In short, it allows information to be passed between devices in a way that can be understood consistently. It is a structured markup language, sharing many features in common with HTML – you may recognize the angled brackets, the and tag types, and the deep nesting of elements. XML was created as a standard way to encode data for internet-based mobile applications. “You end up writing less code, but your code is more elegant and precise.” “ You can’t afford to have ambiguity in a mobile environment, and Java makes sure that there’s no confusion about what each component of your application is trying to do,” says James Traver, a seasoned Android developer who’s taught the Software Engineering Immersive at GA. Developers have to be much more thoughtful with their code, defining the types of data their mobile applications plan to work with and more carefully allocating scarce memory resources. Like JavaScript and Ruby, Java is object-oriented, but it is also stricter about handling data types.

For those who have gained most of their programming experience in languages like JavaScript and Ruby, there can be a learning curve when picking up the Java programming language for the first time. Java is the programming language that underpins all Android development. So what does it take to become an Android developer? We asked some of the brightest developers in our community – here’s what you need to know. Mobile devices have smaller screens, simpler processors, and – in the case of Android – many different manufacturers, meaning that developers need to keep code flexible and account for various user interface scenarios. If you’re an experienced web developer, many of the concepts and technologies involved in Android app development will be analogous to things you already know – although building apps for mobile devices often requires mastery of a number of more nuanced concepts. When approaching a new technology for the first time, it often helps to break it down into pieces.

Building Android applications requires a deep understanding of programming and design.

Android studio languages