Mobile App Development as a Career

Almost everything you do today on your mobile device is through an app. Whether you want to read the news, play music, or track your food intake, chances are you are doing it through a mobile app. Mobile app development is big business today. So is it a good idea to become a mobile app developer? Let’s find out.

What Are Mobile Apps?

We are strangely attached to our smartphones and mobile devices. Most of us check our mobile phones as soon as we wake up in the morning, and just before we go to sleep at night. It’s little wonder then that businesses of all shapes and sizes are targeting this mobile-crazy generation

A mobile application is a software that is specifically designed to run on mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets. Mobile apps deliver a superior user interface experience given the constraints of smaller screen size and lower processing capabilities of mobile devices.

Mobile apps are better than mobile websites for a number of reasons. With mobile apps it’s much easier to tailor the communication to the user’s demography, location, usage trends, and interests. One major advantage to businesses of developing a mobile app is the push notification feature, which allows them to send notifications even when the user has not opened the app.

Add-on mobile device features such as GPS, camera, and contact list, can be seamless integrated into a mobile app downloaded on the device, which makes the experience of using the app more interactive and fun for the user.

Types of Mobile App

Three types of mobile apps are the most popular.

iOS Mobile Apps – The iPhone accounts for less than twenty percent of all smartphones sold in the world, but it captures more than ninety percent of the global profits in the smartphone industry. In terms of revenue, the iOS platform is the most attractive market for mobile app developers. Apple customers are more willing to pay for an app than customers of other mobile platforms. On the flip side, Apple users are the most demanding customers, which means that iOS mobile app developers must deliver apps that are efficient, simple and visually magnificent. As of last year, there were more than 1.5 million apps for iPhone and iPads in the Apple app store.

Android Mobile Apps – Majority of all smartphones shipped globally run on the Android platform. Android is the most used mobile platform in the UK and Europe, and in emerging markets in Asia, Africa, and South America. Android is also the biggest market for mobile app development, with over 1.6 million mobile apps in Google Play Store. In addition to smartphones and tablets, Android apps can also be marketed across MP3 players, DVRs and a host of other gadgets.

Hybrid Mobile Apps – Hybrid apps work on multiple mobile devices, including Android and iOS devices. The app is written in HTML5, CSS3, and JavaScript, and can be downloaded like a native app from the Apple’s App Store and Google Play Store. A hybrid mobile app helps maximize audience reach and lower app development cost.

Mobile App Development in the UAE

The UAE has the world’s highest smartphone penetration in the world, with nearly 73 percent of the population in UAE using mobile phones. UAE also has the most mobile app downloads in the Middle East and Africa region. People here love to download apps on their phones, especially in the categories of games, social media, music, sport, education. Dubai has also launched a series of public service apps under its Dubai Smart Government initiative.

The main challenge of developing apps for the UAE region is app monetization because of the unwillingness of the largely Islamic audience to pay for content. People do not see ‘digital information as anything’ tangible.’ Also, unlike the US and Europe, there is a lack of awareness about intellectual property rights and that it’s illegal or ethically forbidden to get paid content for free.

However, that has not dithered mobile app developers from developing successful apps for the local population. One such example is the ‘The Sira App’, that introduces children to the life and teachings of Prophet Muhammad.

Competencies of a Mobile App Developer

The mobile app developer is the person behind the scene, responsible for thinking, writing, and creating the app. Most mobile app developers work in teams brainstorming the next app idea to bring to the public. They can also work as service providers for clients who have an idea for an app and want someone to develop the app for them.

Most mobile app developers have a programming background and a degree in computer science. They use their knowledge of coding languages (Java, C++, HTML, HTML 5, Antenna, AMP) to build apps, but also rely on animators, data specialists, and other software experts to bring the app to life. They also have the arduous task of identifying bugs before the launch of the app.

There is a strong business aspect to being a successful mobile app developer. For instance, your ability to understand what the customer wants and to communicate your design ideas to your team of developers is crucial.

A mobile app developer must have the creativity to build apps that are visually appealing to the target audience. Team management, customer-service, and trouble-shooting are some of the other skills that a sound mobile app developer needs to display almost on a daily basis.

The average mobile app developer in the UAE earns AED 180,000. If you are interested in becoming an app developer in the UAE, begin by acquiring skills in programming languages and a formal degree in computer science.

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