New features for Android app developers expected in Android Marshmallow

“Lots of Hope, Lots of Expectation and Lots of curiosity are there among the users and developers from Google this time. Android M i.e. Marshmallow is going to be launched shortly with a little delay as per previous declaration. Let’s see what Google is going to provide to the developers and users this time. Will it fulfil every demand; not possible though still to a large extend!!”

Rotating Home Screen: It has been a continuous demands from the users to find home screen of Android operating system in landscape mode. This time Google has listen the demand of users and made it possible with the latest Google’s Android M. Now the home screen can be rotated as per the gravity on the device and hence improves the user experience to a large extent. Now the home screen can have icons in horizontal as well as vertical directions.

Custom Chrome tab: Android M is going to provide much benefit to the developers in terms of creating amazingly attractive apps for the end user. Now Android apps i.e., web apps or hybrid apps or native apps can be seamlessly connected with the chrome browser without giving any annoying experience to the end user for permission. Imagine a situation where the app has a hyperlink and it is suppose to be opened by the user but needs the permission from the user to open on the chrome browser. Now with Android Marshmallow provides an awesome feature that will neither ask for permission for the user to open the link in the browser rather it will automatically open it in a new tab of chrome above the app without any hassle. In fact it will not even ask for user credentials if required by the browser because that will be automatically passed to the browser and saved in its cookies. It also enables developers to take the advantage of Auto-fill for the chrome browser.

App linking: It is yet another wonderful feature of Android M for the Android app developers and of course the users. It is often a complaint from the developers to link their app with a different one in a hassle free manner for quite some time. Now with Android M, Google is going to provide better accesses to different apps and app developers to interact in between with an intention to provide better user experience. Android Marshmallow enables developers to link with other app i.e., already installed on the user’s device in a smoother manner. In fact the authentication process that is required for this purpose will be taken cared by the operating system itself. When an Android developer implements this feature in its application, he needs to put some code for the auto verification process and that will enable the operating system to execute the auto verification process without any knowledge of the end user. The end user will be redirected to the linked app while the operating system does the auto verification process on the background and hence improving the overall user experience. This is really an awesome feature for Android developers to link their app with a different native app of the client device without much hassle. Apps like social networking apps, e-mail apps and other web apps can be easily integrated and give awesome experience to the user.

Android pay: Contact less payment was originated by Google before years; but it was not gained popularity with Android 2.3 version. Last year, Apple introduced its contact less payment method i.e., Apple pay with iOS 8; though, it received mixed response from the experts but gained good response from the end user and the industry. Undoubtedly this time Google is supposed to come back with its original virtual payment method i.e., Android pay and it happens with Android Marshmallow. Google is going to reintroduce Android pay as a contact less payment method for different merchants, paying for in-app purchase and with association with many banks to make it a successful project. For the time being Google is going to make it happen with USA users while making purchases from different merchants and has plan to implement it in other geographic locations in a gradual manner. Anyway this is going to make the Android app developers task a bit systematic now. With Google’s virtual account number, a user can directly pay for any app without any need of transaction through his credit card for better security.

White theme: In the first developers preview, Android Marshmallow had black theme which was heavily criticized by the Apple fans because they spread virtual notion that Google is doing the copy of iOS. With the second developers preview, Google removed the black theme or dark theme and introduced an absolute white theme. Now it is a challenge for Android developer to make their application look as gorgeous as it should be in a dark theme. For the same Android developers must give some more effort in choosing the colour combinations of their apps. This is not a big deal since it has nothing to do with the functionality of the application but still has some significant importance because it directly influences the user experience.

Finger print scanner: In Android M, Google is providing better access to the end users and developers with an option to authenticate any transaction or operation with Finger print scanning. Though there are very few android devices having fingerprint scan option; but with the introduction and encouragement from Google, it is obvious to find more devices with finger print scanner option. On the contrary, Android developers will get more advantage from the operating system. Now, the authentication process will become much hassle free for them. User’s authentication will does not require any credentials instead can be well handled by the finger print scanner feature of Android Marshmallow.

App Permission API: This is the most anticipated and important feature of Android M. Before going in-depth, let’s focus on a scenario. Suppose, there is an app that the user wants to install; then there is a sure permission request from the app like permission to access the user’s contact list, camera, photos, memory device etc. Suppose the user does not want to give access to the contact list to that app, then the entire process stops there. This is horrible. This time, Google is going to make the app permission process a lot easier. Now, the user will set some predefined app permissions in the device and according to his wish, he will give any permission API to the application making the whole process hassle free. In fact, he can modify the App permission API in future depending upon the requirement and his wish! It will not only give better user experience but also app developers will be benefited; after all satisfied customer is the target of every app developer!

If you need to hire Android App Developers for your next app or want to outsource Android App Development tasks on an ongoing basis by having an extended offshore development team, get in touch with Mindfire today. Send in your requirements to sales at Mindfire Solutions dot com.

Does iOS still outdo Android OS?

"Both Google and Apple are the next generation IT players after the golden era of Microsoft! There is a stiff competition between the two and it is obviously common. Apple’s iOS is designed keeping the high end user’s demand and perspective whereas Google’s Android is for all and sundry. There are many factors through which we can differentiate their core business plan; but at the end of day, it sounds odd that iOS outdoes Android especially considering the recent scenario. How? Let’s check it out."

User Experience: User experience is the key feature of every operating system to decide its fate! If today, Windows operating system is going to lose its grip from the industry then it's only due to its not up to date user experience; though it ruled the industry for many decades due to its upmarket user experience in the DOS era. With time, Apple's iOS and Google's Android understood the user demand and made their operating system quite user friendly to penetrate into the market. Now between these two rivals, Apple's iOS has better user experience than that of Android. Apple understands customer requirements and latent needs and designs products accordingly. On the contrary, Google's Android L and now upcoming M are aggressive enough to change the whole things in a single shot. Android Lollipop has received tremendous support from around the users for its iOS looks like in design. Now, with Android M, it is going to repeat again. In fact, experts believe that, this time Android M might beat iOS9!!

Cost effective: Apple gives better user experience and quality and reliable hardware devices but at a premium cost. It produces both the Operating system along with the smart phone (iPhone) and tablet i.e. iPad and those cost much higher than that of Android devices which are built by different manufacturers of the industry. So, there is no comparison between them in the cost effectiveness point of view. In fact, Google is quite ambitious to provide android device in everyone's hand at an affordable price of just $100 with its Android One project. Here Apple will not be able to outdo Android in any manner.

App population: There was a time, when the industry had a great respect for Apple device and iOS; but things have changed a lot since then. Now, with the introduction of Android, the industry got an amazing platform as an optional way to reach the user in a seamless manner. App developers are also encouraged to develop smart apps for Android operating system. To become an iOS app developer, you need lots of effort to put a quality app in the Appstore. On the contrary, Google's android play store is absolutely free for the android app developers to put and launch their app in the platform. Indeed it works like a heaven for the android developers. No need to struggle for permission from Apple. You just need to put your app in Google play store and make it live for your customer; you have enough time to modify and enhance your app later on. This made the population of android apps much more larger than life and expectation. Though you will get only good quality apps in iOS; you will also get similar or even better quality of apps in Playstore with many optional apps. Again, since there are a huge volume of apps in Playstore now, the new apps that are being developed by the android developer will be of better quality to sustain in the market. So it’s a win-win situation for both android developer and users. No way, here iOS can outdo android.

App Quality: Yes, undoubtedly iOS has much more quality apps; but the situation is getting reversed with time. With increasing volume of apps in Playstore, it becomes a challenge for the android app developers to develop better quality apps for the user to get accepted. Though, iOS app store is filled with extremely quality apps but the volume is limited; whereas you will get much bigger volume of android apps in the Playstore which will trigger better quality apps from the developers to fulfil the user demands. In future, the quality of android apps is supposed to be of much higher standard to compete with a larger number of apps already available in the Playstore.

Up-To-date: Yes, this is the only issue with Android. Android does not produce devices instead it only focuses on the quality of its operating system. As a result, many manufacturers get associated with android in developing devices for smart phone users. Now, these devices are not of uniform hardware specification in any manner. As a result, it is next to impossible to design an operating system that can run smoothly in all standards of hardware. In fact, many manufactures are producing budget smart phones that cost one tenth or even one fifteenth of the latest iPhone 6. So in that case, it is not possible for the manufacturer to provide up-to-date operating system to its user at such a low amount. Though high end devices like Samsung, LG, Sony, and Moto will get immediate update from the manufacturer; on the contrary, apple produces both device and OS from its in-house building. There are some issues with the compatibility with the Operating System and device. So, an apple user will get instantly updated version without any fail.

Finally, market penetration: When iOS started its venture into the industry, it received exceptional response from the users. But, the price and limited hardware has been always a great concern for Apple since its inception. The in-house smart phone i.e. iPhone and the tablet i.e. iPad is extremely premium and isn’t affordable to everyone. Now, on the contrary, Google’s Android has the benefit of the same i.e. budget smart phone or tablet for everyone. As a result, over the years the market share of Google’s Android is making a new milestone with every passing year. Now, Google’s Android Operating System is around 800 % -900 % ahead of that of iOS. Still the market share is in favour of Google. The cost effectiveness, quality service and better design have made it possible though. Anyway, after all, it’s entirely win-win situation for both Google and the common user altogether.

And while the battle is on as to who would dominate the scene, it would be beneficial to bring to your notice an offshore development company that boasts of the best mobile app development talent. They have designed apps that have been a rage on Appstore, Playstore and both. If you have an app in mind and need help to create it, just send in your requirements to sales at Mindfire Solutions dot com and we will get back to you in 72 hours.

Marketing via mobile app - Has this increased mobile development demand

We can’t ignore the importance of smart phones: Recently, we have seen a tremendous and successful curve in the growth of the smart phone industry. Almost billions of users are there to use smart phones in their hands. The smart phones have received such an overwhelming response due to its capability and potential through different features. The best feature is its internet connectivity that enables the user to be online anytime and anywhere through this small hardware. Moreover, there are many smart phone browsers that can help the user in browsing websites through mobile internet networks. As a result, the use of internet has increased to a magical extend. This triggers the mobile developers in building quality apps for different purposes. To add this, all other industries are trying to get the benefit from this situation. Industries like Hotel, Travel, Tourism and online business etc have gained a magical output from smart phone industry. Moreover, they are demanding for web apps and hybrid apps for their customers for the marketing purpose. Let us find out how this helps others.

Mobile app can help your business grow in much faster way: Through mobile apps that is being developed for your business can help you in bringing a good name and fame in the industry. You can reach at more customers and hence this will help your business to grow in a faster pace. You can reach at your customer beyond all geographic barriers through your mobile app. Just by a click on your app, your customer can be connected with you and your products or services in no time. This will definitely bring a smile on your dimple.

Reach at your customer with better quality of service: Through smart phone apps like android apps or iOS app, you can reach at millions or billions of users in no time. You can offer better quality of service through your app that will definitely give a new shape to your business. You can provide better service through your app. Moreover you can give instant support or service to your customers that will definitely bring you netter reputation in the industry. Moreover, value added services like chatting, online support etc can also help your customers feel privileged in the industry.

This increases the demand of mobile app developer: With the use of smart phone apps for various to every industry, we can see a tremendous demand for android app developers in the industry. This is definitely a positive signal for the future and hence we should encourage it.

Still there is much juice for future: Well, experts believe that the smart phone industry is at its childhood stage. There are lots of things to happen in recent future. Though the industry is changing in a much faster pace than before still, it is not at its peak yet. So, we can’t assume what and how it will look after a year!! We have to wait and watch for the uncertain and ever-changing future of smart phone industry.

At Mindfire Solutions, we have a team of senior iOS App Developers, who have developed over 100 custom iPhone and iPad Apps to our esteemed clients.

If you want to outsource iOS development tasks or hire top iPhone App developers, please feel free to write to sales at MindfireSolutions dot com and we would revert back in one business day.

From Idea to Mobile App: 5 Questions to ask BEFORE Building an App

The huge popularity of smartphones, tablets and other mobile devices has encouraged many enterprises to develop mobile apps. With more and more companies offering customized mobile app development services, it has also become easier for local and small businesses to launch their own applications. But an enterprise has to consider several key factors before investing the mobile app development. In addition to gathering innovative ideas, it is also important build a robust mobile application by implementing the ideas exactly. At the same time, an organization must consider the target audience to make the app popular within a short time span.

Five Questions Each Enterprise Must Ask Before Building a Mobile App

Question 1: Is there a real need for the mobile app?

An enterprise can achieve several advantages by launching a mobile application. Along with developing the app to generate more revenue, a business can also use the app as an effective medium to reach out to existing customers and prospects. But there are always chances the application has to compete with loads of similar apps launched by other companies. That is why; each enterprise must decide why it wants to develop the app. Also, it must do a detailed market research to find out is there a real need for the new application.

Question 2: Who will be interested in using the application?

While developing an app, the business needs to consider several factors to make it popular. The app can be popular only when it is developed by targeting the most relevant users. So a company must decide the target audience of the mobile application as part of the initial plan. Once the target users are identified, it will be easier to decide the app’s features and functionality. Further, the developers can choose innovative look and optimize its performance to deliver improved user experience.

Question 3: What type of mobile device and platform will the application run on?

The choice of mobile devices and operating systems varies from one enterprise to another. Some companies want to get higher ROI by targeting hugely popular mobile platforms like iOS or Android. At the same time, most organization, nowadays, launch different versions of the same time by targeting different operating systems. So a business needs to decide what devices and mobile operating systems it wants to target in advance. The selection of mobile platform and device is also essential to evaluate the available mobile application development options.

Question 4: What will make the mobile application stand out?

An enterprise has to explore options to beat competition before developing an app. As there are always chances that loads of similar apps will be available at the app store, it becomes essential to look for innovative ways to make the app stand out. It must offer some additional features and functionality to beat competition. Also, the look, feel and performance must be optimized to attract more users, and convince them to download it. A business also needs to identify the strengths and weakness of each existing app to make users addicted to its mobile application.

Question 5: How to build the mobile application?

When a business decides to launch a mobile application, it has options to choose from several development options. Some companies prefer developing the app through their in-house team, whereas others outsource the project. Each organization also has options to choose from a large number of freelance developers and development companies according to the needs of the project. Most companies prefer outsourcing the app development project to save both time and money. However, each of these development options has its own pros and cons. So the enterprise must evaluate and compare these development options to choose the best way to build the application.

In addition to asking these key questions, an enterprise also needs to decide the budget and timeframe for the mobile application development project. At the same time, the organization must make and implement a comprehensive marketing strategy to make the application popular within a short span of time by targeting the most effective online platforms. And that’s when you would need to hire mobile app programmers who are certified and benchmarked by the industry.

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