Android Developer Hiring Guide: Steps And Important Details To Consider

What is Android developer role? We will start with this topic to let you get acquainted with the job of this specialist. The main role of Android developer is to create applications for devices that run on Android operating system. Android developer should be able to make the developed app compatible with different versions of Android OS, and also he/she should take into account different types of devices since they all have different screen sizes and resolution. Android developer should be a master at key basics and particularities that this platform has.

Android developers can work either as a freelancer or as a participant in a large outsourcing team. But we will speak about it below more in detail.

As a rule, there are three levels of experience that all IT companies are used to adhering to. First, developers start with junior level. This level of experience implies that developers have just started developing their first apps, they don't have much experience in software development. And junior Android are usually engaged in the development of not complex apps and they work as assistants of middle and senior developers.

Then comes an intermediate or middle Android developer. Intermediate Android developers have enough skills to work on complex Android-based projects independently.

And the highest level of Android app developer skills is referred to senior developer. Senior Android programmers are specialists that have gained many skills during 5+ years. Senior developers often lead large projects, supervise the implementation of many technical tasks in apps, and Android programmers of such level are usually occupy team leaders position.

If you hire a freelance developer, you should determine beforehand how complex your project is, to find the developer with the right qualification. If you just need to add some updates to your ready-made app, it is highly possible that you may hire a junior developer. But if you need to build a powerful mobile app from scratch, you need a team of qualified developers, and it is better to hire outsourcing software development company like Cleveroad.

What should Android developer do? There are a few main tasks that Android programmer should perform. We will list each of them.

So that is the role of Android developer and what he should do. Now we will proceed to the types of employment of Android app developers.

You should know what types of developers can be. There are three main types and you can choose the type applicable for you in your specific case when you hire Android app developer.

Freelance Android developers. A freelance developer can be a good option if you want to cut your costs as much as possible, but you cannot control him or her like in the case with the contracted team, so you have to rely on developer's responsibility. Also, you have no any chances to test the level of freelance Android developer skills unless you haven't worked with him or her before.

In-house developers. You can create your own team locally that will be led by you. It is a good option but here you should control everything by yourself and you need to be skilled at the management processes.

Why is Ukraine a good region for the US to outsource the development? Watch our video:

Outsourced team. You can outsource software development to other company that can be located at any point in the world. Outsourcing company like Cleveroad will make your project on a turnkey basis. This option is rather expensive but you conclude the NDA (Non-Disclosure Agreement), so nobody will steal your idea, and it is an essential moment, sign a contract where all duties and responsibilities are indicated together with deadlines, and you can be sure that your project will be developed on time and it will have a relevant quality.

So it is up to you what team you will hire. But we consider the outsourced team as the most reliable since we always try to provide our customers with an app of a high-quality level.

Android developer should have important skills that will let him do his job efficiently and fast. You should pay attention to these skills and find out whether developers you found are good at these skills. This section will help you recognize experienced developers and see Android developer required skills.

Java is an object-oriented language that was developed in 1995 and it remains one of the most popular languages in the world for today. And this language is used by Android developers for the building of mobile apps. Why is Java so popular? First, it doesn't depend on any platforms, it is compiled in bytecode with the help of Java Virtual Machine. Second, it is a simple language that is easy-to-learn. A developer just needs to learn the main basics of object-oriented programming. That is why Java was selected as the main tool to build Android-based apps.

This the main and the first skill all Android developers should obtain, it is impossible to build apps for Android operating system without knowledge in Java.

Note: One year ago Google has started using Kotlin language as well for the development of mobile apps for Android OS. Technical skills for Android developer are expanding. So today many Android developers learn Kotlin language to stay updated and keep up with new technologies.

Android is an open-source platform that makes it possible to get access to all components of the mobile device where this operating system is being executed. XML technology is an Extensible Markup Language and it is widely used with HTML in the web development, but in mobile app development it is also a necessary tool, and developers should learn how to use it. XML is a widespread format for information exchange on the Internet, so Android developers need it to get access to web data. Many mobile apps require the Internet connection so XML can be necessary for data transfer to any web service. In other words, if you need a mobile app for Android that should connect with the Internet, developers will need to use XML undoubtedly. XML is also used for the building of layouts. Android developer skills list should include this skill for sure.

Android Software Development Kit is the main multipurpose tool for the development of mobile apps for Android. Android SDK has a large number of integrated functional tools that make it possible to test and debug source code, verify the compatibility of the app with different versions of OS. In fact, Android SDK has all the necessary features and tools for the development of many apps. SDK is constantly being updated and a developer can find new tools right there. For example, our developers can build some apps without using any external tools, Android SDK can be enough. So developers should be acquainted with Android SDK and it's content, it is one of the key skills of Android developer.

Android Studio is the integrated development environment where Android developers create all apps. Android Studio supports many versions of Android SDKs, so it allows programmers to do their best to build amazing and high-quality apps. Due to a large number of special features, developers will be able to see how their new app will look in that or another OS version since Android Studio has integrated emulator of various mobile devices. It is impossible to create Android-based apps without Android Studio, so it is a must-have tool in Android developer skill set.

Many apps rather often require the integration of third-party services that augment the app and enrich it with a larger number of features. For example, you need live video integration from Facebook in your app. Thus, a developer will use Facebook API to integrate live chat in your app. Or you need payment service. No problem, payment gateway API will be integrated depending on what payment service exactly you need. And, of course, Google offers it's own Google APIs for making an app smarter. So, dealing with API is one of Android developer key skills.

There are many apps that process huge amounts of data and all these data cannot be stored on a mobile device only. So developers use databases to find a good place to store all data that can be called at any moment. As a rule, developers use special cloud services like Firebase where all information can be stored, programmers just need to use APIs of such cloud platforms. Also, these platforms offer many libraries that developers integrate into the app and it facilitates seamless data transfer from app to cloud storage and vice versa. Also, developers may use local solutions like SQL to manage local databases. Anyway, to build apps developers should know about it for sure.

A couple of years ago Google introduced a new level of a user interface that may become available in all Android apps. Set of rules was called Material Design. New style changed the way how different elements are located on the screen, colors and shades were also changed. It is not a mandatory requirement yet, developers can choose today whether they use guidelines of Material Design or not. However, developers should have an experience of working Material Design and be ready to implement it in your app if necessary when you hire Android developer.

That was the main list of technical skills all Android devs should be acquainted with. Now let's speak about your requirements. 

If you plan to find Android developers, you should determine for Android developer what you need, what app type needs to be created, what particularities app should have etc. That is, you need to set software requirements for Android app development. That is why you should set up your requirements properly.

Describe your initial goal on the paper, write everything and clarify what goal you plan to achieve. It will help you understand how large the scale of your app and how it should look. If you have any doubts or you don't know what solution is right, Android application development company will help you find an answer.

It doesn't mean that you should be good at software development since you need to clarify the functionality. No. The only thing you need just to specify the main features you want, Android developer will be able to see the whole picture of your future app. Android app development requirements always give developers a wider vision of your future app.

If you think that one or another technology or tool should be applied in your app, you should indicate it, and your task is to indicate that Android developers should be skilled in this field. So, define the scope of work. Besides that, you can indicate what level of Android developer skills needed for your app, how experienced he/she should be and so on.

Well, it is the time to explain WHY Android app development is good and why you should hire Android app developers for your project. We will list all main benefits Android app development has.

When you contact software development company to create Android app, you should undertake three main steps that will help you make a right focus on your future app and determine where to find Android developers.

If this company is not a brand new company and you are not the first customer for this company, then you will probably find feedbacks from ex-customers (or current customers), and you will see what reviews prevail - negative or positive. Then you will be able to make your choice whether this company (or an individual developer) is the best option for you.

I am sure you don't want to hire Android app developer who still hadn't any experience in the mobile app development. So you need to find an experienced company that has a large portfolio of implemented apps and websites. Also, many software development companies have their set of open source projects on GitHub, so you can check them out to assess how experienced company is. If you see that company has everything listed in their development experience, you can safely hire such company and move forward.

Remember that you hire people, not robots. That is why you should feel comfortable in cooperation with a specific company, so the human factor cannot be removed. You should contact the project manager or Android developer directly, depending on whom you plan to work with - freelancer or company. Make sure that your communication will be smooth and easy, it is very important. But, of course, everything is up to you.

And the last but not the least section we cannot ignore is the Android developer contract rates. How much money will you have to spend on the development of a mobile app? Well, it depends on the country where a company or developer is located. We will list the main parts of the world to provide you with the main Android developer hourly rates in different regions of the world.

North America. This region is famous for it's the most expensive software development services. Android app development rate varies here from $150 to $170 per hour.

Australia. This mainland from Southern hemisphere can boast about a bit lower rates - $110 per hour of Android developer work.

Western Europe. European countries have more affordable prices, but, at the same time, the quality of software is of a very high level. $70 per hour is the main hourly rate.

Eastern Europe. Countries from this region are famous with high-skilled developers that have sufficient knowledge base. Besides that, hourly rates of Android developers vary from $35 to $50. For example, many customers choose Ukraine as the main arena for software development.

Drawing the line, we would like to add a couple of words regarding our Android developers. The team consists of 10 specialists which are skilled at various technologies required for the development of Android apps. 

#1. We have switched to Kotlin language recently. This language provides our Android developers with a simple and clear syntax that makes it possible to build apps fast and efficiently. Moreover, if you have an app written in Java and you need some modification, we can implement it using Kotlin since it is fully compatible with Java

#2. To ensure that your app will function properly on all Android-based devices, we perform thorough testing on devices with different screen sizes and resolution. 

#3. We use Agile development methodology for mobile app development since it is a more beneficial way to build your app. You see the result after each stage (sprint) of functionality is implemented, and you can always change your requirements for each stage. In addition, we test each sprint upon completion so the development process goes much faster. 

Now you can see what you need to undertake if you plan to hire Android app developer, you have a full-fledged guide that will help you deal with many challenges on your way. If you still didn't make your choice, contact us and we will find a solution for you since our mobile app developers are skilled enough to solve the problems of different complexities. Subscribe to our blog not to miss other useful guides!