What to Look For When Hiring an Android Developer?

Smartphones have become an integral part of our lives. In fact, it is hard to imagine our lives without a healthy dose of smartphone applications. There are many people who do not have iPhones but the number of Android app users is certainly high. So the attention of most businesses has been on the development of Android apps instead of iPhone apps. Besides, the development of such apps is easy as well as cost-effective. But to take full advantage of this, it must be ensured that the perfect developer has been hired. There are many essential features and elements to be considered while doing this. Here are some must-have factors that you must give some attention to while hiring an Android developer.

Good knowledge- Android has released several versions and each of the versions has a different set of capabilities as well as APIs. The developer hired must have a thorough knowledge of them so that he or she can handle each of them. Here, even you have a major role to play as you have to decide which platform should be targeted.

Experience- After knowledge come the experience factor. For every field, experience counts a great deal. If the developer has developed a few applications then he or she would have a clear idea about the requirements and what will ensure a successful app. It is best to go for experienced people instead of novices; after all it will be the ultimate app for your business so it makes no sense for you to pay and then experiment with your brand image or business.

Portfolio- Portfolio is the best way to verify their credentials as well as check out their work- whether they are apt enough or will be able to fulfil your requirements or not. Genuine candidates will provide a list of developed apps. You will also be to gauge the quality of their work through this.

Client list- After checking out their work, the next step would be to check out their client list and have a chat with them. This way you will be able to get a sneak peek in to their claims, the actual work done as well as their behaviour. The ex-clients will be able to inform whether the projects delivered were up to their standard or not as well as whether the project had been delivered within the deadlines or had been crossed.

Charges- After analyzing the standard as well as quality of work from all angles, it is time to come to the financial factor. Generally with application development, there can be no fixed charges. Each app requires varied costs. The key here is to maintain a balance. In fact, most times since nothing can be fixed in such development work, the cost should preferably be on an hourly basis instead of fixed. Mostly, while starting the work 50% of estimated cost must be paid in advance. Some may request full payment in advance, but in those cases be very careful. Additionally, the project must be reviewed and approved before the final payment is made.

Communication- Whatever language you may be speaking, you must ensure that the communication between you and your to-be hired developer is excellent. The chosen language must be spoken well on both sides. If in the initial stages the communication is not perfect then later on the same thing will definitely be continued.

Other services- It always helps if your hired Android developer can provide you with extra services such as publishing, distribution, creation of promotional materials, etc.

If you can select the apt Android developer then your business may be on the verge of a profitable relationship which will benefit you in the long run. It may be a challenging proposition, but make sure that the above mentioned factors are kept in mind while hiring. These will enable you to make a decision that will be prove to be highly beneficiala. To get maximum benefits of android apps, you may consider hiring services of a custom android development company.

We provide Android mobile application development services. If you would like to hire Android application developers from us, we would be glad to assist you at Mindfire Solutions.

Mobile app usage and the surge in android app development

With mobiles as well as smartphones becoming an indispensible part of our lives, so has the concept of mobile apps. This software application is so designed that it can function on hand-held devices such as mobiles, smartphones, tablets, etc. Most of these devices operate on platforms like iOS, Android and Windows OS.

There are two ways to provide several business solutions through the devices- mobile applications as well as WAP or mobile browser. However, according to the recent surveys, it has been seen that most users prefer using native apps instead of the browser. In fact, it is also been seen that each day users spend 2 hours 42 minutes on their smartphones with 2 hours 19 minutes been spent on the applications. The web usage has drastically dropped to 22 minutes. Some of the reasons for which this usage has increased are given here.

• Apps work offline; there is no need for active data connection unlike WAP sites.
• An app provides a much better as well as more powerful experience when compared to the others; it is free from the worries like data connection speed, sizes of various mobile screens and limited storage space.
• Close connectivity is maintained with users through notifications on the release of updated versions. Also since such apps make users stick to the applications, it results in high levels of engagement.

Now most developers when developing mobile applications have to decide which one of the three platforms they have to cater to. These days, the trend is more towards Android. Some reasons for this trend are given here.

Open source- One huge reason for the extreme popularity of Android is that the platform is open source. Thus neither its development can be restricted nor any changes can be introduced that may prove to hamper your interests. Developers can fully access the functionality of the phone including receiving or sending texts, handling phones calls or using cameras. All the brand new technologies can be introduced by several developers working on it.

More users meaning more market share- Each day, thousands of people buy Android phones which are cost-effective and easily accessible. In fact, the number of users is increasing steadily. This means that with more users, when developers address the platform they can tap a larger market share. If the market is larger, then more people can be reached; more people will buy and use your applications and products. Developers may be sure that whatever product they have developed will not remain unused if the platform for which it has been developed loses popularity and Android will not be losing its popularity so soon. In fact, it will only rise due to the cost effectiveness. The amazing price points will only lead to the growth of the market share of Android.

Cheaper app submission- From the developer’s point of view, submitting apps to Android Market is definitely cheaper. The cost for submission to Android Market is just a onetime $25 fee while for the iOS platform it will set you back by an annual fee of $99.

Multiple stores- Android gives you easy access to several app stores; this means you can submit to various markets including China, Korea, etc.

Easy development procedure- By virtue of AppsGeyser you can easily make full native apps within a matter of minutes. This removes a lot of headache from the point of view of the developers.

Mobile apps, especially Android apps are big steps when the innovation angle is being considered. Android acts as the perfect ground for testing so that their apps can be honed as well as refined. In fact even the app store of Amazon is based on Android which makes it easier for developers to submit things to Amazon. If you are planning to hire service of Android development services company India, you must evaluate them to see if they are sufficiently agile or not!

We provide Android mobile app development services. If you would like to talk to one of our certified Android developers, please get in touch with us at Mindfire Solutions.