Android App
Android is a mobile operating system developed by Google. It is based on a modified version of the Linux kernel and other open source software, and is designed primarily for touchscreen mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets. In addition, Google has developed Android TV for televisions, Android Auto for cars, and Wear OS for wrist watches, each with a specialized user interface. Variants of Android are also used on game consoles, digital cameras, PCs and other electronics.
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There are mainly three kinds of apps — native, hybrid and web-based
- Native apps:- All apps targeted towards particular mobile platforms are known as native apps. Therefore, an app meant for Apple device will never open in Android devices. This is why most businesses develop apps for multiple platforms.
- Hybrid apps :- Concept of hybrid apps is a mix of native and web-based apps. Apps developed using Xamarin, React Native, Sencha Touch and other similar technology fall within this category.These are made to support web and native technologies across multiple platforms, hence the name hybrid. Moreover, these apps are easier and faster to develop. It involves use of single code which works in multiple mobile operating systems.
- Web-based apps:- These apps are coded in HTML5, CSS or JavaScript. Presence of strong internet connection is required for proper behavior and user-experience of this group of apps.
- Initially developed by Android Inc., which Google bought in 2005, Android was unveiled in 2007, with the first commercial Android device launched in September 2008. The current stable version is Android 9 “Pie”, released in August 2018. Google released the first beta of the next release, Android Q, on Pixel phones in March 2019. The core Android source code is known as Android Open Source Project (AOSP), which is primarily licensed under the Apache License.
