As of Q1 2021, 54.8% of all internet traffic comes from mobile devices. Think about that for a second. The majority of all internet traffic is not originating from a desktop or laptop PC, but from a smartphone. That’s a percentage your company can’t ignore. In fact, if you do ignore that number, you’re missing out on over half the world’s internet traffic.
Can you afford that?
Chances are pretty good the answer is a resounding “No.” If you don’t see the value in such a proposition, your business is going to suffer in the coming years. Why? Because there are many countries across the globe where the only affordable option is inexpensive Android devices. Those countries consist of millions and millions of users.
But it’s not just cash-strapped populations who depend on mobile devices. Given how busy the modern age has become, fewer and fewer people have time to sit down at a desk and use a standard PC or laptop. People need mobility, so they lean heavily on their mobile devices.
So should your business, too.
Given that mobile dominance is only going to keep rising over the coming years, your business needs to be focusing heavily on mobile app development—on both the Android and iOS sides of the fence. What does that mean?
You need to hire mobile app developers.
What Does it Mean to be a Mobile App Developer?
It used to be that a developer could learn a programming language, get really good at it, and be perfectly suited for your business model. They’d bring their skills into the company where they’d be integrated with a team to work productively to deliver a product.
Modern development isn’t quite that simple. The mobile app developer needs to have a few more skills under their belt to be productive in your business. They need to be able to design a quality UI, use one of the specific programming languages and framework(s) for the platform, craft a user-friendly single page application, be able to connect the app to a database and know how to deploy the app from either a company website or to the Google Play Store and the Apple App Store.
And that workflow doesn’t include the usual testing and debugging required to build reliable applications.
So, yes, the process of building a mobile app can get complicated. But the end results will be worth it. In short, you need to find a mobile app developer for hire.
Depending on which platform you are developing for, you’ll need to know specific languages and how to use certain frameworks. Let’s take a look at these by operating system. This is a requirement when you hire a mobile app developer.
Android Development
To develop for Android you must know Java. That’s an absolute must because it’s the official programming language for the operating system. You will also have to know XML, as this is how developers establish the foundations for user interface definition in Android applications.
Next up is the Android SDK (Software Development Kit) which consists of Java modules that give developers access to all mobile device functions, such as the camera, mic, and accelerometer.
Android developers should also be able to work with Android Studio, which is the official IDE (Integrated Development Environment) for Android. Android Studio is a full-featured IDE, so it includes all of the tools developers are accustomed to using.
Every Android development company should also be familiar with the various APIs necessary to interact with the services required for the device to function and interact with other services.
Android developers must also be able to work with either third-party databases (if data is to be housed outside of the device’s local storage) or with SQLite (if data is stored locally).
Finally, Android developers must have a solid understanding of Material Design (and Material You, for Android 12), so they can build modern-looking applications that take advantage of the Android UI.
iOS Development
To develop for the Apple mobile platform, your developers will need to learn Swift and should also be familiar with Objective-C. Those developers will also need to install and be able to use Xcode, which is the Swift IDE. However, to install and use Xcode, you must have an Apple laptop or desktop computer.
As far as APIs, you should become familiar with Foundation, UIKit, CocoaTouch, and iOS graphics APIs. Other skills include UI and UX design, Apple Human Interface Guidelines, 2D and 3D graphics frameworks like SpriteKit and SceneKit, and OpenGL or Metal.
Mobile App Interview Questions
Why would you use the React Native framework for developing mobile applications?
- React is known for its optimal performance
- Code can be easily written
- React has a large community
- Supports live and hot reloading
- It’s a cost-effective development solution
- Supports third-party plugins
- Is a modular architecture
- Provides plenty of pre-built solutions and libraries
What’s the difference between a native and a hybrid application?
A native application is one that’s built to be installed on the mobile device, whereas a hybrid app is an app that installs a native container on a device that displays content pulled from a website.
What is Xamarin?
Xamarin is a Microsoft cross-platform development technology that makes it possible to build native mobile apps that use the same codebase, whether they are meant for Android or iOS.
What is a progressive web application?
A progressive web application is an app that has the look and feel of a native mobile app.
What are the four app components?
- Activities – An entry point for interacting with the user, represented by a single screen with a user interface.
- Services – A component that runs in the background to keep an app running or pull data from a remote service to a locally installed app.
- Broadcast receivers – A component that enables the delivery of events beyond the scope of the regular user flow.
- Content providers – Manages specific app data that can be stored in the local file system.
How does Xamarin share code between platforms?
Xamarin uses the following three tools to share code:
- .NET Standard Libraries
- Shared Projects
- Portable Class Libraries (Deprecated)
Job Description
We’re looking for a mobile developer to write user-friendly applications to help make our customer’s interaction with our sites and services even better. Qualified candidates will collaborate with internal teams to develop functional mobile applications while working in a fast-paced and fun environment.
You will be required to help develop application programming interfaces (APIs) to support all types of mobile functionality while keeping up to date with current trends, terminology, concepts, and best practices for developing mobile apps.
Responsibilities
- Develop high-quality, user-friendly mobile applications for iOS and Android.
- Identify and plan for new features.
- Develop application programming interfaces (APIs) to support new mobile functionality.
- Suggest, design, and implement new mobile products, applications, and protocols.
- Remain up to date with trends, terminology, concepts, and best practices for both Apple and Google products.
- Work closely with colleagues to constantly innovate app functionality and design.
- Use and adapt existing web applications for apps.
- Test and debug applications.
- Communicate with users to understand their needs and experiences.
Skills and Qualifications
- 5+ years of demonstrable experience in mobile application development.
- Demonstrable portfolio of released applications in the Google Play Store or Apple App store.
- Extensive knowledge of either Swift or Java (both is even better).
- Familiarity with OOP design principles.
- Experience with third-party libraries and APIs.
- Superior analytical skills with a good problem-solving attitude.
- Fundamental understanding of version control systems (such as Git).
- Solid problem-solving skills.
- Excellent written and verbal communication.
- Good organizational skills.
- Ability to work as part of a team.
- Attention to detail.
- Understanding the nature of asynchronous programming and its quirks and workarounds
- A positive attitude.
Conclusion
Developing mobile apps might not be the fastest route to success, but it can certainly be a lucrative one—for both developers and businesses. Given that the majority of users are accessing the internet from smartphones, there’s no way the popularity of mobile devices and applications is going to fade any time soon.
If you’re serious about being competitive in this hyper-connected world, do your company a favor and start hiring the best mobile developers you can find. So, how do you find that mobile app developer for hire?
