The impact of Covid 19 is seen on all aspects of life and the rules of social distancing have made the world more digital than ever before. From kids to professionals and elderly, all are depending on the mobile apps to connect to the world and meet their essential needs right from the comfort of their home.

A handful of useful apps in your device is always handy and sometimes play the role of a true companion. The amazing features and the remarkable user experience make some apps stand out from their counter parts.

Here we are sharing the list of 20 most downloaded apps in 2020.

Candy Crush Saga Instagram Microsoft OneDrive Gboard
Netflix Twitter Subway Surfers Microsoft Excel
Microsoft Word Skype Snapchat Microsoft PowerPoint
WhatsApp Facebook Messenger Google Maps
SHAREit YouTube Facebook Lite Uber

 

1. Candy Crush Saga

candy crush saga - most downloaded apps

This is a much loved game app by over a billion of users across the globe. The match-3 puzzle game is one of the all time popular mobile games with over a trillion levels played.

App Features

  • Switch and match Candies in this puzzle adventure to progress to the next level
  • The game demands to solve puzzles with quick thinking and smart moves
  • You can take part in time limited challenges to earn boosters to help you level up
  • Easily sync the game between devices and access full game features when connected to the internet

Rating: 4.6

Installs: 1,000,000,000+

Download: Android iOS

2. Instagram

instagram - most downloaded apps

This is a widely popular social media platform that lets you connect with friends, share what you are up to, or see the updates about others across the globe. There is no wonder it is one of the most downloaded apps with over a billion users so far.

App Features

  • Add photos and videos to your INSTA® story that disappear after 24 hours
  • Discover brands and small businesses or shop products that are significant to your personal style
  • Get inspired by photos and videos from new INSTA® accounts in Explore
  • Start fun conversations about what you see on Feed and Stories

Rating: 4.5

Installs: 1,000,000,000+

Download: Android iOS

3. Microsoft OneDrive

microsoft one drive - most downloaded apps

This app is an all in one solution to keep your photos and files backed up, synced, protected, and accessible on all your devices.

In addition to automatically backing up your phone’s photos and videos, this also lets you share and view OneDrive files, photos and documents with family and friends.

App Features

  • It offers 5 GB of free cloud storage and subscription options to get up to 1 TB of storage
  • The automatic tagging lets you find photos easily
  • Get notifications when a shared document is edited
  • Scan, sign, and send docs right from the OneDrive mobile app
  • Personal Vault lets you protect your important files with identity verification

Rating: 4.5       

Installs: 1,000,000,000+

Download: Android iOS

4. Gboard – the Google Keyboard

gboard - most downloaded apps

This amazing app have all what you love and look for in an advanced keyboard which includes Glide Typing, speed and reliability, voice typing, and a lot more.

The advanced form of multilingual typing suggest and autocorrect by analyzing the enabled languages and no more hassles for manual switching between languages.

App Features

  • Just slide your finger across the space bar to move the cursor
  • On large screen phones, pin keyboard to the left or the right of the screen and enjoy one-handed mode
  • Google Translate lets you translate as you type in the keyboard
  • Write in cursive and printed letters and choose the emojis faster
  • Easily search and share GIFs for the perfect reaction.

Rating: 4.5

Installs: 1,000,000,000+

Download: Android iOS

5. Netflix

netflix - most downloaded apps

You will get the most talked about TV shows and popular movies across the globe in one place with Netflix and the app need no more reason to be among the most downloaded apps in 2020.

Whether you are at home, on travel, commute or vacation, the app can be a handy choice on your mobile.

App Features

  • Netflix always recommend TV shows and movies you will love
  • Preview quick videos of series and movies and get notifications for new episodes and releases.
  • App allows creating up to five profiles for an account
  • Easily browse new titles or search for favorites and stream videos right on your device.
  • You may download titles to your mobile device and watch offline

Rating: 4.4

Installs: 1,000,000,000+

Download: Android iOS

Read Also : 24 Best Android Apps 2020

6. Twitter

twitter - most downloaded apps

This is an amazing social media app that lets you to know what is happening in the world at your finger tips. The tweets cover trending topics that ranges from local news, world news, to sports and gaming, celebrity gossip, politics and viral fun stories.

App Features

  • You may tweet, retweet, chat privately or go big and initiate a group conversation with your Twitter followers
  • Build an engaging profile and draw in followers from other social media platforms outside of Twitter
  • Platform allows celebs to build a personal connection and even chat with their fans
  • Join the conversation or watch live videos to deeply engage with large audiences & influencers directly from your mobile device

Rating: 4.4

Installs: 1,000,000,000+

Download: Android iOS

7. Subway Surfers

subwaysurfers - most downloaded apps

It is one of the most loved apps of the gaming enthusiasts and there is no wonder why it is in the list of the most downloaded games.

This is an infinite runner game and the player has to escape on a railroad with the goal of staying away and safe from a police officer and his dog.

App Features

  • This universal app comes with HD optimized graphics
  • This is a most daring and thrilling chase to join
  • Grind trains with your cool crew
  • Challenge and help your friends

Rating: 4.4

Installs: 1,000,000,000+

Download: Android iOS

8. Microsoft Excel: View, Edit, & Create Spreadsheets

microsoft excel - most downloaded apps

This is one of the most downloaded apps from Microsoft that made the life of many professionals easy. The app is designed to help you create, view, edit, and share your files with others quickly and easily.

Data analysis, accounting and finance are a lot easy as you can do it while you view the workbooks attached to email messages.

App Features

  • Manage charts, budgets, task lists, accounting, or financial analysis with Excel’s modern templates
  • Data analysis features like Add and Edit Chart Labels let you highlight key insights
  • Share files and charts with a few taps to quickly invite others to edit, view, or leave comments.
  • Easily create formulas, edit documents, manage budgets and design spreadsheets

Rating: 4.4

Installs: 1,000,000,000+

Download: Android iOS

9. Microsoft Word: Write, Edit & Share Docs on the Go

microsoft word - most downloaded apps

This is another app from Microsoft which is among the most downloaded apps as this amazing solution lets you create, read, edit, and share your files quickly and easily.

Bloggers, columnists, students, writers, journalists, or a project manager for documentation can find this app really handy.

App Features

  • Create docs, assignments, letters, blogs, scripts, notes and resumes with superbly designed modern templates.
  • Read docs, letters, PDFs, scripts, and more on your device with Reading View
  • Editor version history lets you revert to view earlier drafts.
  • File & doc permission management lets you see who is working on them
  • Easily format with page orientation, columns, custom headers and footers

Rating: 4.4

Installs: 1,000,000,000+

Download: Android iOS

10. Skype – free IM & video calls

skype

Owned gloriously by Microsoft, Skype is a great chat and online video calling app. Scalable and user-oriented, Skype offers incredible features, minimalist interface and high-quality smooth calling experience.

Skype is widely adopted among users for corporate and business communication due to its conference call capability, group chat and other handy functions.

App Features

  • Skype to Skype calls are free
  • App is available on phones, tablets, PCs and Macs
  • Share your screen to make travel plans with friends or present designs to your team
  • Get together with 1 or 24 of your friends and family on a HD video call
  • Liven up conversations with emoticons, giphy or images

Rating: 4.3

Installs: 1,000,000,000+

Download: Android iOS

app cost calculator

11. Snapchat

snapchat

Even though Instagram steals the best of Snapchat, the app is still searched and downloaded more frequently with over millions of daily users. The ability to control message visibility and limit its appearance for a certain time frame still manages to appeal to users.

The app is also downloaded for its exceptional visual experience, fun ways of expressing oneself and its security standard.

App Features

  • App opens right to the camera that lets you to send a Snap in seconds
  • Express yourself with Filters, Lenses, Bitmojis, and various fun effects
  • Follow friends and watch their Stories to see their day unfold
  • Look back on Snaps you have saved with free cloud storage
  • Easily discover live Stories from the community nearby, or across the world

Rating: 4.3

Installs: 1,000,000,000+

Download: Android iOS

12. Microsoft PowerPoint: Slideshows and Presentations

microsoft power point

You can quickly create, edit, view, present, or share presentations quickly and easily from anywhere with this awesome application. The powerful and customizable presentations make your projects stand out and you can share it to anyone with confidence.

App Features

  • With 1-click sharing, quickly invite others to edit, view, or provide feedback on your slides
  • Presenter Coach helps you practice your presentations with real-time suggestions to help you improve the final output
  • A quick view of your recent files lets you easily access it on any device
  • It allows to edit your presentation and customize it on the go or collaborate with others in real time

Ratings: 4.3

Installs: 1,000,000,000+

Download: Android iOS

13. WhatsApp Messenger

whatsapp-app-logo

It was acquired by Facebook in 2014 for a massive $19 billion deal. The promising adoption and growth of WhatsApp has made the app a global sensation among instant messaging tool in the chat app niche.

The app was among the most downloaded apps list consistently for many years in a row now. WhatsApp is also available now as WhatsApp business application separately.

App Features

  • Chat with your friends around the world as there is no extra charge to send WhatsApp messages internationally
  • Easily send and receive photos, videos, documents, and voice messages
  • App will save your recent messages until the next time you use the app
  • It works with your phone number and integrates seamlessly with your phone’s existing address book
  • WhatsApp Web lets you send and receive WhatsApp messages right from your computer’s browser.

Rating: 4.3

Installs: 5,000,000,000+

Download: Android iOS

14. Facebook

facebook

This amazing application needs no introduction as it is a widely accepted social media platform used by people of various ages and profession across the globe. Keeping up with friends is faster and easier than ever before as you can easily connect to anyone despite the location.

You can engage with friends, share updates and photos, and stay connected to pages and communities that are relevant to you.

App Features

  • Meet new people and connect with old friends despite time and location
  • Set status updates & use Facebook emoji to relay what is going on in your world
  • Get notifications when friends like and comment on your posts
  • Follow your favorite artists, websites, and companies to get their latest news
  • Buy and sell locally on Facebook Marketplace

Rating: 4.2

Installs: 5,000,000,000+

Download: Android iOS

15. Messenger – Text and Video Chat for Free

facebook-messenger-app-logo

Despite all the allegations about privacy and data misuse issues, the increased implementation of bots along with ability to make audio/video calls has made the standalone FB messenger service more interesting and valuable.

Moreover, the immense popularity Facebook messenger app has worldwide further bolsters the position of Facebook in the smartphone app marketplace.

App Features

  • Chat with friends across an array of devices, like desktop, Portal, and iOS.
  • Express yourself with stickers, gifs, and emojis
  • Send and receive money from friends in the app by adding your debit card or PayPal account
  • Keep your friends and family close with unlimited live video chatting
  • There is no limit to the number of files you can share with your friends

Rating: 4.2

Installs: 1,000,000,000+

Download: Android iOS

Read Also : 24 Best iPhone Apps 2020

16. Maps – Navigate & Explore

googlemaps

Google Maps app seems to have got a permanent spot in top 10 most sought-after apps in both Play Store and Apple App Store.

The mapping app usually comes by default in Android device and is super handy. There are hundreds of millions of businesses and places on the map and over 220 countries and territories are mapped.

App Features

  • Get real-time GPS navigation, traffic, and transit info
  • Save time with automatic rerouting based on live traffic, incidents, and road closures
  • Explore local neighborhoods by knowing where to eat, drink and go across the globe
  • Helps you beat traffic with real-time ETAs and traffic conditions
  • Easily create lists of your favorite places and share with friends

Rating: 4.1

Installs: 5,000,000,000+

Download: Android iOS

17. SHAREit – Transfer & Share

shareit

This amazing app makes it possible for you to transfer massive files between devices in a matter of seconds. As its developers affirm, the app is over 200 times faster than Bluetooth.

This should make you realize how epic SHAREit could be in your real-world work and activities of productivity. It doesn’t come much as a surprise to see it among the most downloaded apps list.

App Features

  • Easily transfer all types of files including photos, videos, music or even installed apps
  • Features excellent video player that support almost all formats
  • Discover tens of millions of high quality songs, and thousands of playlists to watch online and offline
  • Get personalized, funny GIFs, wallpapers & stickers to download & share

Rating: 4.1

Installs: 1,000,000,000+

Download: Android iOS

18. YouTube

youtube

Creativity and cooking to film trailers, marketing and educational clips, YouTube is the host of diverse video content uploaded every day.

YouTube app now offers more personalized and streamlined features for social activities and personal expressions. A good portion of YouTube traffic stems from its mobile app.

App Features

  • Upload and edit your own videos with filters and music
  • Browse personal recommendations on the Home tab
  • Let people know how you feel with likes, comments, and shares
  • It allows you to cast a video to your TV and watch on big screen
  • Ease of use features let you edit and upload videos, create playlists and subscribe to your favourite channels

Rating: 4.1

Installs: 5,000,000,000+

Download: Android iOS

19. Facebook Lite

facebook lite

Those who have low end devices with only 2G facilities can go for this lighter version of the Facebook app to experience the awesomeness of the app without comprising the device functionality. All the key features are available with only subtle changes to make it fit for the low end model.

App Features

  • Meet new friends and stay connected to your old buddies
  • Post status updates & use Facebook emoji to share what is going on
  • Follow people to get their latest news
  • Find local social events, RSVP, and make plans to meet up with friends
  • Buy and sell locally on Facebook Marketplace

Rating: 4.1

Installs: 1,000,000,000+

Download: Android iOS

20. Uber – Request a ride

uber

This amazing car rental app helps you to reach your destination in the least possible time with the help of reliable drivers near you. Users can request a ride on demand or schedule one ahead of time and make the journey comfortable.

App Features

  • See your price estimate upfront before booking and there is no room for surprise bills
  • Share your trip easily with loved ones and assure their peace of mind
  • Options are available to quickly share the trip details with emergency services.
  • New safety features and updated Community Guidelines are meant for respectful and positive experiences

Rating: 3.9

Installs: 500,000,000+

Download: Android iOS

Read Also: 20 Best Wear OS Apps 2020

Conclusion

These are just a few among the most downloaded apps in 2020. There are a lot more amazing apps that are really worth a try. Like we have mentioned, choosing the right app from the sea of options in the app stores is not really easy.

app cost calculator

Great engagement and memorable user experience is what makes these apps different from the lot other apps. Hope this list of the most downloaded amazing apps will give you good suggestions when you are trying to install some handy apps on your device.

Also the enthusiasts looking to design new mobile apps can look at this mobile app trends in the current digital world to learn the likes and dislikes of the targeted users.

Android Wear (Wear OS) is a comprehensive operating system that makes your smartwatches a lot smarter than you could imagine and lets you control the smartphones on the go. But not all android apps that you use on your smartphones are compatible with your wrist wear.

These amazing apps possess incredible ability to show notifications, entertain users, track fitness and perform a lot more. Some of them rely on partner app on paired smart phone device while a few works as a stand-alone functionality.

However, approach these android wear apps just on a convenience perspective and don’t expect the complete functionality like what you can do with your handsets.

But you can expect all sorts of handy capabilities including quick updates and notifications; can attend or make calls and stay organized on the go.

Let us have a look at some of the top android wear apps that you can look out for in 2023.

Stocard Infinity Loop Android Sleep Spotify
Lifesum Telegram Shazam Google Keep
Runkeeper Calm Pulse SMS Bring
Citymapper AccuWeather Glide Healthy Recipes
Google Maps Uber Google Fit Tinder

 

1. Stocard – Rewards Cards Wallet

stocard - android wear apps

Is your card or wallet pushing out because of too many cards in your pocket? With Stocard app, there is an all-in-one way out that let you keep your membership and loyalty cards secure, safe and hassle-free. As it is now available for Android Wear, users are at real comfort.

App Features

  • Digitalize your wallet by scanning the code on your plastic cards within seconds
  • Browse coupons, discounts, flyers and catalogues in Stocard
  • Add any card in Stocard with a QR code to Wallet
  • During shopping, get the barcode on your phone scanned by the cashier to receive your points

Rating: 4.8

Installs: 10,000,000+

Download: Android, iOS

2. Infinity Loop ®

infinity loop - android wear apps

Playing games in your wrist watch may seem not really practical considering the screen space. However, Infinity Loop ® is an interesting choice of android wear app in games category.

This puzzle game can help you stay relaxed when waiting for a few minutes at the train station or bus stop or while on travel.

App Features

  • Game is a fun way of increasing your logic skills
  • There are infinite numbers of levels for the game
  • User can go forward by creating intricate looping patterns
  • Game can be played for absolutely free of cost

Rating: 4.6

Installs: 10,000,000+

Download: Android, iOS

3. Sleep as Android Sleep cycle smart alarm

sleep as android - android wear apps

More than 10 million users across the globe are using the app to track and monitor their sleep patterns. The handset can be just placed on the bed to use the app but the wearable version makes things even more comfortable.

App Features

  • Performs sleep talk recording, snoring detection and anti-snoring
  • Offers gentle nature sound alarms and playlists
  • Gives sleep score by assessing duration, deficit, deep sleep %, snoring, efficiency and irregularity
  • Wearable tracking supports Pebble, Wear OS, Garmin Connect IQ, Mi Band, Tizen based Samsung wearables

Rating: 4.5

Installs: 10,000,000+

Download: Android

4. Spotify: Free Music and Podcasts Streaming

spotify - android wear apps

Even when you can’t enjoy the complete functionality just like your handset, the globally renowned streaming music app is now available on Android Wear.

Users can now easily browse through recently played songs or playlists and tap to play right from the watch screen.

App Features

  • Listen to music, albums, playlists, and podcasts wherever you are
  • App offers free music, playlists and thousands of podcasts that can’t be found anywhere else
  • Discover new music, albums, and podcasts from handset and later play from wrist wear
  • Users can find music for any mood and activity

Rating: 4.5

Installs: 500,000,000+

Download: Android, iOS

5. Lifesum – Diet Plan, Macro Calculator & Food Diary

lifesum - android wear apps

This is a good app choice for health-conscious people to easily tracks the food and water intake and attain the right balance. The app helps you to set personal health goals and motivate you to success with a simple but powerful personalized plan.

App Features

  • Get diet plan, food diary, macro calculator; calorie counter and healthy recipes right on the wrist
  • Tests are available to discover which food planner is the most suitable based on schedule and lifestyle
  • Offers calorie counter & food tracker with barcode scanner for easy logging
  • Health tracker lets you stay on top of fitness and health with personalized plan

Rating: 4.5

Installs: 10,000,000+

Download: Android, iOS

Read Also : 24 Best Android Apps 2023

6. Telegram

telegram - android wear apps

The fastest and most popular instant messaging app with over millions of users across globe is now available for Android Wear. Users can now view chats, create groups, take chat history and instantly reply to messages via text or audio message right from the wrist.

App Features

  • Wearable version offers customized themes that can be changed according to users wish
  • It is simple, fast, secure, and synced across all your devices
  • This reliable android wear app is built to deliver your messages in the minimum bytes possible
  • There are no ads or subscription fees for usage

Rating: 4.4

Installs: 500,000,000+

Download: Android, iOS

7. Shazam: Discover songs & lyrics in seconds

shazam - android wear apps

When you go out in gyms, clubs, malls or shops, you may come across some awesome music. But you may not always know the song title or artist and there is no way you can trace the song if you would love to hear it again later.

There is no more room for worry as Shazam app helps you discover the song in just a few seconds and the info will be synchronized on your account across devices for later reference.

App Features

  • Users can easily discover, artists, lyrics, videos & playlists for free
  • Get recommended songs and playlists to discover new music
  • Find out what is popular in your country or city with Shazam charts
  • Easily share songs with friends through social media platforms

Rating: 4.4

Installs: 100,000,000+

Download: Android, iOS

8. Google Keep – notes and lists

google keep - android wear apps

This is a convenient app to relieve of your ideas, thoughts, and to-do-list with good focus or to effortlessly write your article outlines, list to do for the week or a month or grocery shopping lists.

The OK Google voice command lets you to dictate your thoughts that get transcribed to notes instantly.

App Features

  • Easily plan that surprise party by sharing your Keep notes with others and collaborating on them in real time
  • Quickly capture what’s on your mind and get a reminder later at the right place or time
  • Record a voice memo and Keep will transcribe it so you can find it later.
  • Easily capture a thought or list for yourself, and share it with friends and family

Rating: 4.4

Installs: 500,000,000+

Download: Android, iOS

9. Runkeeper – GPS Track Run Walk

runkeeper

It is one of the best fitness apps that are made available for Android Wear that easily keeps track of your running and other activities and motivates you to stay healthy.

Users can set personalized goals for running pace and weight loss and app guides you through the process.

App Features

  • Offers personalized routines to fit into your busy schedule and gives helpful reminders
  • Join challenges, snag exercise rewards, and share achievements with your friends and stay motivated
  • Easily set a motivating voice that you can customize to relay your pace, distance, and time
  • Save, discover, and build new exercise routes with GPS

Rating: 4.4

Installs: 10,000,000+

Download: Android, iOS

10. Calm – Meditate, Sleep, Relax

calm

Apple Watches are known for awesome apps that supports meditation and relaxation exercises. The Calm app is a great alternative in the Wear OS platform that lets you experience meditations right from your wrist.

App Features

  • Guided meditation sessions are available in lengths of 3, 5, 10, 15, 20 or 25 minutes
  • A new 10-minute program is added daily to help ease you into the day or unwind with before bed
  • Offers life changing Calm master classes taught by world-renowned experts
  • Make the best use of exclusive music engineered to help you focus, relax or sleep

Rating: 4.4

Installs: 10,000,000+

Download: Android, iOS

app cost calculator

11. Pulse SMS (Phone/Tablet/Web)

pulse sms

Pulse SMS is among the top class texting apps that are offered for Android Wear OS. It is one of the very few messaging apps that are made available for all three platforms.

App Features

  • Endless global and per-conversation customization options, along with thousands of colour choices
  • It is Password protected and allows private conversations
  • Easily set automated replies based on contacts, keywords, and driving/vacation modes
  • Allows to sync your SMS and MMS messages available across all of your devices

Rating: 4.4

Installs: 1,000,000+

Download: Android

12. Bring! Grocery Shopping List

bring

This is one of the best and convenient shopping list apps available for the Android Wear that offers a great experience for smartwatch users.

Let it be any type of events or similar occasions, this android wear app lets you share the shopping lists to friends, family members or colleagues by creating groups right from your wrist.

App Features

  • It is a clean, uncluttered and easy-to-use shopping list app for Android Wear OS
  • Clear labels and icons make it easier for users to add products and photos
  • Leave your heavy wallet at home and save all your loyalty cards in your Bring! wallet instead
  • Get individual shopping suggestions and reminders tailored to your specific needs

Rating: 4.4

Installs: 5,000,000+

Download: Android, iOS

13. Citymapper: Subway, Bus & Train Live Transit Times

citymapper

This is actually a refreshing guide that gives live information to your wristwatch while you are having a stroll through a new town or the status of the public transport while at home.

The app offers you the best route possible and updates the real-time bus, taxi, train; and ferry data.

App Features

  • Trip planner combines all transport modes in your city to find the fastest route
  • Get real-time step-by-step directions, including live bus times and alarm to get off the bus
  • Receive alerts when your favourite lines are disrupted
  • Get directed to the best pick up spots for your cab

Rating: 4.4

Installs: 10,000,000+

Download: Android, iOS

14. AccuWeather: Weather alerts & live forecast radar

accuweather

This is one of the first and best weather apps that were made available in Android Wear OS support. All the basic features like current temperature, weather alerts (U.S. only), forecast, radar, wind speed and humidity are now accessible from wrist.

App Features

  • Get today’s weather forecast and be prepared for any sudden changes with live alerts, radar maps, and detailed reports
  • Get worldwide weather updates if you are home or away
  • Read articles and watch videos that are updated regularly and personalized to your needs
  • Control what type of weather alerts you get with the new custom notifications

Rating: 4.3

Installs: 50,000,000+

Download: Android, iOS

15. Glide – Video Chat Messenger

glide

The Glide Android wear app lets you start a video call right from your wrist just by pairing the smartwatch with your smartphone. This awesome app combines the convenience of texting with the expressiveness of video chat.

App Features

  • Cool filters make your video messages look awesome
  • Watch live videos, respond with texts, emojis, and even live voice recordings right from your wrist
  • Review your videos before sending, or tap to stream live
  • Share videos with friends and family from everywhere to anywhere

Rating: 4.3

Installs: 10,000,000+

Download: Android, iOS

Read Also : 24 Best IPhone Apps 2023

16. Healthy Recipes

healthy recipies

It is common among people to look out for recipes in their handsets while cooking but sometimes your hands may be all messy to handle the mobile.

In such cases, Healthy Recipes android wear app can be the right choice as you can get the directions for your favourite recipe on your wrist.

App Features

  • Recipe finder lets you search and find your special recipes
  • Healthy meal planner guides you to maintain your health and fitness
  • Effortlessly collect and organize your favourite recipes
  • Easily browse through 1000000+ recipes

Rating: 4.2

Installs: 1,000,000+

Download: Android

17. Maps – Navigate & Explore

googlemaps

If you are stuck in an unknown place, the Google Maps on Wear OS can be really handy to find out the exact location you are looking for right from your wrists.

There is no better option to get real-time GPS navigation, traffic, and transit info, and explore local neighbourhoods.

App Features

  • Catch your bus, train, or ride-share with real-time transit info
  • Easily discover local restaurant, events, and activities that matter to you
  • Allows you to create lists of your favorite places and share with friends
  • Offline maps are available to search and navigate without an internet connection
  • Save time with automatic rerouting based on live traffic, incidents, and road closures

Ratings: 4.1

Installs: 5,000,000,000+

Download: Android, iOS

18. Uber – Request a ride

uber

Users who often travel and book rides across cities can rely on Uber app that adds a great convenience to the overall trip. There is no wonder why many everyday commuters are considering it as a great companion.

Those with smartwatches can now use the android wear app version to get the better out of the options.

App Features

  • Allows you to book cabs directly from your watch without the need of taking phone which is handy at times of emergencies
  • The exact location of the driver can be tracked easily to coordinate better
  • ETA of the driver can be checked whenever needed right from your wearable
  • App is available at more than 600 airports and in 700+ cities around the world
  • New safety features and Community Guidelines are added for respectful and positive experiences.

Rating: 3.9

Installs: 500,000,000+

Download: Android, iOS

19. Google Fit: Health and Activity Tracking

google fit

Focused absolutely on enhancing fitness and workout structure of users, Google Fit is Google’s celebrated fitness app for Android wear.

This smart app is dedicated to track all your physical activities and workouts to give you instantaneous picture of your rides, runs, jogs, and walks.

App Features

  • App lets you know what kind of activity is needed to stay healthy
  • Achieve health goals by earning Heart Points as the app is collaborated with the World Health Organization (WHO) and the American Heart Association (AHA)
  • Earn one Heart Point for each minute of moderate activity and double points for more intense activities
  • Gives you instant insights when you exercise and uses heart rate sensors to record your speed, pace, route, and more

Rating: 3.9

Installs: 50,000,000+

Download: Android, iOS

20. Tinder

tinder

Do you have any plans to go out on a pleasant date this evening? Get the power and happiness of swipe of Tinder right on your wrist. This is a widely used dating app available on Android wear OS. In fact, it is the most popular app across globe for meeting new people.

App Features

  • Set up your location settings and find local singles in your area
  • The app boasts of 30 billion matches to date
  • A good choice to expand your social network or meet locals when you’re travelling
  • People will only get matched when there’s a mutual interest

Rating: 3.6

Installs: 100,000,000+

Download: Android, iOS

Final remarks

This was our comprehensive list of 20 best picks in Android Wear apps you need to get started with Android smartwatch. There are a wide range of fascinating apps with improved features and compatible functionality for the latest Android Wear OS.

app cost calculator

With advanced updates and thoughtful app innovations, there is practically no limit to what you can do on the tiny screen of your Google’s stunning Wearable. We expect that some of these apps will inspire you to try them on your device.

The concept of Android TV app has evoked unbelievable interest among millennials who expect their favorite entertainment (especially sports and news broadcast) to be available anytime anywhere on any device.

Now all the rage, almost one-third of online content is consumed in form of videos via TV apps. Apart from amusement, live streaming applications also fulfill the intent of business marketing.

At times when 80% of consumers prefer live streaming material than reading blogs, the trend is shifting from pre-produced videos to live-streaming apps.

The Rise of Android TV Apps

android tv app

Basically, in its typical definition, TV app is a live broadcast of every action occurring somewhere while capturing them on a specific device you are taking video from.

The result is a rare opportunity to watch it in real-time on personal devices such as computer or mobile. From sports and news to live gaming and social media, Android TV app is prevalent across the globe now.

Read Also: How to build an entertainment app like Hotstar

Social media channels are thickly crowded with millions of viewers who want to relish the live streaming activity in real time. Streaming content also benefits businesses retain their existing customer base, acquire new ones, establish brand loyalty and seize maximum attention of the target audience.

A few live streaming apps seen as crowned to top are:

  • Facebook live
  • YouTube live
  • Instagram live
  • Twitch
  • Periscope

Statistics and Facts about TV Apps:

statistics and facts

  • 79% of people are convinced to buy a piece of software or an app by watching a video.
  • Social media videos are generating 1200% more shares than texts and images.
  • About 41% more traffic is added to companies using videos to explain their product.
  • 63% of people age 18-34 watch live streaming videos
  • 47% of viewers are increasing every year on live streaming.
  • 79% of people feel live streaming videos are more authentic than pre-recorded videos.
  • Of all internet traffic almost 82% of traffic is expected on live streaming by 2020.
  • The expected revenue from live streaming by 2025 is $ 125 billion.

Types of TV Applications

There are different kinds of TV apps popular in app stores. If you want to develop a tv app then, first of all, understand which type you need to develop for an android app or iOS app.

hire android app developers

Select the type of streaming app according to the type of task you want to complete. Based on the type of task the application is designed and categorized. There are three types of streaming applications:

1) Audio-only streaming

In this type of application you can play only audio like songs. The user can listen to music without preliminary downloading. This is a type of app is very simple to use. Some popular streaming apps you will find today are Pandora, Spotify, Apple Music.

2) Video On- Demand Streaming (VoD)

This app allows users to watch TV series, videos, and movies without downloading it. Users are allowed to pause, resume, rewind, and even can skip unwanted parts of the video.

Users need to pay some amount to streaming services for watching video content. Some popular video streaming apps are Netflix, Amazon, Vevo, Hulu.

3) Live Broadcasting

It is one of the most popular types of live streaming media on social media. This type of application allows users to watch the video in real-time mode. It is recorded and telecasted simultaneously.

On this, professional streamers, stream how they play games, how they talk about different things and simply answers all the questions online. The popular live-streaming apps are Facebook live, Instagram live, YouTube live, Periscope, etc.

Reasons to Develop an Android TV App

reasons to develop

1) Ad-Free Way of Interaction

Ads interrupts and ruins the experience of your online video watching. Live streaming provides users an amazing ad-free experience of online streaming. It will increase loyalty for your brand and engagement of old as well as new users.

2) Increases attention from the potential customers

The perception of users is different for live broadcasting. Live streaming captures more attention from potential customers as they are more interested in real-time streaming as they are developing more interest in real-time streaming.

3) Prolific content

Customers are more interested in watching than reading the information about your product. The detailed information about your product on social media will not push customers to use it.

But live streaming apps engage more customers and gives richer content to potential customers.

4) Increases Brand-loyalty

In real-time promotion, your product will look much more captivating and brighter. Live streaming helps to increase loyalty to your brand by giving proper exposure to your product. Live streaming gives a more detailed and bountiful way to tell about your brand to new customers.

5) Real-Time Engagement

Live streaming is the best option to reach more customers and engage in more potential customers. You can communicate directly to the customers through live interaction which will give a positive effect on lead generation.

app cost calculator

6) Basic features

The basic features should be interesting for users. Create an MVP version of the app with minimum features. The basic features should be:

7) Registration

The registration process should be simple; it should be implemented with the use of the mobile number, e-mail address, or password. Also, add forgotten password function by user e-mail or mobile number.

8) Personal profile

Ask users their personal information to add while signing up on your live streaming apps. A small amount of information is sufficient like full name, profile picture, username, subscriptions, subscribers, locations, and interest.

Read Also: How much does it cost to create an app like Hotstar

9) Streaming

Scalability is most important in streaming app development. Implement the function of online streaming with a watch later and save option. Your cloud server should have larger storage for this.

10) Comments

Give the users to express their opinion and feedback about the streaming video which helps in improving the quality of broadcasts.

11) Notifications

Users should be notified by the app for their favorite and subscribed videos stream online, whenever a new video is uploaded or playing live.

Steps to develop an Android TV App

tv guide

Follow a few important steps to create a live streaming app:

1) Get license

The first step is to acquire a license and publishing rights for your content. If you want to upload ‘video-on-demand services’ to your customers, then you should have the right to stream such content.

Make a contract with a content provider to give you a right to distribute video content. Create terms of use and enable people to read and accept the terms before using or watching your content.

2) Choose your platform

This is an important step in creating live-streaming apps. Choose wisely your content delivery platform as this will ensure the smooth delivery of your content without any interruptions.

You really need to think ahead and may have to pay additionally for a content delivery network.

3) Choose a reliable host

It is also necessary to choose reliable server hosting that will ensure continuous streaming services for your customers despite the future surge in traffic.

When your services become popular, numbers of users will grow and thousands of users will subscribe to your services simultaneously. You should have strong server infrastructure to deliver quality live streaming video to your users.

4) Storage

Your content should be stored in a reliable place that enables users to watch your videos again and without any failures. Live streaming videos should contain a replay option and powerful SSD-storage with proper functionality.

5) Aesthetically stunning UI/UX

The appearance of your live streaming app means a lot because users usually judge and rate your streaming service based on the first impression they get after having a first look.

To create the best possible appearance of your streaming app, you need to hire highly skilled and experienced designers. However, with that said, it is wise not to overload your streaming service with tons of images and UI elements.

6) Testing

After developing a live streaming app, it’s important to test the app and its features in real-time. Only after testing you are ready to launch your live streaming application.

Many problems may arise while developing and marketing the app. And it’s also important to research constantly about what is going on in Live streaming apps market.

Read Also: How much does it cost to create an app like Instagram

Conclusion

Android TV app development is taking a shape of cool trend at the moment and building a successful live streaming app would be the best decision.

To ensure your live streaming app creates a huge turnout and blazes a trail while sustaining the millions of viewers, you will need to find a potent and technically sound mobile app development partner.

If you feel you can entrust us with all your project expectations, we will be willing to hear your requirements. If you seek consultation to develop an android tv app for your business, Contact

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What is React Native?

React Native is a JavaScript framework which is used for developing mobile applications for iOS and Android.  It uses the React framework and offers large amount of inbuilt components and APIs.

Discovery of React Native by Facebook was an intriguing phenomenon since Mark Zuckerberg announced how amazing this framework is for mobile app developers.

It is because of its potential to bring all the basic features of web development in mobile platform that captured a lot of attention among both app entrepreneurs and developers.

Ever since its introduction to mobility world, React Native as a complete cross-platform app development framework continued to drive a lot of interest and global adoption.

mobile app development

When a framework is believed to be beneficial for mobile app developers, its myriad benefits also automatically appeal to entrepreneurs with its ability to reduce cost and time.

However, to understand that the limelight React Native is getting is not too exaggerated and it is comparatively better than native app development, we are going to go through a tutorial of this framework in the following discussion.

This tutorial will help beginners in the space of React Native development broaden their perspective about the technology and know what all factors they should consider when opting for React Native for mobile app development through this tutorial.

Who Invented React Native?

This open-source mobile application framework was created by Jordan Walke, a software engineer at Facebook.   He released an early prototype of React called “FaxJS”.

React was first deployed on Facebook’s News Feed in 2011 and later on Instagram in 2012.  In May 2013, React was open-sourced at JSConf US.

In this tutorial, we shall have a broad view about react native and also have some topics  should go through before starting learning.

What is difference between React JS and react native?

react native tutorial

Due to obvious presence of React in React Native framework, entrepreneurs and beginners often get confused about their exact use and applications in the world of development.

It is therefore important to imbibe the fundamental difference between React and React Native technologies. React uses React DOM for rendering web development solutions while React Native stands as a custom solution for rendering React files for mobile equivalent.

React Native uses native components as building blocks for developing mobile apps unlike React that uses web components. As a first-time learner of React Native, it is inevitable that you must gather enough basic overview of the React concepts such as its class, components, JSX, state and more.

Even if you have know how about React, you will have to explore the Native components of React Native that makes React code work for Android and iOS.

Read Also: Difference Between React JS and React Native

With the deep confusion around React Native now clarified, it is time to focus on the business-oriented benefits of using React Native over other cross-platform frameworks and tools.

The upper hand of React Native over other frameworks

react native tutorial

  • Intuitive User Interface
  • Advantage of JavaScript
  • Ease of setup and configuration
  • Mature, impeccable structure
  • User-friendly development environment
  • Diversity of invaluable tools
  • Easy to learn and adopt
  • Impressive performance
  • Community Support
  • Efficient Testing
  • Proper Documentation
  • Affordability and economy
  • Better Lifecycle Management

React Native: Pros and Cons

Of course, like any framework, perfection and imperfection both co-exists in React Native framework although the cross-platform technology boasts of more pros than cons for active react native app developers.

Cultivating basic insight into all the benefits and limitations will help fuel the development process and make developers more proactive, vigilant and confident in their space.

Pros

Slim Coding: Write once run everywhere

The most exhilarating part about working with React Native app development is that it allows you to adopt single code base for all platforms (Android, iOS, Windows).

This goes to imply that the team of Native developers would not have to write separate codes for different target platforms. They can follow write-once-run-everywhere approach, having to code the app just once and make it live across available platforms.

Rapid App Development

react native tutorial

Another pro that is most likely to be the comforting answer to React Native conundrum is that the framework facilitates rapid app development, minimizing both the team size as well as time required to finish the project.

The mobile app development company does not need to involve too many developers especially to individually work for all platforms. As single team is enough to look after all the requirements efficiently and project doesn’t demand extensive timeline, the overall efforts for design, development and testing are too massive.

Read Also: React Native App Development Company in UK

Lean Learning Curve for Web Developers

React Native is based on JavaScript and existing web developers who possess good familiarity with this JS can easily get their hands on React Native app development.

Hence, it is not a massive struggle if you want to learn and eventually switch to mobile app development using React Native as a core technology in this tutorial.

Open Source

react native tutorial

At the start of any mobile app development project, developers emphatically seek open source nature of the technologies being used. React Native, being the open source, thus pleases developers by allowing them to freely inspect code.

Not only that, due to being open source, its library is generous and updated with components that even work for rare platforms like tvOS.

Comfortable team composition

The nature of React native development is such that it also comforts entrepreneurs who often brood over assembling great number of developers to create a huge team.

The framework allows you to dispense with a small size of development team which is composed with merely:

  • Tech consultant
  • Project Manager
  • React Native Developer
  • UI/UX Designers
  • Business Analyst
  • QA Specialist

In case of pure native app development, you may end up choosing almost double the number or more is depending on the project size.

How much does react native cost?

react nattive tutorial

The cost factor of mobile app development that drives major concern for businesses also works in their favor. React native app development brings down the spending which is another great benefit for both developers building the app and entrepreneurs worried about ROI.

This means having a dream about mobile app development does not necessarily mean you will bear enormous cost if it is done using React Native – another reason why the technology is so popular as an effective way to reduce the investment.

app development cost

React Native example

Here are a list of some popular apps built using React Native

  • Snapchat
  • Tinder
  • Instagram
  • AirBnB
  • Myntra

Read Also: 13 Famous Apps Built With React Native

Scalability for future

Even after hearing about its several incredible benefits, what developers and app entrepreneurs worry about is whether or not React Native is flexible and versatile enough to fulfill unpredictable scope of app scalability in future.

As business grows and marketplace evolves, the need to meet the loads of requirements of increased real-time users becomes inevitable. To their relief, this overwhelming expectation is fulfilled efficiently by the flexible capability of React Native cross-platform framework.

If developers are experienced and aware of how they can tune React Native structure to handle increased volume of customer activities, your app can be as successful as one of those big brands like Facebook, Instagram, Airbnb or Walmart. They are all powered by versatile React Native.

Hot Reload Option

Another technical aspect that developers ponder over while figuring out technologies is the amount of time consumed when actually writing and running application code. Thankfully enough, React Native affords hot reload solution which is a brilliant time-saving functionality.

With this capability in place, developers find it easy to view in real time how any change in code appears in target device. The action of checking the effect does not demand burdensome efforts, which lucidly proves that React Native has developer-friendly environment.

Cons

Poor connection with device’s Native environment

react native tutorial

A little unpleasant blow for React Native developers is that it does not directly interact with device’s native elements such as Camera, Voice recorder, etc. this is the kind of challenge that even its closest alternatives like Xamarin and Flutter don’t seem to solve completely.

Hence, in certain technical dilemma, native app development outweighs the cross-platform capability of React Native to an extent.

Limited Native APIs

In React Native, developers are restricted from using certain Native APIs as there isn’t much support for all Native APIs. However, the technology is working on providing support for those Native APIs. For now, this is one of the plights where Native app development seems to overshadow React Native power.

Insufficient Third-Party Libraries

third party

Another down point in React Native development is that it lacks third-party libraries. Developers have to depend on native modules to leverage libraries – which somewhat adds to development efforts in the long run.

Adoption rate of React Native

By mentioning all the pros and limitations associated with using React Native for cross-platform development, we could clearly see how React Native, when compared with other tools or app development methods, emerges stronger and more reliable.

The reason why React Native still holds its significance and is widely adopted is that it has all the functionalities developers need for cross-platform development process.

Pros the framework offers are too great to be overwhelmed by its limitations, or by native app development approach. This is why there is a steep rise and interest in adopting React Native for creating sophisticated, business-class mobile apps.

To understand the size of React Native’s adoption by global businesses, we must be driven to take a good look at those eminent big brand names that turned to RN to build the backbone of their applications.

Who are using react native?

Apart from the companies that are now starting to feel positive about React Native for mobile app development, here is the glance at globally recognized applications:

  • Facebook
  • Bloomberg
  • Tesla
  • Uber
  • Walmart
  • Instagram
  • SoundCloud
  • Townske
  • Gyroscope
  • Vogue

Why we use React Native?

The reasons to use React Native are that it is a popular framework that is used to build web applications. React popularized the use of a virtual DOM, this in turn greatly increased render performance for web apps.

This open-source mobile application framework maintains a virtual representation of the view hierarchy.  So, when changes are made, you no longer have to do expensive operations on the view hierarchy.

React uses an efficient diffing algorithm to compare the virtual hierarchy and then necessary changes are made to the actual view hierarchy.

Encapsulation of components is another fascinating principle of React. React encapsulates each single component into a single file.  With React Native, you can save a lot of compile time.

React Native helps build app that can work across multiple types of platforms including iOS and Android.   This cross-platform feature helps large or small company to save their time and money.

React Native has Rich Text Editor which helps increase the overall productivity.  The key benefits of Rich Text Editor are that it will not crash, hang and lose syntax highlighting.

React Native: Possibilities and Potential

While the world of developers and entrepreneurs are still hoping to use React Native for applications of any kind, in the moment the type of mobile apps that can be built with the framework are categorized as:

Simple and intuitive UI

ui ux

React Native helps develop mobile apps with simple, interactive and intuitive user interface. Since the technology offers unparalleled capabilities like hot reloading and slim coding, it is a viable solution for building a high-performance mobile app with best UI elements and features.

Strategic Prototypes

The mobile app industry deeply believes in first generating the app prototypes in order to validate the idea before plunging further in. App prototyping is another need addressed by React Native because of its ability to deliver the software model in less time.

Also, the cross-platform framework makes the entire process of prototype creation less costly than other frameworks in the app development market.

Basic functionalities

For an app built without deep complexities or any challenging functionalities, React Native could be the best option to look forward to. You can easily consider it suitable for mobile apps with not many heavy functionalities to go.

Industry-specific apps

Since React Native does not typically provide you with much ground to fiddle with native device elements, apps that don’t directly interact with native features can be perfect for React Native development.

Still, React Native has bred apps for huge brands as seen above – apps that don’t solely exist as an independent software. For instance, Facebook, Instagram and Uber are all using real-time features that require making connection with local device setup.

Hence, it is important to notice that React Native framework can be used as a versatile and adaptive structure to build industry-specific apps.

Read Also: Comparison Between Flutter Vs React Native

What is the future of react native?

A survey conducted by Stack Overflow Developer in 2018 reveals that React is the framework that every developers wants to work with and also  many developers are interested in React Native.  The future of React Native is fabric and it boils down to three major internal changes.

  • New threading model – A new threading model makes it possible to call synchronously into JavaScript on any thread, maintaining responsiveness while keeping low-priority work off the main thread.
  • Async rendering capabilities – Async rendering capabilities will be incorporated into React Native.
  • Simplified bridge – A new simplified bridge will make direct calls between native and JavaScript and make it easier to build various debugging tools.

Sophie Alpert, Engineering Manager on React at Facebook says that existing React Native apps will remain fully functional with no or just a few changes.

How do I become a React Native developer?

The following step by step procedure will help you become a good React Native developer.

  • Sharpen your basics from tutorial on react native app development
  • Learn to build static web pages such as Html, CSS
  • Learn Javascript-ES6/7/8
  • Learn basic Nodejs and npm
  • Learn basic React
  • Learn Redux
  • Dive in to React Native
  • Learn React Navigation

Words in nutshell

By ending the tutorial, we can firmly say that Facebook’s React Native equally benefits both front-end developers and web developers wanting to dip into the pool of opportunities pertaining to mobile app development.

Having in-depth knowledge about React, which is a declarative view library of Facebook for web development, can also lead to gaining mastery in native mobile app development with React Native.

hire mobile app developers

Given how React Native triumphs over other cross-platform tools when it comes to building diverse mobile apps for iOS and Android, it is crucial to learn this incredible framework and ensure a competitive advantage in the business.

The framework also offers simplicity and flexibility along with the power to create the imagined. Hope in this tutorial about react native app development, we cover all the basics that one should consider before learning it.

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Google, the dominant search engine giant, has surprised the world of mobile technology by introducing the very first developer preview after its Nougat, Pie and Oreo versions.

With the grand arrival of Android Q Beta 1, Google seemed to break its archaic tradition and launched its very first preview which is available for Pixels.

Making people anxious and excited, the Beta version for developers gives an early glimpse into novel features and tweaks to be released later this year.

The reason why people are thrilled to try new features of Android Q version is that it contains a slew of unique features, granular changes and improvements.

With newer capabilities and experiences, Google’s new Android Beta Program can add a lot of frisson and joy for users in terms of hardware and software.

Check out these top features about the latest Android Q.

Big Remarkable Features of Android Q

1) Better controls over privacy

With a lot of privacy issues questioning the operational integrity of leading tech giants, it comes as a great relief that Android Q focuses on privacy assurance as a pivotal element.

As Google offers different app permissions, users get better control over what they share with downloaded apps.

android q features

With a feature of runtime permissions in place, apps need clear permission from you if they want to track your location in the background.

You can allow location access when an app is running so you can limit the data an app collects.

2) Colors and themes

Even without a dark mode, users will be able to change the accent colors in Android Q by enabling developer settings. It might not appear like a detailed and elaborate theming engine, but it looks decent nonetheless.

The accent color settings offer three options: black, purple and green with default blue. Users can also change the icons from the system to options like teardrop, squircle or rounded rectangle, or switch the font to Noto Serif.android q features

 

To enable the option for accent colors, go to Settings -> About phone, and hit the Build number seven times followed by PIN or password.

Then go to Settings -> System -> Developer options and scroll down to see the theming options, where you can change accent colors, body font, and icons.

3) Native Screen recording

This is the feature long awaited by Android users and Android Q finally brought it in. To test the feature, navigate to developer options and it works just as expected. You can easily record the screen with a voiceover.

Go to Settings -> System -> Developer options and scroll down to the Debugging setting to see Feature flags.

Turn on settings_screenrecord_long_press to start recording the screen.

android q features

If you need to launch the feature, hold the power button to pull up the menu, and long press the screenshot button. You will see a dialog box with options for recording audio such as a button Start Recording with on-screen taps.

Select it and you are all set. Like other settings, the Google may introduce an easier, faster way to enable the feature in future builds.

4) Native desktop mode

Surprisingly enough, Android Q is able to automatically switch to desktop mode as your phone is connected to an external monitor. You will get to see the interface that mirrors a scaled version of what you experience with Pixel.

Here you are free to explore multi-windows and open or move apps around on the screen. Though, as Android makers would say, desktop mode of Android Q may not be as good as Samsung Dex offerings, as a first Beta version it still looks pleasant. Hopefully, this one will also get better in upcoming versions.

5) Foldable Screen Support

To enable better innovative experience with Android Q, Android app developers could manage the way apps appear on the large foldable screens.

Users can get the best out of available large-screen devices as upgraded Android Q now facilitates improvements like onPlus and onResume for multi-resume support.

android q features

Further, to manage the app appearance and display on a large and foldable screen, Android Q has also worked on the way the resizable Activity manifests different attribute works.

For supporting the multiple-display type switching, Android Emulator has also been updated.

Read Also: 24 Best Android Apps 2021

6) Shortcuts sharing

This is another noticeable feature of Android Q. The option now makes shortcuts sharing easier than experienced before. With Shortcuts sharing, Android users can switch directly to another app for sharing content.

Developers can publish shared targets, which triggers an activity displayed the in the share UI.

Sharing Shortcut functionality is similar to the way the App Shortcuts works. Google is on its way to expand the Shortcutinfo API for streamlining integration process.

The API will also support the Direct Share functionality on pre-Android Q devices.

7) Enhanced photo bokeh effect with third-party apps

Android Q now supports a new file format for third-party apps to offer better dynamic depth effects in photos. This Dynamic Depth format in its single file contains a JPEG file, XMP metadata (for depth-related elements) and a depth and confidence map.

android app development

The additional details let the apps provide specialized blur and broken effects with possibilities of 3D images and AR use cases in future.

Google is trying to make Dynamic Depth an open format and working to make the feature more accessible across diverse Android devices.

8) Smart priority-based notification provision

Google realized how overwhelming it gets to handle notifications and latest alerts. To relax you, Android Q now adds a small bell icon (think of YouTube) next to the recent notification to visually indicate what needs your urgent attention.

What is interesting, the bell icon is there for only 30 seconds, but still it looks like handy solution if you are inundated by bursts of notifications.

android q features

Similarly, Android Q is also changing how you usually dismiss notifications and allows you to dismiss them with a swipe to the right.

Earlier, users could swipe notifications to either side of the screen to dismiss them. Now a swipe to the left initiates the notification actions.

Small but upgraded features

1) Detailed App page

So far, users were kept unaware of the how many notifications an app sends. Now the new Android Q has redesigned the app info page that lets you see the amount of notifications a particular app gets.

Moreover, the page also gives exact view of data consumed by an app on Wi-Fi and Cellular connection. Plus, users can open the app with new icon which is different from the icon for force-stop and uninstall.

2) Precise and proactive Wi-Fi settings

You might have been through instances where your Wi-Fi disastrously fades off while browsing. Android Q just got the solution for this; it enables you to see a floating UI settings pane that apps trigger in such instances.

android q features

So if you are using Chrome as a browser and it detects the loose Wi-Fi network connectivity, it will display settings window for you to view options for Wi-Fi, airplane mode and mobile data.

This feature gives you all the ease you need to change data settings without quitting the app.

3) Better AOD

Android’s On Display view has also received a tweak and changed for good features with Android Q. Now users can see what music it is playing and the battery indicator at the top right of the display instead of the bottom.

4) Revamped Screenshot shapes

This might be small, but Google has applied some twist to screenshot shapes, too. In this implementation, the screenshot will also show rounded curves and notches instead of sharp edges.

The multitasking window also shows app tiles with rounded corners. We can’t even imagine what is next and will be sick if Google would stop at this.

Read Also: 11 Top Services To Create Android Apps without Coding

Bottom line: Expect more surprises from Google

What we saw is just a brief highlight of the new features from Android Q. This is still a fairly stable Beta for a first development build release.

mobile app development

As Google suggests, there will be six Android Q betas down the line and the stable build is likely to appear somewhere in Q3. It seems Google is going to add more devices to Android Q accessibility list though there is no firm confirmation on exactly when.

So people who are eager to try and access its early build better hold on for the next beta roll out. Hopefully, I/O 2019 becomes the occasion for this glorious announcement.

React.js was originally developed by Facebook team to create a highly responsive and dynamic UI with uncompromised performance.

The react.js library was released in 2011 with an intent to leverage JavaScript speed and ability to render pages and dynamic user input. Two years later, as React.js became quite recognized, the team open-sourced React.js.

React-Native was developed and launched by Facebook team in 2015 and became quite an interesting and popular framework among mobile app developers.

It can be used for building cross-platform mobile apps. The framework was later customized by contributors to use it for building desktop apps as well.

Though React-Native looks very similar to ReactJS, there are certain differences in their use and structure. In this post, we will see a few points that separate React Native from React.js technology.

Read Also: 13 Famous Apps Built with React Native

React.js

React.js is basically a JavaScript library built to create user-friendly and responsive UI components. Also known as React, the library is responsible for the rendering of UI components in a typical technical sense. It is leveraged to support both front-end and server-side operations.

React Native

React Native is a powerful JavaScript framework used to build native applications as it compiles to React Native components. Like React JS, React Native also has the base abstractions of React DOM.

This suggests that while components are different, their syntax and workflow remain similar.

1) Setup and running process

React.js is a JavaScript Library that you can use for the web development. While starting a new project and setting up ReactJS, you will need to choose Webpack which is actually a bundler. You will then decide which bundling modules will specifically suit your project.

setup react

In React Native, you have everything you need to set up and get started. It is so easy and fast to launch the framework. All it takes is to run one command line in terminal and you are ready to start coding your first ever React native app.

You will need Xcode (for iOS) or Android Studio (for Android) installed on your computer to run the app. Use an emulator of the target platform or test its performance on your own devices.

2) Animations

Unlike React JS where CSS helps bring alive animations, React Native makes you learn entirely new ways to use JavaScript and create animations for components of your app.

With React Native, developers can animate components in the app by using the Animated API. There is quite known JavaScript library Velocity.js that you can use and compare Animated API with it.

react animations

The famous Velocity.js allows developers to form assorted animations. They work based on time and velocity of gesture and can be used in many combinations. You also have LayoutAnimation in React Native that comes off cool for transitions especially on iOS platform.

Compared to React JS that allows you to play with creative animations, React Native offers you good freedom to do a lot more in animation space.

Read Also: React Native App Development Company in UK

3) Developer tools

Rapid app development seekers would be happy to use React in their native project since you already get a few great tools without actually installing anything.

This unique quality saves a lot of time and efforts for developers. In addition, hot reloading enabled by React JS comes handy when there is a need to make small changes to overall app styles.

You can leverage Live Reload if there are bigger changes to add to the app logic so that your app reloads upon changing the code.

React Native developers can use many developer tools present in React JS. You can use Chrome Dev Tools to inspect the network requests, handle logs and for debugging.

You also have Redux DevTools for further assistance in inspection. However, the native inspector is not much helpful since you can’t inspect DOM with React Native like you are able to do on the web.

4) Business benefits of React.js

  • React’s DOM (document object model) that manages data inputs and outputs is much faster than the conventional refresh model. Since it only partially refreshes certain parts of the page, Facebook never knew the process of refreshing would prove faster. By positively affecting the re-build time, the partial DOM refresh eventually boosts performance and speed while writing program.
  • The phenomenon of reusable code components in React JS further saves you a lot of time.
  • React.js also improves the debugging speed which highly favors developers’ work.
  • The possibility of rendering the pages from the server to the browser helps positively with SEO part of your app.
  • React quite easily comes to even beginners in the space. Because it is effortlessly readable, unlike other frameworks, React doesn’t require you to get thorough with an extensive list of concepts.
  • Since it is based on JavaScript, developers are free to reap the maximum benefits of all the progress and updates in the Java ecosystem.

5) Business benefits of React Native

  • React Native contains Native modules and components that help render certain code components directly with Native APIs to improve performance and speed. It does not depend on WebView for code rendering unlike other cross-platform frameworks.
  • Since React Native also lets developers reuse code and common logic layer across iOS and Android, the need for building the applications separately for both is avoided.
  • React Native offers all the mentioned benefits of React.js such as delivering a user-friendly UI.
  • The component-based development model of React Native framework creates an agile web-style approach for developers to build apps without actually relying on any web.
  • React Native is easy to learn if you are familiar with JavaScript. A front-end developer could turn into a mobile developer if they know enough about JavaScript and platform-specific APIs, native UI elements or other design essentials.
  • By delivering high performance, agility and responsiveness in app development, React Native gets rid of typical struggles involved in native app development such as inefficiency, slow deployment and unsatisfying developer productivity. It also results in best user experience of native apps.
  • Another React Native speed booster is its ability to add UI components directly into existing app’s code without aiming to rewrite. So you don’t have to overhaul the entire app when updating.

Read Also: A Comparison Between Flutter & React Native

Final remarks

The process of mobile app development using React Native framework is swimmingly fast. So you can quickly get an app ready in its mature shape. Building the complex UI design elements in React Native is also quick as it usually is with React JS across both iOS and Android.

For React Native learners who are especially keen on JavaScript programming, it is easy and agile to switch from React JS web to React-Native app development.

Developers also have a huge advantage of getting the best out of the big and benevolent React Native community. Thus, Facebook’s original framework React Native has a lot to offer and is a recommendable technology for any web developer who wants to build mobile apps.

React Native has evolved to be a fascinating lynchpin amid the most preferable and trending technologies today ever since Facebook developed it for its own internal apps projects in 2013.

Developers adopted this powerful framework for iOS and Android app development. The technology was made available on GitHub in 2015 as announced by Facebook in F8 conference and now it is vibrant with 1,408 contributors.

The future possibilities of what React Native development can produce add thrill to the anticipation around its potential among mobile app developers, which makes the technology quite popular across the globe.

The big brands including Fortune 500 companies have already leveraged the power of this incredible tool and created compelling apps.

We have put together a list of 20 famous apps built with React Native here.

Airbnb Pinterest Grasshopper SoundCloud
Instagram Myntra Townske Wix
Salesforce Skype Tesla Discord
Ubereats Bloomberg Walmart Shine
Delivery.com Facebook Ads Manager Facebook Analytics KFC

 

1. Airbnb

airbnb - react native apps

AirBnB is another remarkable examples of React Native success for mobile app development. the company uses RN to build its service booking app that demanded real-time performance. React Native worked miraculously and brought delight for software engineers at AirBnB.

The company has an extensive development team that involves as many as 60 individuals who are all dedicated to working on this JavaScript technology.

The technology helped them to build reusable code across iOS and Android platforms and refactor them, saving a lot on their development cycle.

App Features

  • Local experiences led by native experts
  • Holiday home rentals across 191+ countries
  • Ability to search by price, neighborhood and amenities
  • Add experiences and events to your itinerary

Ratings: 4.7

Installs: 50,000,000+

Downloads: Android, iOS

2. Pinterest

pinterest - react native apps

Pinterest runs on Pins, so that when you have interesting ideas for projects or have other fascinating stories, you can simply pin them on your personal boards. It is used as a photo sharing and visual bookmarking social media app where you can save posts and even upload your ideas.

You can promote a blog story under a post, share DIY tasks such as home improvement inspirations and cooking recipe or define travel plans and do much more using pins boards on Pinterest.

App Features

  • Find pins, people, brands and whatever you would love to see in feed
  • Discover more than 100 billion possibilities in life
  • Let’s invite and collaborate with friends

Rating s: 4.6

Installs : 100,000,000+

Downloads: Android, iOS

3. Grasshopper

grasshopper - react native apps

This app is the best way to start your coding experience with fun games and puzzles that teach you to develop or code JavaScript. You can go through different programming levels and expertise with fundamental skills as a coder or developer.

App Features

  • Develop your problem-solving skills
  • Use industry-standard JavaScript
  • Real-time feedbacks
  • Collect achievements as you learn

Ratings: 4.6

Installs: 1,000,000+

Downloads: Android, iOS

Read Also: Comparison Between Flutter & React Native

4. SoundCloud

soundcloud - react native apps

SoundCloud is a brilliant app for artistic creators where they can create and manage their accounts and keep their community alive. React came handy when the company struggled with the lack of enough developers to design the second set of react native apps.

Due to insufficient number of iOS developers, they faced the possibility of a large gap between iOS and Android release. The SoundCloud research team tested React Native prototypes for user experience and found a few challenges.

Even then, they found themselves positive about the technology since working with React Native application was easier than a pure native approach. To top it all, SoundCloud team was able to successfully build the complete app without much efforts from specialized developers.

App Features

  • Find and connect with your community
  • Connect directly with artists and fellow listeners
  • Create playlists for any occasion
  • Access the most diverse catalog of content

Ratings: 4.5

Installs: 100,000,000+

Downloads: Android, iOS

5. Instagram

instagram - react native apps

After Facebook, if there is any other social networking app that made sensation, it is Instagram. Instagram was thought to have a unique leverage due to its ability to allow users to share photos and videos.  Users relished the idea of capturing and sharing on the app the best and most important moments of their life.

Instagram lets you take a snap with your phone’s camera and turn it into a work of art using its various filters that you can apply. You can even post them on other popular media like Facebook and Twitter and use it as your investable marketing platform.

App Features

  • Let’s you post photos and videos
  • Browse feeds posted by other users
  • Go live in public or with your followers’ group
  • Let’s you add Hashtags, Filters, etc.

Ratings : 4.5

Installs: 1,000,000,000+

Downloads: Android, iOS

6. Myntra

myntra - react native apps

Myntra is one of the shopping apps that one must have to shop while on the go is built on react native. With 5 lakh of products and 2500 brands of clothing, footwear, accessories, etc. categories, customers can get 100 percent original products.

App Features

  • 30-day hassle free product returns
  • EMI option included in the payment gateway option
  • Get the best prices of products with Myntra coupon codes

Rating: 4.4

Installs: 50,000,000+

Downloads: Android, iOS

7. Townske

townske - react native apps

This social media publishing platform allows people to share and discover any city on earth. In other words, Townske is a community of thousands of local people blogging about the places they love.

You can look quickly through city guides and ‘like’ anything that you may like to visit later.

App Features

  • No need to create account
  • Allows you to create a list of the places that you may like to visit and share it with your friends
  • Helps you to discover nearby places

Ratings: 4.4

Installs: 5,000+

Downloads: Android

Read Also: React Native App Development Company in UK

8. Wix

wix - react native apps

Wix is a software company that provides web hosting and web designing. Users can design using HTML and CSS using drag and drop functionality.

App Features

  • Developers can create their own application
  • Create website without knowing codes
  • Share your latest content
  • Manage and edit past, present and future events

Ratings: 4.4

Installs: 5,000,000+

Downloads: Android, iOS

9. Salesforce

salesforce - react native apps

This app allows you to run your business faster and easier.  The Salesforce mobile app unlocks a whole new level of productivity, personalization, and speed.

App Features

  • Includes all your favorite Lightning Apps
  • Navigation bar makes easier to find your most used apps
  • Dynamic and rich mobile record pages

Ratings: 4.4

Installs: 1,000,000+

Downloads: Android, iOS

10. Skype

skype - react native apps

This telecommunications application is mainly used for video chats and voice calls over the internet, using devices like phones, PCs, and smartwatches.

It offers instant messaging services and allows users to transmit and receive multimedia messages. Currently, there are approximately 4.9 million active users.

App Features

  • Let users to make free or low-cost calls locally or internationally
  • Offers a large selection of emoticons and emojis to express yourself
  • Anyone who has Skype and a webcam or compatible smartphone can make free video calls
  • Anyone who has Skype on a mobile device or computer can make free group video calls with friends and family

Ratings: 4.3

Installs: 1,000,000,000+

Downloads: Android, iOS

react native app developer

11. Tesla

tesla - react native apps

The world’s most talked about creators of electric cars, Tesla has also signed up for React Native club. By leveraging Facebook’s powerful framework, Tesla developed the application for its electric car and Powerwall battery owners.

At the core of this app lies the function of diagnosing and locating vehicles. It also allows users to control certain parameters to an extent using smartphone. Though much of the effect of React Native is still undeclared, the customer feedback for the app is quite positive.

App Features

  • Check charging progress in real time
  • Lock or unlock from far
  • Lock or unlock from afar
  • Update your vehicle software from wherever you are

Ratings: 4.3

Installs: 500,000+

Downloads: Android, iOS

12. Discord

discord - react native apps

Discord sets another bright example of cross-platform app development by React Native. The app is intended for voice and chat app for gamers. So Discord enables users to chat among team members, check online availability and engage in conversations.

The great thing about Discord is that its iOS and Android apps have 98% of shared code. This indicates how react native helps build mobile apps even in tight deadlines.

App Features

  • Reliable, high quality communication wherever you go
  • Have fun with text, voice and voice
  • Assign specific roles to members

 Ratings: 4.3

Installs: 100,000,000+

Downloads: Android, iOS

Read Also : React Native Tutorials For Beginners

13. Ubereats

uber eats - react native apps

Find your local flavors anytime you want with Uber Eats. Customers can either search for all near or around restaurants, specific restaurant, dish, or cuisine or order it. This app is currently available in all metro cities across countries.

App Features

  • Pay easily with your existing Uber account
  • Track your order in real time
  • Nearest or farthest, order from anywhere

Ratings: 4.3

Installs:100,000,000+

 Downloads: Android, iOS

14. Bloomberg

bloomberg

Bloomberg has achieved a great milestone in global business and finance news space. Bloomberg went through the ordeal of individually developing both iOS and Android apps updated to the latest version before opting for Native for their mobile app development.

The prototype built with React native was thoroughly tested before they adopted RN for simultaneously updating the app for cross-platform performance.

App Features

  • Trending and featured news
  • Customized and personalized portfolio for your region
  • Easily track your portfolio

Ratings: 4.2

Installs: 10,000,000+

Downloads: Android, iOS

15. Walmart

walmart

While trading on a future path to becoming the global leader in online retail space, Walmart wanted to make a bold move that puts them on top of the competition. They turned to technology as it always does to redefine their customer experience and take it to the next level with innovative technologies.

After adding Node.js to their tech stack, Walmart decided to write the entire app in React Native. By doing so, it improved its performance on iOS and Android and finished the project in short time span. The greatest advantage for Walmart with RN is that the app had 95% of shared codebase across platforms.

App Features

  • Easily re-order favorite items purchased online
  • Order, transfer, and track prescriptions and refills.
  • Find, create, and manage a baby registry.
  • Free delivery on eligible order.

Ratings: 4.2

Installs: 50,000,000+

Downloads: Android, iOS

16. Shine

shine

Shine is quite a mature, content-rich and glorious mindfulness app packed with awesome motivational mottos and articles for users. It has relaxing meditation activities and inspiring recordings and guide by experts that help you deal with everyday stress of life. You can ‘check in’ for the day and get started.

The creators aimed to hit U.S. market with iOS app first since it provides maximum market share, and were planning to build Android app quickly after gaining enough traction on iOS.

React Native blessed their strategy and helped them launch Android app successfully in the App Store. In 2018, Shine was chosen as one of the best react native apps by Apple.

App Features

  • Upload your resume & create your profile for job
  • View jobs matching your profile
  • See the list of recruiters who viewed the profile

Ratings: 4.1

Installs: 5,000,000+

Downloads: Android, iOS

17. Delivery.com

delivery.com

An app that offers users the option to browse from 1000+ restaurants & food stores to get your favorite mean anytime. As the ordering is free you get to save time to tackle and does your work list at home or on the go.

App Features

  • Get access to all favorite local restaurants
  • Even beer, wine or spirits are delivered at your door via this app
  • Enables grocery and home essentials shopping
  • Other than food orders, they provide options like wash & fold, dry cleaning

Ratings: 4.0

Installs: 100,000+

Downloads: Android, iOS

18. Facebook Ads Manager

Facebook ad manager

Facebook has leveraged React Native framework to build its first ever cross platform app Facebook Ads manager. Based on JavaScript, React Native framework efficiently handles the different formats in ads, dates and currencies along with time zones.

App Features

  • Clutter-free interface
  • Easy navigation and intuitive UX
  • flawless, smooth and seamless transitions and animations

Ratings: 3.9

Installs: 5,000,000+

Downloads: Android, iOS

19. Facebook Analytics

facebook analytics

You can track your growth, monetization and engagement through this app. It is a robust tool that let marketers find the users interactions and goals.

App Features

  • Create funnels, cohorts, overlap charts, and other data visualizations.
  • Add charts to custom dashboards to track related metrics in one convenient place.
  • Get alerted when there are significant changes to your metrics.

Ratings: 3.5

Installs: 500,000+

Downloads: Android, iOS

20. KFC

KFC

Your fastest way to order KFC chicken online is possible with this official mobile app. Skip the queue with this app and customize your favorite KFC meals with very few steps.

App Features

  • Save your favorite orders
  • Exclusive deals & offers
  • Find nearest KFC outlets available
  • Pre-order and pre-pay options are available

Ratings: 3.2

Installs: 5,000,000+

Downloads: Android, iOS

Read Also : Difference Between React JS & React Native

Conclusion

With React Native gaining massive traction already in the most dynamic space of mobile app development, there is no wonder we will see more custom applications written using this framework.

app cost calculator

These big names are enough to explain what the technology is worth and what it can do for your future projects. Its wide community of active contributors presents as another strong reason to choose it.

But to make the most of its potential and trusted performance, you will need to collaborate with a technology partner versed in developing React Native apps.

The year 2019 is just warming up for new smartphones models and mobile technologies hitting the tech market. Samsung has just made an explosive breakthrough this year as it unveiled its highly anticipated Galaxy Fold at Unpacked 2019 in San Francisco along with its Galaxy S10 devices. The sensational Samsung Galaxy Fold is the first foldable smartphone which made news last year has showed up at the event with more details and deeper look.

Apparently packed with incredible features, the phone is described as Quite good by DJ Koh, Samsung CEO, who also confirmed that it comes with a little higher price tag. Unprecedented and carving its unique category in smartphone devices, Galaxy Fold is prepared to take the world of mobile users by surprise and give tough competition to its rivals. It is quite in buzz due to its original design, display, foldable screen, software and other offerings.

Let’s check out in details all that the phone offers. Here is everything you need to know about phenomenal Samsung Galaxy Fold:

1) Tablet-like structure:

Samsung Galaxy takes to tablet when unfolded from the center and gives you a look and feel of a smartphone structure when folded again at the central spine, which adds to a surreal experience for users. From its sides, it reflects signature Samsung design when opened, and as you fold it back, its size doubles in thickness compared to regular smartphone.

This fold-unfold mechanism – which is located at the hinge of the back – affects the normal size like it is a foldable tablet and not a phone. The unique arrangement, according to Samsung, is something that can survive repeated open-close operations.

2) Range of colors for screen and spine:

Samsung has decided to give you a range of adorable colors to play with the style. Users will be able to customize the phone design and choose a different spine color for more personalized experience.

Made with interlocked gears, the hinge at the back allows users to open and close the device and makes the process unbelievably smooth and easy. Users can customize hinge colors and will be able to enjoy the device in four different colors.

3) Galaxy Fold display:

Galaxy Fold has a Dynamic 7.3 inch AMOLED internal display known as Infinity Flex. Its aspect ratio comes as 4.2:3. As it is fitted on the inside of the device, when folded up, the displays remain unusable.

It has an AMOLED exterior display that works as a second screen measuring 4.6 inches in a diagonal fashion. This makes it stand out among other Samsung phones and does not conform to modern standards as it is tiny. The display screen reposes on the device’s center in contrast with surrounding bezel, which creates unique feel.

As Samsung says, the internal 7.3-inch display comes with a WXGA+ resolution though it is hard to define the exact pixels.

Galaxy Fold Hardware

  • 7nm 64-bit Octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon processor
  • 12GB RAM
  • 512GB UFS 3.0 storage capacity
  • No Micro SD support
  • 4380mAh battery

Samsung reveals that the device operation is powered by a high-speed 7nm Octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 processor with gigantic memory storage support of 12GB RAM and 512GB ROM. The huge storage justifies the huge price here. It does not have microSD, which is almost anomalous if we consider other Samsung devices offering SD card convenience.

Galaxy Fold also has 4380mAh battery provision, bigger than other Samsung devices of this caliber, but not that big for modern device battery capacity. The battery is split for both sides of device, each half fitting either side of the device. It contains both wired and wireless fast charging support.

Galaxy Fold software

Galaxy Fold supports multitasking and allows users to work on three apps simultaneously when opened on the larger screen. So you can explore Google Maps, messenger, and a browser simultaneously.

The device is quite adaptive to the software format you are using. If you have opened a browser on its smartphone display, upon unfolding the device you will see it will automatically transfer the browser app to the larger display for better viewing.

Samsung Galaxy Fold cameras

Samsung has perhaps worked miraculously on enhancing camera details in Samsung Galaxy Fold. Users can get the best experience from as many as six total cameras loaded with more modes of use.

  • External Front camera: 10MP, f/2.2
  • External Rear cameras: 16MP ultra wide, f/2.2; 12MP main, f/1.5 & f/2.4; 12MP 2x zoom
  • Front dual cameras (internal): 10MP Camera, f/2.2; 8MP RGB depth, f/1.9

Lying on the outside of the device is the incredible triple-camera arrangement which is comparable with what new Samsung Galaxy S10 has done. Samsung Galaxy Fold allows users to enjoy having a 12MP dual aperture main camera, a 16 MP ultra-wide camera and a 12 MP 2x zoom camera on rear side.

Fold also has a Front camera on the outside which works as a selfie camera when the device is folded up, more like Galaxy S10.

You can also revel in its dual camera arrangement, internal cameras as you open up the phone. This is an 8MP selfie with sensor for depth. Plus, you have 10MP main internal camera to take your photo capturing to another level. Samsung Galaxy Fold has focused massively on the depth of camera.

Release Date

Although the Samsung Galaxy fold release is made official as announced on 20th February 2019, the new devices will only be available in US on 26th April. In Europe, 3rd May is chosen for its availability.

In November 2018, Samsung previewed the device with Infinity Flex display at its developer conference and was eager and enthusiastic to become the first to bring unique foldable smartphone model to market.

Read also : Everything You Need To Know About Apple’s Latest Devices

Price anticipation

It might be a little disappointing for people who expect affordable models for Samsung Galaxy Fold. On the contrary, the smartphone is likely to hit retail shops with a price of $1980 in US and €2000 in EU.

Even though you expect the price to be a little higher than straight-designed model, the expensiveness of Fold is justifiable since this is a first-gen piece of hardware design. Samsung proudly boasts being world’s first ever title in Foldable consumer-friendly phone category as DJ Koh says.

Conclusion

Form last year’s teaser to this year’s official announcement on release, Samsung Galaxy Fold has created quite a wave in mobile device market. The main enticing element of Galaxy Fold is the expansive capability of its screen as it moves from the smaller shape to the bigger one. Samsung has especially worked with Google Android developers to develop this flawless feature also known as App Continuity.

Apart from its unconventional design, Samsung Galaxy Fold will continue to create pandemonium in the smartphone market for its outstanding camera provisions, multitasking software support and monstrous memory storage capacity. It is said to be out in May 2019 but we are still anxiously waiting for Samsung to release this phenomenal device in other regions.

We are all engaged in using powerful mobile apps that have dominated our everyday world like never before. Mobile apps have become so ubiquitous it is almost impossible to imagine our life without fiddling with our smartphones. All credit goes to well-designed and furnished social networking apps such as Whatsapp, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook as well as ecommerce lifestyle apps.

On a digital landscape, iOS and Android apps especially have captured the huge chunk of global audience. It is not exaggeration to believe that the mobile app users across the globe are split between iOS and Android. However, we should never forget what iOS and Android developers invest as they build gorgeous mobile apps. It is therefore important to discriminate between iOS and Android app development from developers’ perspective.

Here we are going to see it all from the eyes of developers. Check out a few distinctive technical differences and disparities between iOS and Android app development process.

Which is Harder iOS or Android Development?

Answering this question is not quite simple as it seems. Importantly, there will be different perspectives to consider before we could choose one over the other.

The major fundamental difference between iOS and Android is that Android has Java for building apps whereas iOS programmers depend on Objective-C and Swift to create software and mobile apps.

The language does not place much pressure on developers since both have enormous size of active community ready to assist whenever a difficulty in development hinders the progress.

However, in case of iOS development, users must have an original Apple MacBook to gain perfect understanding of iOS programming.

On a different perspective, developers claim that Android takes a development time of at least 30 to 40% longer when compared to iOS. Programming languages used for Android development usually come with high readability whereas that of iOS is easy to get around. That may be the reason why some beginners go for iOS development that usually comes with a shorter learning curve.

Difference between iOS and Android App Design

Simplicity, compactness, and minimalism are three major pillars of mobile app design, and both iOS and Android offer incredible features that seem to fulfill the typical expectations of UI appearance.

Apple’s elements (icons, buttons, and pictograms) flow is generally minimal and concise. Android designers also practice almost similar design structures with peculiar icons, massive buttons, and lines.

  • Basically, iOS is inclined to Human Interface guidelines and Android follows the Material Design language. In case of units, the Android application is designed in dp and iOS application in pt.
  • In iOS, the multitask windows are kept separate and diminutive whereas Android prefers interchangeable tabs that cover a major portion of the device screen.
  • Both platforms contain a variety of button styles: Android has floating buttons whereas iOS comes with a simple, controlled yet aesthetically elegant, and modern design with lines that are kept quite thin.
  • The visual styling of components and interaction patterns are the other key difference. Android titles are always towards the left and iOS titles are designed to be in the center.

iOS vs Android Security

Security and privacy are two pillars every user will look for when installing an app on their device. The initial versions of both iOS and Android had limitations on security aspects and both have corrected and improved it over the period.

  • At this point, one could undoubtedly say that iOS platform is the most secure as Apple have extremely strict policies in place regarding this. Data is always encrypted in iOS and Apple never reads user data.
  • Even the security aspect is much better in Android now, privacy is still on compromise mode. Google digs user data to present more personalized ads while using apps which can always result in a security and privacy breach. With an open-source code, there is no strict regulations over Android apps.

iOS and Android App Development Software

Android Studio is undeniably fresh, more sophisticated, and efficient development environment though it is often labelled as being the least mature mobile app development tool among available IDEs.

Areas where Android Studio may need certain improvements boil down to:

  • Platform performance
  • Testing
  • Editor
  • Languages

Even in gaming, Android Studio has room for improvement. XCode on the other hand surpasses in the game, scoring a little higher than Android.

App Development Environment

It is a combination of software, hardware, and/or computing resources that is necessary to build software applications. It is meant to offer an application development or interface, integration, troubleshooting, testing, deployment, and maintenance services.

When it comes to the mobile app development environment, both iOS and Android utilize different tools. Google’s Android has launched a more powerful multifunctional Android Studio, the IDE which is superior and more accessible than the old Eclipse ADT. Android Studio is highly capable of optimizing the platform-specific development processes.

Apple’s XCode on the other hand has proven its consistency over years, helping iOS developers extract the best out of its frequently updated versions. Apple’s latest supports the most advanced iOS coding language Swift.

Processing Delay in Distribution

After successful completion of the development, the next crucial step is to publish the product and launch it in the online market. In the case of iOS app, you will be compelled to wait for at least a few days before the approval.

But the delay is worthy as it minimizes the scope of errors, bugs, and offensive content if any that might spoil your app and App Store reputation.

In case of Android app, it takes only a few hours for your product to get uploaded to the Play store. Though it seems to favour Android developers and app creators, it is precarious, less assuring, and risky, especially to Android users.

However, Google has recently brought in place a special automatic bouncer system that searches and removes Android software that is likely to potentially harm or invade user’s system when accessed.

Platform-Specific Registration Fees

It may come as an unexpected blow for independent developers as they need to pay some money to successfully upload the app to a distribution platform such as Google Play Store or Apple Store, even if the app looks promising. Google Play Store usually demands $25 towards registration fee for Android developers.

Apple on the other hand levies as much as $99 for your iOS app to be recognized by the world of iPhone users. So arguably, iOS app development seems a little less economical compared to Android platform as you need to be ready with $99 and a dedicated Mac system to develop apps for iOS platform.

Updating Online Mediums

Releasing updates seem tough and time-consuming if you are fond of building iOS apps. The standard process may impregnate strategic plans of creators and developers, ultimately delaying the update launch date.

There are hardly any beneficent frameworks for software development that help expedite the process and evade Apple’s stringent policies.

On the other hand, Android’s ecosystem allows developers to update their software products in a matter of a few good hours. The team with seasoned Android testers can therefore gain more favours from Android app development.

Difference Between Android and iOS Application Testing

Mobile application testing is one of the very crucial stages in the development stage to make sure that there are no bugs. Unlike in the past, testing is now getting tougher as assessment must be done with diverse hardware and software platforms and a range of network connectivity conditions.

  • Being a closed-source OS, testing is comparatively easy in iOS than Android with an open-source operating system.
  • Regarding types of devices, iOS products are from a single manufacturer whereas Android mobile phones are designed by several manufacturers across the globe making the deployment process lengthy.
  • Even though Google play store is the official place to download Android apps, they could be downloaded from other websites, as well. On the other hand, there is restricted access to iOS apps as they can be downloaded from the Apple store only.

How To Make an App for Both iPhone And Android?

Both iOS and Android platforms have their own merits and demerits. To take advantage of the plus points of both platforms, it would be a great idea to make an app for both iPhone and Android.

  • The simultaneous design process is always complicated and therefore the skill set of the developer is the key here.
  • Firstly, find the commonalities and differences to build the core structure of the app for iOS and Android which will simplify the transition process.
  • Enough testing time should be planned in addition to design and development phase as it will be crucial to test its efficiency on both platforms.
  • In addition to writing codes for both, updates with new features must be made simultaneously on both platforms.

However, now there are possibilities of developing a cross-platform app through a single code base through amazing frameworks like Xamarin and Flutter.

For instance, Xamarin apps are developed in C# which eliminates the need to write separate codes for iOS and Android. Still, it gives the feel and looks of the real native apps. This puts forward the scope of being a cross-platform developer.

Read also : Top 11 Challenges Faced By Mobile App Developers

iOS vs Android Developer Demand

Interesting reports have noted that out of every 11 minutes of mobile time, most people engage with mobile apps for about 10 minutes. Almost 200 billion mobile apps were downloaded each year recently and close to US$120 billion were spent for apps and related purchases annually.

This clearly shows the demand for mobile apps and thus the developers. iOS and Android apps being dominant over other platforms, the major chunk of the demand reaches iOS and Android developers.

However, assessing which one among the two has more demand is quite a difficult task. Since Android devices hold almost 80% of the market share while iOS holds only 15%, one may blindly say Android developers are more in demand.

But considering the demand and supply, i.e., the Android and iOS developers who applied for a job and those who got placed, we can see that the figures are more or less the same. So, we could say that it is a win-win situation for both.

Do Developers Prefer Android or iPhone?

This is a very tough question to answer in a simple straightforward sentence. Still, there are a few crucial factors that gives an edge to iOS. Let us have a look.

  • Earning the potential of iOS is far better when compared to Android
  • In most cases, new apps are released first on iOS and later only on Android.
  • The chances of getting caught up with a bug after release is very minimal as it undergoes stringent assessment before it is approved
  • Users opting for paid apps is a common phenomenon in iOS platform unlike Android OS and thus impacts the revenue
  • As there are limited Apple products and almost the same screen sizes, developing apps and updating them is comparatively an easy job.

iOS vs Android Development Future

With many numbers of Android and iOS apps already in the store, developing a mobile app that is successful and collecting millions needs a lot of effort. But with the exponentially growing industry, it is indispensable to keep your sleeves up and make an impact.

As mentioned earlier, with about 85% market share at present, Android is always in the game, and it is expected to grow at a CAGR of 2.4%.

With 10% more users making in-app purchases, the revenue per user is almost 45% more for iOS apps that make it equally important. If you are going for game apps, going for iOS and Android is always going to be profitable in comparison to web design & development.

With the emergence of 5G technology, expansion of AR, AI and VR Technology, IoT Applications, possibilities of M-Commerce, Custom Android App Development, and Blockchain Technology, Android developers can expect a greatly satisfying career with a competitive income.

iOS developers can also eye for a great future with many plans of improvements and innovations in the portfolio. Apps for foldable phones, Machine Learning & Artificial Intelligence, Chatbots, Wearable apps, IOT-Enabled mobile apps, AR&VR, Beacons Technology and Swift5 Programming are a few to name.

Android Developer or iOS Developer, Who Will Have More Scope?

When you assess the scope of developers, one of the important aspects lies around monetization options and profitability. iOS app developers tend to generate more revenue out of their investment and end up receiving regular income flow, unlike Android developers. This is mainly because iOS device users mostly belong to the group whose living standards are defined by a strong economy.

Android solutions creators can also have an opportunity to earn steady revenue from their applications as there are a great many numbers of Android device users scattered across Asian countries which contributes to higher Android smartphone sales.

Mobile companies like Vivo and Samsung are releasing new gadgets every year with new updates which improve the scope for Android development. Being an open-source platform, Android can attract a huge market and get high returns with low investment.

Asian economy has immense power to impact the app downloads in Google Play and Apple Store. However, it is true that common people in developing countries do not have a proclivity to eye on slightly expensive iOS apps.

Google is now focusing on rich markets like Europe, UK, and the USA to benefit from their extravagant mobile app users and reap more profit. This opens a great opportunity for Android developers to explore more global markets and thus enhance their scope of job opportunities and income

Final Words

Although there is a constant intense race between iOS and Android apps, mobile app developers have equal opportunities for learning and monetization on both platforms. The above briefing of the key differences can help you to choose what would work best for you, depending on your goal, vision, and future career prospect.

Going by many survey reports, it is more likely for developers to make the choice by considering the key factors of technical challenges, process ease and availability of resources. Being a developer is really challenging as one needs to keep themselves updated and upgraded based on the constant changes in the digital arena and bring in key strategies to stay in the game.

What all mobile app users seek is an excellent, well-conceived and perfectly designed mobile app they will never regret using. So, more than their career scope, it is an added responsibility for developers to design amazing apps to meet the expectations of end-users and make them crave more.

A study conducted by Civic Science showed iPhone users as tech enthusiasts and the iconic phone leads in app quality partly due to the homogeneity of the iOS.

Apple’s strong franchise has partly been fuelled by the eager tech adopters in the community who swear by the brand and its offerings.

So, let’s take a look at the top 13 Apps for iPhone X to understand more about the famed app quality.

1.  Netflix

This streaming media service needs no introduction. The availability of this through an app makes it all the more easy to use. You get to watch streaming videos, your favorite TV shows and movies at anytime, anywhere.

And true to the iOS experience, the intuitive app stores viewing history – this means that you can get to view content without having to search for the point where you left for a break.

 

 

2. Instagram

Not having a social media account can sometime be considered as strange among certain generations. So, lets see how this works. Instagram on the iPhoneX is a great experience, mostly due to the tall design which means that, you can see more on the screen than the regular phones. You get a true immersive experience with the Instagram app on the iPhone X.

 

 

3. Dark Sky

It pays to be informed about the weather. You may never really know when the next storm is going to hit your location or if the sun is going to roast you.  This app gives you notifications that you can set, which will inform you if is going to be a wet day suddenly.

The wind and the temperature information are actually hyper local conditions which means that every apps can actually rival the Apple Weather App.

 

 

4. 1Password

With multiple accounts, logins and passwords to remember, it may sometimes be a bit of a challenge to even the most sharpest mind. This is where this app will help you. This app can help you to handle all your passwords so that you need not remember any of them.  And it is ultra safe, as login to the app is with FaceID. In other words, when you use the 1Password app on the iPhoneX you need not remember a password.

 

 

5. Face Swap Booth

If you need some fun with pictures then this is a great way to have fun. You get to swap faces between different pictures and create fun images. You can actually swap specific portions to give a funny and sometimes eerie look to pictures.

As usual the full screen iPhone X display will make this experience a lot more interesting as you get more space to see your, er ‘creativity’.

 

 

6. Pcalc Lite

Its simple to use interface fits perfectly well into the full screen. If you ever need to make any quick complicated calculation, all you need to do is just whip out your iPhone X and enjoy the simplicity of this calculator app.

It has been optimized for the iPhone X, this means that the interface fits snugly into the rounded corners.

 

 

7. Workflow

When automation is the buzzword, the iPhone user cannot be far behind, right? Workflow is a personal automation tool that helps you organize your work easily. You can use a combination of actions with the calendar, maps, music, camera, reminders, Safari browser, Dropbox and most of the other applications that are of personal use.

The simple drag and drop feature makes the app easy to use, giving you a powerful automation tool on the iPhone X.

 

 

8. Coinbase

Cryptocurrencies need not be cryptic anymore. With Coinbase you can try your hand at buying BTC, Etherium, Litecoin etc., with a simple tap of the app after a quick installation. If you would like to invest in digital currency from your iPhone X, then this is a nice way to start, with informative charts and great design elements incorporated to make the experience more enjoyable.

 

 

9. Reeder 3

If you dig RSS feeds, then this is probably the best app for you to read content. Optimized for the iPhone X, this app has a great theme, with the text in white set against a black background, which makes it very easy to read.

The perfect design combines with the superior resolution of the phone, giving you a high speed RSS feed that will keep you updated of the information that you like to follow.

10. 8fit Workouts and Meal Planner

As your iPhone X is most likely to become an extension of yourself, you could actually leverage it for your fitness goals. The app will give you workout goals that you need to follow as a part of your routine to achieve fitness goals. The app will also give you tips on consuming the right kind of food to achieve your fitness goals. For instance, you will receive tips on foods for fat loss, carb control, vegan and paleo diets.

 

 

11. GasBuddy

With fuel prices shooting high, it would be a great idea to use the power of updated information offered by GasBuddy to keep your fuel costs low.

Receive crisp information about the best prices, filtered through many parameters including, location, your favorite brands, and other amenities on the locations.  You can actually save considerable sum of money annually by using this app to plan your refilling.

 

 

12. Hopper

If you are the type who flies a lot, then this a great app to slash your airfare costs. The app is intuitive and offers insightful information, helping with predictions on the best time to fly to avail discounts. Research has shown that airfares are cheaper on particular days of the week in specific segments, and the app will help you with tips for booking cheap flight tickets and give you suggestions for booking hotel accommodation.

 

 

13. HBO Now

If you happen to be a movie buff and you need more than Netflix, then HBO Now will give you access to this premium channel on your iPhone X. There are shows and programmed content that are broadcast on particular channels and if you belong to the HBO fan club, then this a great way to have access to all your favorite HBO shows on your mobile. The subscription can also be used to watch HBO on other devices.

The announcement of new models of iPhones are perhaps one of the most eagerly awaited, and this extends to not just the Apple fans, but industry in general. The popularity of iPhones are legendary, and it is to credit of the innovative apps that the user experience increases among iPhone users. The iPhoneX with the tall screen just made the experience more interesting and these apps are all set to take it to the next level.