How to Learn Android Development Programming – 6 Steps for Beginners

Whether you want to be a freelancer or work at an Android mobile app development company, our article will help you to start your adventure as an Android developer. 

First of all, you should buy the most expensive smartphone you will find for at least 1000$… Naaaaaah. I’m just kidding! All you need for now is willingness.

If you are an Android and Java beginner, click here.
If you already know the basics, click here.

It doesn’t matter if you are a beginner or an advanced developer, from time to time you should read the content mentioned below from cover to cover. Moreover, if you like to be up to date with the newest things on the market, I recommend you also to check on the latest trends in Android app development for 2020. Read also: What’s the app development cost?

Ready? 3, 2, 1… Go!

How to learn Android development – 6 key steps for beginners

1. Take a look at the official Android website

Visit the official Android Developer website. To be honest, it is really important to read the whole website to understand the ecosystem and a variety of solutions, ideas, and technologies linked with Android. You won’t understand and remember everything, but you will know where to look for in the future.

2. Check out Kotlin

Google officially supports Kotlin on Android as a “first-class” language since May 2017. Fewer companies are developing commercial applications using only Java, so studying Kotlin is a necessary step to become a successful Android Developer.

On the official Kotlin website, you can find documentation for Android development and try the language online. It’s an important step on your way to becoming an Android developer.

3. Get to know Material Design

Material Design. The most beautiful Google’s child.

The same rule as above – scan the whole site to understand how it’s built and what’s the idea behind it. Try to feel it. Be the material. Think like material. Behave like material. You shouldn’t miss this point while getting started with Android.

4. Download Android Studio IDE

Download  Android Studio (not Eclipse).

It’s unquestionably the best IDE for Android and it’s from Google.

If it is a new IDE for you – don’t be afraid. I also started from Eclipse, ‘cause I know it already. One day I installed Android Studio and from that day, I will never install Eclipse again for Android purposes. You know, it’s like in a relationship. Eclipse is your first. You love her but you go to Stanford and she goes to Yale. It’s a hard decision to break up but you are so young. You have to think about your future. Bla, blah, blah. You know what I mean. Just download Android Studio, install it, learn how to use it for your glory!

5. Write some code

It’s time to look a bit at the code and write something. Practice together with a theory is one of the best ways of learning.

Go back to the official Android website and this time go to Develop. There are two of the most important sections:

• Training courses and Codelabs – you can find there a lot of helpful examples. Go through all these lessons before you start programming for real.
• API Reference – I know it will be hard to go through all these texts, descriptions, examples and so on but it’s worth it. Trust me. This section is very important.

6. Stay up to date

“My lord. I read all this stuff that you had written about. What I should do next?”.

“Do not stop”.

“What does it mean, my lord?”.

“Tell me, are you happy?”.

“Yes, my lord”.

“And what made you happy?”.

“All these sources that you gave me, my lord. I am a better person now”.

“Do not stop means then – find other ways to be happy”.

“Thank you, my lord. I will”.

I recommend you to check on Android development trends for 2020 which I have mentioned in the introduction.

Getting started with Android development – useful resources

Our journey comes to an end. We showed you a few crucial steps that will help you to learn Android app development. Now, we would like to give you a couple more valuable links:

• Subscribe Android Weekly – every week a lot of amazing Android content – articles, libraries, events. Don’t miss it.
• Subscribe AndroidDev Digest – like on Android Weekly, every week a lot of interesting articles and more.

• Kotlin Weekly – if you want to improve your Kotlin skills, this digest can be very helpful for you.
• Fragmented Podcast – Android podcast hosted by Donn Felker and Kaushik Gopal where they are talking about becoming a better Android developer with a lot of very interesting people from the Android world.

• Android Developers Backstage podcast – hosted by developers from the Android engineering team from Google.

• Participate in Android thread on Reddit – information, news, code, observations and more directly from Android developers all over the world.

• Read official Android Developers blog – very interesting texts written by Android people from Google.

• Subscribe the official Android Developers YouTube channel – a large dose of knowledge straight from the Android Developers from Google.

• And last, but not least – my colleagues’ articles on Droids On Roids blog – category Android – you can find there great knowledge, shared by experienced developers.

Don’t stop!

So that’s it. But remember – it’s just a beginning! I hope that this article will make your getting started with Android app development easier. Good luck!

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