Does android / apple impact mobile app development

Many people have wondered whether the changes they make by bringing out new phones, new updates, and new technology, will have an impact on mobile app development. The short answer is yes, they most certainly will. Don’t worry, we’re not going to leave things at that. If you have a look at the points below, it explains things in more detail.

Apple & Android Dominate the Marketplace

Gather up your friends & family and ask them what phone they have. Some will say a version of an iPhone, others will say Samsung, Google Pixel, LG, Huawei, and so on. The point is, almost everyone has either an Apple or Android device. They account for around 99% of total phones on the market these days.

The simple fact is that hardly anyone uses a Windows phone or Blackberry anymore. So, pretty much all the popular devices outside of the iPhones are built using Android software. Seeing as mobile app development is dependent on mobile devices, it’s naive to think that Android/Apple doesn’t have an impact on it.

The popularity is so extreme that if either company changes a significant aspect of their developing platforms, it will impact the entire mobile app development community.

They Introduce New App Types

You only must look back a couple of years to see a clear example of how these two companies impacted mobile app development. Most apps are similar in their structure, but these giants of the industry started playing around with the concept of augmented reality. Apple started making a big deal out of how their operating system could handle AR, which ultimately drove the demand for these apps through the roof.

Now, if you enter an app development career, you’ll need to know how to develop apps to be compatible with augmented reality. It wasn’t something you needed to know ten years ago, and it’s come from the influence of these companies.

New Software Updates

Nothing shows the influence of Android/Apple quite like new software updates. If Apple makes changes to the iOS platform, then all iOS app developers need to ensure their apps still comply with any rules laid out and still function properly on this platform. The same goes for the Android operating system; updates can literally change the way someone develops an application.

The simple fact that mobile app developers will create apps for these specific platforms shows that they have an impact on the industry. They very much dictate the web app world because they’re so popular and powerful. It’s not like people can just choose to stop developing apps for Android or Apple – they don’t really have anywhere else to go.

So, to refer to the introduction, if you’re interested in a career as an app developer, you must get up to speed with Android and Apple. Learn about both platforms, understand how to develop apps on both, and you will have an enjoyable career.