Future Proof An Android App

Googles Android OS is an open source platform that can be licensed and used by smartphones and tablet manufacturers. There is an Android SDK for free downloading, allow developers to develop and distribute custom built Android Apps. Future proofing an Android app to ensure it works smoothly with the future releases of the Android OS. Follow the simple steps below

• Avoid using internal APIs. Internal APIs such as Bluetooth toggle and brightness control APIs often break when Android is updated. To avoid bugs and potential compatibility issues, it’s best to avoid them.
• Avoid manipulating settings directly. You can no longer manipulate system settings without specific permission from the user. Future releases of Android will require you to issue an Intent to launch the appropriate Settings configuration screen, allowing the user to change the settings themselves.
• Avoid unreasonably cluttered layouts. Layouts with view hierarchies of more than 10 deep or 30 broad can causes crashes.
• Avoid hardware assumptions. Applications that assume a user has a certain hardware feature can cause compatibility issues. If your application is designed specifically for a certain hardware feature such as a physical keyboard, it should be equally as useful to users without that specific hardware feature.
• Avoid rotation and reorientation issues. Issues with automatic reorientation is often due to applications assuming the screen can only rotate when a physically keyboard is exposed. You should ensure your apps could be reoriented on any hardware and at any time. Also, apps that require shaking motions and other physical gestures requiring the devices accelerometer may interfere with reorientation.

Note

You can install a custom plugin of Android Development Tools for developing in Eclipse You might need to install Java Development Kit 5 or 6 on your computer to use the Android SDK.