In 2016 though, Android isn't necessarily more difficult than iOS. The majority of your domain knowledge and expertise of building mobile apps on one platform can be applied to the other with ease. You may even find yourself enjoying some of Android's development components more than iOS. Here's a Savvy Apps guide to the top considerations for developers making the move from iOS to Android, including a list of how the main iOS components are laid out in Android.
App creators will get their chance to unveil updated versions of their apps for iOS 9 and watchOS today and Android 6.0 later this fall. Though the amount of effort needed to prepare your app for the latest OS releases varies, it's almost always worth it. By updating your app for iOS 9, Android 6.0, and other OS releases, you're improving your chances of being featured, as well as retaining valuable customers, attracting new users, and flexing your own developer skills to take advantage of new technologies. Read on to learn more about how updating your app to support new OS updates by launch day itself is worth the effort.
What is deep linking? Deep linking enables app creators to drive user engagement and simplify the app onboarding process. It’s useful in tracking referrals and determining which campaigns are most effective, as well as identifying best practices for making apps more useful and accessible. This article discusses what deep linking is, how it can be used, and what services are available to help simplify and enhance deep linking for your app. It also talks about how Apple and Google plan to improve usability and increase discovery in iOS and Android through deep links.
At Google I/O this year, Google has preempted Apple with their announcements about Android M. While it's been rumored for some time now that iOS 9 will hone in on stability, Google opened their developer conference talking about their focus on core user experience and product excellence.
The question of "which platform to build an app for first" has been a popular one for the past five years. Often ideological or headline-focused, the platform wars may be over for now but the need to answer this particular question remains.
Lookout is one of our favorite Android apps and they provide some great tips here for keeping your smartphone safe and secure with some spring cleaning.
Google released the Glass Development Kit— also known as the GDK—in mid-November. As a Glass Explorer, I was ecstatic to be able to start creating native applications for Glass. As an Android Developer, I was even more pleased to find out that it is built on top of the existing Android SDK. I have been experimenting with it since then and here are my initial impressions of the GDK. Note that I’ll be using the terms "app" and "Glassware" interchangeably but they’ll both be referring to native Glass applications.
One of the really useful but underrated tools of the Android platform is the Android Emulator. At first glance, it seems like a woefully underpowered replacement for a real Android device, especially with the latest crop of handsets. Many Android developers have and love devices like the Galaxy S4, HTC One, Moto X, LG G2, or Nexus 5 but the emulator has quietly been advancing to be a must-have tool.
Our Director of Technology Luis de la Rosa did an Android talk at George Washington University in October 2013. The class he spoke at focuses on software design for handheld devices.