Android OS currently has 86% of the market share. This figure can be attributed to the fact that Android is an open-source OS and is available on a variety of devices manufactured by different vendors. Add to it, the fact that Android is highly customizable also adds to the complexity.

The Google Play Store also has more apps listed compared to Apple’s Play Store or any other app market. If you want your Android app to stand out amidst the crowd of nearly 3 million apps in the store, you need to design and build an Android app that is not only visually eye-catching but also functions without any hitches and makes use and navigation easy for the average smartphone user.

The challenge most Android developers face is to tick all the above boxes when putting out an app. But many of these challenges can simply be avoided or at least made easier, by following Android best practices during development. Let us explore some of these best practices to make things easier for you.

Do not reuse strings

Use strings.xml while adding text. Creating separate strings.xml file per screen to avoid having to do code modification. Additionally, this comes in very handy if you plan to add additional language support for your app at a later stage.

Group reusable UI elements together

Use the <include /> tag to create and include a separate layout for your UI elements, so that they can be reused in multiple Android activities and fragments.

Use separate resources for development and production

Be default, Gradle gives you two build types – debug and release. It is possible (and recommended) to create individual folders for each build type. These folders follow the same structure as main and are adjacent to the main folder in the project structure. You can put your configuration files in these folders.

Avoid nested layouts

The way you manage the hierarchy of your View objects can have a substantial impact on your app’s performance. Deep layouts such as too much nesting tend to slow down the app. It is recommended that developers use the lint tool to optimize the view hierarchy.

Use libraries like Volley for Remote Procedure Call (RPC)
Volley is an HTTP library that makes networking very easy and fast. Big apps come with complicated codes, and it makes debugging hard too. So, it is recommended that developers use libraries such as Volley which reduce a lot of boilerplate code.

Following Android best practices not only makes it easier to manage your code but also reduces bugs and improves app performance as a result.

Telemerge IT Services is a bespoke web solutions provider. We provide custom-made web solutions that align with your business goals to deliver operational efficiency and better market readiness. At Telemerge, our developers always follow the best practices to make sure the solution we are designing for you is of top quality.

If you have been hearing the term ‘asynchronous programming’ a lot lately, you are well in the loop. Asynchronous programming has gained rapid popularity over the past few years. Asynchronous programming has existed since the very early days of computing, but with better hardware to handle multiple threads simultaneously, and ensure the smoother (and faster) working of an application, it is fast becoming a standard programming paradigm.

As opposed to synchronous programming which works in a linear fashion, tasks in asynchronous programming run parallelly, and sometimes even intersect each other, depending on whether it is a single-thread or multi-thread environment. In a single-thread environment, an asynchronous program can handle only one task at a time. The execution of a task can be suspended and then resumed alternating in time with any other task by the operating system. In a multi-threaded environment, an asynchronous program can handle a number of tasks at a time and the same task can be handled by multiple threads at different stages depending on the availability. This method is called concurrency.

Asynchronous code in Python relies on coroutines. Before Python 3.4 and 3.5 introduced asyncio and async/await in the library, asynchronous programs in Python had to depend on generator-based co-routines.

Asyncio is a concurrency module that facilitates managing of events, coroutines, tasks, threads, etc. Asyncio uses an async/await syntax and constructs such as:

– Event Loop: An event loop manages and distributes the execution of different tasks. It is responsible for input/output (I/O) and system events.

– Coroutines: Coroutines are special functions similar to Python generators, which are used for cooperative multitasking. Coroutines give up control to their callers to ensure that multiple applications can run at the same time.

– Tasks: Coroutines are wrapped in tasks, which schedule them concurrently.

– Futures: Futures represent the result of a task that may or may not be executed yet.

Telemerge IT Services is a bespoke software development partner for startups and small and medium-sized companies. We use a mix of technologies and techniques to deliver a software solution that is aligned with your business goals. To know how we can deliver a software solution that automates your business processes and improves efficiency, get in touch with us to discuss your project.