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.

The Rise in Marketing Through Mobile Apps

According to Forbes.com, “In 2014, app downloads are expected to top 179 billion. By 2017, this is going to rise to over almost 270 billion.” The download figures clearly indicate that mobile applications have become an inseparable part of modern lifestyle. The rapidly increasing popularity of mobile apps encourages many enterprises to switch from web-based marketing to mobile marketing. A constant increase is also being noted in the number of companies carrying out marketing campaigns through mobile apps. Mobile apps help businesses in promoting their products or services by targeting the most relevant customers regardless of their current geographical locations. Both large and small businesses can further reap several benefits by carrying out marketing through mobile applications.

Advantages of Using Mobile Apps for Marketing Products or Services

Target a Much Wider Audience: Many reports have highlighted the rapidly growing popularity of smartphones, tablets, phablets and other mobile devices. So a business has options to launch applications for a wide variety of mobile devices. An enterprise can use apps to promote its products or services by targeting more than one billion smart devices. It can easily convey the marketing materials and promotional offers to millions of customers and prospects without putting any extra effort.

Reach Customers Anytime and Anywhere: Most users keep their mobile devices within arm’s reach. Many users even carry their smartphones, tablets and phablets throughout the day. So the mobile apps enable businesses to communicate with their customers and prospects anytime and anywhere. Along with conveying the marketing materials, the mobile apps can also be used by enterprises to send messages and notifications. A number of reports have highlighted that messages or notifications sent through mobile applications are read by the recipients in mere seconds.

Personalize Marketing Campaigns: A business can also use mobile apps to gather detailed information about the customers. For instance, an enterprise can use mobile apps to know the habits, hobbies, preferences and socioeconomic status of its target audience. The vital customer data collected through the apps can be used by the company to make its marketing campaigns personalized. The personalized mobile marketing campaigns will help the business in increasing its sales and revenues.

Build Long-Term Relationships: To remain profitable in the longer run, each enterprise has to build long-term relationship with its customers. Along with attracting new customers, it is also important for the business to keep the existing customers engaged and happy. The mobile apps make it easier for businesses to attract new customers by conveying attractive offers and special deals. Likewise, the applications can further generate repeat business by delivering impressive customer service. A business can further use the applications to improve the quality of customer service by collecting customers’ feedback and response.

Facilitate Marketing Content Creation: The quality of marketing content often impacts the marketing campaign results directly. So each business has to invest time, efforts and funds to deliver attractive and engaging marketing content. Often enterprises find it a daunting challenge to design marketing content for web-based promotional campaigns. But an enterprise can create mobile marketing content without putting any extra time and efforts. The mobile content along with specials and promotional information can also be conveyed to the target audience effectively through mobile apps.

Allow Customers to Buy Products on the go: The webs stores have made it easier for customers to buy products without any hassle. But a business can make it easier for customers to buy products through their mobile device. A customer can further use his mobile device to buy desired products on the go. So a business can use mobile apps to modernize its sales and transaction process. It can create an application that allows customers to select items and make payment regardless of their current locations. The right mobile app can further help the business in getting more sales and inquiries.

On the whole, a business can get higher ROI by carrying out marketing campaigns through mobile apps. The business can further use certain tools to launch applications for different mobile platforms. So it becomes easier for a company to promote its products and services regardless of users’ mobile devices and operating systems. Offshore mobile application development teams can help you build projects within allocated budgets and time schedules.

We provide mobile app development services. If you would like to hire mobile app developers from us, we would be glad to assist you at Mindfire Solutions.

Enterprise Mobile App Development - Native vs. HTML5

Each enterprise wants to develop mobile applications by targeting the current trends in technologies and user demand. Most app developers also opt for innovative and advanced technologies to improve user experience without putting any extra time and effort. But the mobile application market is still dominates by enterprise apps developed using conventional technologies.

Despite the rapidly growing popularity of HTML5 app development, no one can deny the supreme user experience delivered by the native mobile applications. The recent surge of interest towards Android mobile app development has exceeded all the expectations. Many recent reports have further highlighted, a mobile application developer, nowadays, have to split his time evenly between the native and HTML5 apps. So it has become essential for programmers to distinguish between these two applications to pick the right technology for their project.

Important Points of Comparison between the Native and HTML5 Enterprise Apps

Cross Platform Compatibility

The popularity of a mobile application depends on its compatibility with major operating systems. Many enterprises even launch different versions of the same app to target different mobile platforms. HTML5 has made it easier for programmers to build interfaces that will run anywhere. But customized solutions like Appcelerator have made it easier for developers to build native applications rapidly to by targeting multiple operating systems. However, HTML5 is effective in overcoming the fragmentation challenges and making the app compatible with different types and versions of mobile web browsers.

User Experience

The outcome of a survey conducted by Compuware in March highlighted the popularity of mobile applications over mobile websites. The results also indicated how the rich user experience delivered by the native apps contributes towards the popularity of mobile apps. Unlike the native apps, the HTML5 apps lack certain features like NFC, VR and passport. So the developers using native devices has option to access over 6000 native device capabilities whereas the HTML 5 developers can access only up to 50.

Performance

A powerful mobile application must load and work seamlessly even when there is no high-speed internet connection. Many reports have highlighted the high performance of native mobile apps in comparison to HTML5. For example, a user can simply click on the calendar event on the native app, and observe how it loads in an instant. Despite being an innovative technology, HTML5 requires users to put some extra time and effort.

Updating Mobile Applications

Along with launching new apps, enterprises also constantly update their existing mobile apps to deliver improved user experience. Many companies even switch to the latest and innovative technologies to attract more users. Many developers use HTML5 to update and distribute their apps in a quick and hassle-free way. However, the native apps require programmers to go to an app store and follow certain procedure to launch the updated version of the interface.

Security

With more and more users carrying out financial transactions on their mobile devices, it has become essential for developers to optimize the security features. In comparison to HTML5, the native applications are considered to be more secure, and effective in protecting sensitive user data. Along with the information stored on the mobile device, the native apps can further secure the source code, data in transit, and URLs. On the other hand, the HTML5 developers have to write additional code to enhance the security features of their apps.

Return on Investment

The current economic conditions have compelled many enterprises to curtain mobile application development costs. So many enterprises want to reduce project overheads by investing in more innovative technologies. HTML5 enables companies to deliver the most up-to-date user experience by updating and distributing apps. Further, a company can easily hire developer familiar with HTML coding to build HTML5 apps. On the other hand, the native apps can be developed only by programmers familiar with Java and Objective-C.

Many enterprises are opting for hybrid enterprise mobile apps to avail advantages of both native and HTML5 apps. The hybrid apps are written in HTML5, and wrapped in a native container developed by using the cross-platform development tools. So the hybrid mobile applications can be developed by programmers familiar with CSS, JavaScript and HTML5. Along with delivering most up-to-date user experience, the combination of both technologies will further contribute towards reducing the overall development cost.

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