how to hire android app developer for your company in 2020 - 2021

Android has always stood at the top of the industry for app development. By 2023, according to Statista's recent research, Android's share of the market will reach 87.4 percent. To put it another way, getting an Android app lets you attract more people. 

Total global revenue from the mobile app industry exceeded $462bn in 2019 and is expected to produce up to $936bn by the year 2023. Which sounds very amazing, isn't it? Not every app can be an excellent and yield income. In reality, 9 out of 10 mobile apps fail because so many similar apps are already in the market, and developing & maintaining apps requires more expense.

Hiring top developers on Android can help you build a successful android app that stands out from the crowd and generates a good amount of money. Here's our guide on finding and recruiting the best Android developer for your app development project in 2020 - 2021.

Table of content:

1. Essential skills to look out for Best Android developers

2. Which tech stack should you pick for your Android app?

3. How to search and hire Android app developers?

4. Conclusion

1. Essential skills to look out for Best Android developers

Mobile Apps Development requires specific skills, expertise, and awareness. Android app developers should understand the client's business needs, have excellent technical skills, and must know-how and develop an app that generates revenue by addressing specific business needs.

Below is a list of key developer skills that you need to pay attention while recruiting Android app developers for your project app:

• Expertise in programming languages:  Java and Kotlin are two key programming languages that are used for android app development. Developers should be familiar with these two programming languages' core concepts, including syntax and basic principles, frameworks, multi-threading & concurrency. 
• Android SDK or Software Development Kit:  It is a packed collection of code that helps develop Android apps much more quickly. Android SDKs are things that Android developers need to have. For example, If you need to integrate your app with Facebook, The android developers would need to use a Facebook SDK to speed up development processes.
• Working Experience in Android Studio:  Android Studio is a must-have IDE ( Integrated Development Environment), supporting a wide range of Android SDKs.
• APIs: APIs are used to associate apps with services or devices of any third party.  For example, you can use Google APIs, to identify your users, help them find nearby locations, or refer a map inside your application.
• Database Usage: Your app manages vast volumes of data and needs to communicate with mobile phone & external databases. App developers today prefer storing data in the cloud using Firebase and making it accessible across devices. If your users choose to use the app, developers will know how to operate with an SQLite database.
• Basics of Material Design: Unlike Apple, Google did not maintain consistent design across apps from the first instance. Google recently published a series of standards for design, defined as Material Design. It is used as a base for designing UI / UX.
• Understanding SDLC and Business Processes: Mobile app developers need to consider the logic behind your business decisions. It will help them recognize important features, plan the development process, and deliver a solution to a mobile app that consistently satisfies business needs.

2. Which tech stack should you pick for your Android app?

An significant part of the development process is proper stacking of mobile technologies, and when it comes to Android app development, there can be broad and sometimes pretty heated discussions about which approach, technology or framework is better for your android app.

You need to figure out what skills and the expertise your developers will have before searching for Android developers. To find the right ones for your project you must provide a thorough work description. 

The software stack, in short, is a collection of specifications, information and technologies. The proper combination of tools and specifications helps Android users to create a top-notch mobile app. For the vast majority of business holders, selecting the right technology stack is a challenge.

Java for Android app development

Java has been one of the oldest languages for the programming. It was launched in May 1995, and continues to be used regularly. It has all that developers need-Java Development Kit (JDK), Java Runtime Environment(JRE), and Integrated Environmental Design (IDE). 

Java has been the leading programming language for the creation of business applications. It is commonly used to build various web apps, government apps, and big-data technologies such as Hadoop and Apache Storm. Java doesn't have any competitors when it comes to high-end software development ventures and emerging technologies.

Kotlin for Android Development

Kotlin is a new open-source language in Android, which Google officially supports. The greatest part of it is that when we move from Java to Kotlin, developers won't need to recreate the entire project. 

Kotlin first appeared in 2011, but official release took nearly five years. In terms of Android app development, it's a clear competition to Java. Yet it is also used by the Javascript, Swift, and Python developers. Larger enterprises tend to employ Kotlin developers to develop Android apps, according to JetBrains' latest report. Kotlin has been used to create iconic applications like Uber, Evernote, Pinterest, and more.

What Java has that Kotlin does not	What Kotlin has that Java does not
Static members	String templates
Primitive types that are not classes	Singletons
Non-private fields	Null-safety
Wildcard-types	Extension functions

3. How to search and hire Android app developers

Not everybody has the technical skills necessary for writing, compiling, and debugging Android apps. You'll usually need to hire a professional developer to do the same. Developers can be a real challenge for the company owners to search for and hire. Here's a handy guide to hiring the best Android app developers for your project:

• Step 1 - Write a detailed project description 
  Gather all business tasks and specifications in one document. You can instantly share the documents with your prospect developers when searching for android app developers. 
• Step 2 - Select the model that fits best 
  There are a variety of ways to help develop your app. You may hire an app development team in-house or outsource services to the best mobile app development companies. The most expensive way to get the app developed is to hire in-house app developers. For this reason, the majority of firms prefer outsourcing. Outsourcing gives access to a better developer talent pool and allows you to develop your app more quickly without spending a lot of money.
• Stage 3 - Schedule technical interviews with app developers 
  By carrying out technical interviews and reviewing portfolios & comments, you can shortlist your developers or externalizing partners. Often the best way to evaluate the prospective outsourcing company is through customer reviews. 
• Stage 4 - Finalize and sign the Agreement 
  Discuss all problems associated with your app development project, set time limits, negotiate the time and format of your regular or periodic meetings, and inquire for your project's preliminary estimates. Do not forget to sign NDAs and discuss the issues relating to security.

If you outsource Polestar Tech Consultancy's app development service, you can hire a full development team (with a Project Manager) or add more developers to your current in-house app development team. We’re never in short of Android developers, designers, QA engineers, and Project Managers. In case your project requires more developers than we already have, kudos to our much faster local recruiting process. We will seek and hire additional developers quickly.

4. Conclusion

You've got an idea of how to hire Android developers to develop the first mobile app from scratch! and now you also know the differences between Java and Kotlin, and how to develop apps. 

At Polestar Tech Consultancy, we're integrating the latest technology and innovations from point one to create top-notch application products. If you have any more queries regarding the development of Android apps, Connect to us and we will do whatever it takes to help you develop an application from scratch for your company.

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