Android OS Design and features

What is android?

Android is a software package and linux based operating

system for mobile devices such as tablet computers and
smartphones.
It is developed by Google and later the OHA (Open Handset
Alliance). Java language is mainly used to write the android
code even though other languages can be used.
The goal of android project is to create a successful real-world
product that improves the mobile experience for end users.

What is Framework?
In computer systems, a framework is often a layered structure
indicating what kind of program can or should be built and
how they would interrelate.
Android development frameworks

Today’s culture is utterly reliant on mobile apps: our daily

routines, work habits, and study habits are all entirely
dependent on the multitude of programs that we have loaded
on our Android or iOS smartphone.
We check our Gmail app alerts, order food delivery via
UberEats, communicate with coworkers using Teams, and
follow the individuals we like on Instagram, to name a few
activities.
The top 8 popular tools for Android framework development,
their capabilities, and the projects they are most suited for will
be covered in detail.

a. Ionic Framework

Ionic Framework is a very popular open-source, that was

released in 2013. It’s also free and open source (so it will
most probably remain free!). According to its website, Ionic
can be used to “Build and ship beautiful cross-platform
hybrid and Progressive Web Apps with ease.” Ionic is also
a cross-platform framework, which means that you can create
apps and then customize them for Android, iOS, Windows,
etc.

Features:

 Live Reload and Testing

 Angular Integration

 Hybrid App Development

  Progressive WebApp Support

b. Adobe PhoneGap
Adobe PhoneGap is an open-source Android application
development framework that was purchased by Adobe
Systems in 2011. Its unique feature is that it can be used to
build mobile applications using HTML5, CSS3, and
JavaScript instead of using API like Android, iOS, or
Windows Phone. According to PhoneGap, it can be used
to “Reuse existing web development skills to quickly make
hybrid applications built with HTML, CSS and Javascript.”

Features:
 Cloud Build and Testing
 Integrating Debugging Tools
 OpenSource
 Robust Backend
 Large Community Base.

c. React Native
React Native is an open-source Android Development
framework that was created by Facebook and released in
2015. It provides support for various IDEs and mobile app
development tools and that is one of the main reasons it is
used by many companies such as Instagram, Tesla, Walmart,
Baidu, etc. to develop their mobile apps.

Features:
 Platform-Specific UI Components
 React Native Bridge for Native Integration
 Code Sharing with Web Application
 Instant Updates and Over-The-Air Updates.
d. Flutter
Flutter is an open-source Android development framework
that was released by Google in 2017. According to
Google, “Flutter is Google’s portable UI toolkit for
building beautiful, natively-compiled applications for
mobile, web, and desktop from a single codebase.” Flutter
is written in the Dart programming language (Also developed
by Google) and it is currently used by famous companies
such as Alibaba, Tencent, and Google.

Features:
 Hot Reload
 Widget-Based Development
 Cross-Platform Compatibility
 Beautiful and Customizable UI
 Access to Native APIs.

e. Titanium SDK
Titanium SDK is an open-source Android Development
framework that was created by Appcelerator and released in
2018. It is basically a development environment that can be
used to create native apps across various operating systems
like iOS, Android, BlackBerry, etc. Titanium is quite
popular. According to the Titanium website “The Titanium
environment helps organizations get to market 60%
faster and achieve a significant competitive advantage.”

Features:
 Native Performance
 Cross-Platform Compatibility
 Code Reusability
  Native UI Components
 Access to Native APIs.

Features of Software Development Kit(SDK)

Android SDK Components play a major role in the

Development of Android applications. Below are the
important features of SDK:

a. Android SDK tool:

Android SDK tool is an important component of Android
SDK. It consists of a complete set of development and
debugging tools. Below are the SDK developer tools:

 Android SDK Build tool.

 Android Emulator.
 Android SDK Platform-tools.
 Android SDK Tools.

b. Android SDK built tool:

Android SDK build tools are used for building actual binaries
of Android App. The main functions of Android SDK Build
tools are built, debug, run and test Android applications. The
latest version of the Android SDK Build tool is 30.0.3.
While downloading or updating Android in our System, one
must ensure that its latest version is download in SDK
Components.

c. Android SDK platform-tools:

Android SDK Platform-tools is helpful when we are working
on Project and they will show the error messages at the same
time. It is specifically used for testing. It includes:
 Android Debug Bridge (ADB), is a command-line tool that
helps to communicate with the device. It allows us to
perform an action such as Installing App and Debugging
App etc.
 Fastboot allows you to flash a device with a new system
image.
 Systrace tools help to collect and inspect timing
information. It is very crucial for App Debugging.

d. Android Emulators:
An Android Emulator is a device that simulates an Android
device on your system. Suppose we want to run our android
application that we code. One option is that we will run this
on our Android Mobile by Enabling USB Debugging on our
mobile. Another option is using Android Emulator. In
Android Emulator the virtual android device is shown on our
system on which we run the Android application that we
code.
In Android Virtual Emulator all functions that are feasible
on real Android mobile is works on virtual Device like:
 phone calls, text messages.
 stimulate different network speeds.
 specify the location of a device
 access on google play store and lot’s more.
But there is one disadvantage of this emulator is that. It is
very slow when System’s PC has less RAM. It works fine
when a maximum GB of RAM is present on our device.

e. Android SDK tools:

Android SDK tool is a component of SDK tool. It consists of
a set of tools which and other Utilities which are crucial for
the development of Android Application. It contains the
complete set of Debugging and Development tools for
android.
f. SDK platforms:
For Each Android Software, one SDK platform is available
as shown below:

These are numbered according to the android version. The

new version of the SDK platform has more features and more
compatible but the old version is less compatible with fewer
features. Like in Android 11.0(R) have more compatible and
have more feature but the below versions like Android
10.0(Q), Android4.4(KitKat) have less feature and is less
compatible.

g. SDK update sites:

In SDK Update Sites, some sites are embedded in it which
will check for Android SDK Updates Tools. In this, one must
ensure we don’t unclick the button below because these are
checked by default which will check for updates if we will
unclick it then it doesn’t check updates for those.
Installing and running applications on Android
Studio
Android Studio is the official IDE (Integrated Development
Environment) for Android app development and it is based
on JetBrains’ IntelliJ IDEA software. Android Studio
provides many excellent features that enhance productivity
when building Android apps.
Prerequisites:

 Intermediate computer skills, familiarity with files and

folders, and using apps, such as a spreadsheet, word
processor, or photo editor.
 Ability to download, install, and update software.
What you'll need?

 A computer running a 64-bit version of Windows (8, 10,

or 11), Linux, macOS (10.14 Mojave or later), or
ChromeOS.
 Internet access for your computer.

Windows: Verify system requirements:

Android Studio system requirements
The following are the system requirements for Android Studio
on Windows.

 64-bit Microsoft Windows 8/10/11.

 x86_64 CPU architecture; 2nd generation Intel Core or
newer, or AMD CPU with support for a Windows
Hypervisor
 8 GB RAM or more.
  8 GB of available disk space minimum (IDE + Android
SDK + Android Emulator).
 31280 x 800 minimum screen resolution.
Check system requirements (Windows 10)
On a Windows computer, you can find all the information that
you need to verify the system requirements in the Settings
app.
1. Open Settings.
2. Click System.
3. At the bottom of the left-hand navigation pane,
click About.
4. Make sure that the Windows specifications meet or
exceed the requirements.
 5. Select Device specifications. Make sure that the
Installed RAM is at least as much as is required and that
the system type is the 64-bit version of the operating
system.

6. In the navigation pane, click Display. Make sure that

the Resolution is the same or better than what's required.
Verify Storage

 Open the file explorer.

 In the left-hand navigation pane, click This PC.
 Ensure that the local storage has enough free space to
install Android Studio.

Check system requirements (Windows 8.1)

If you're using Windows 8.1, the steps to find device
specifications are as follows:

 Open the Settings App.

 In the navigation pane, click PC and devices.
 In the navigation pane, click PC info. Check that your
CPU and RAM meet the minimum requirements, and
ensure you're using a 64-bit operating system.
  In the navigation pane, click Display. Check that your
display meets the requirements.
 Open the file explorer, click This PC, and check that you
have enough disk space.

Windows: Download and install Android Studio

Download Android Studio
1) Open any web browser and navigate to the Android
Studio download page.
This is the Android Developers website, where you can
download Android Studio. This page automatically detects
your operating system.
2) Click Download Android Studio. The Terms and
Conditions page with the Android Studio License
Agreement opens.
3) Read the License Agreement.
4) At the bottom of the page, if you agree with the terms
and conditions, select the I have read and agree with
the above terms and conditions checkbox.
 5) Click Download Android Studio to start the download.
6) When prompted, save the file to a location where you
can easily locate it, such as the Downloads folder.
7) Wait for the download to complete.
Install Android Studio on Windows
1. Open the folder where you downloaded and saved the
Android Studio installation file.
2. Double-click the downloaded file.
3. If you see a User Account Control dialog about
allowing the installation to make changes to your
computer, click Yes to confirm the installation.
The Welcome to Android Studio Setup dialog displays.

4. Click Next to start the installation.

5. Accept the default installation settings for all steps.
6. Click Finish when the installation is done to launch
Android Studio.
7. Choose your preference of light or dark theme when
Android Studio first launches. Screenshots in this course
use the light theme, but choose which ever one you prefer.

8. During the installation, the setup wizard downloads and

installs additional components and tools needed for
Android app development. This may take some time
depending on your internet speed. During this time, you
may see a User Account Control dialog for Windows
Command Processor. Click Yes to accept the dialog.
9. You may also receive a Windows Security Alert about
adb.exe. Click Allow Access, if needed, to continue the
installation.

10. When the download and installation completes,

click Finish.
The Welcome to Android Studio window displays and
you're ready to start creating apps!
Running application on Android Studio:
To run an app in Android Studio, you can click the green
arrow in the menu bars at the top:

Or you can click the Run menu, then select Run.

If you already have a virtual device set up in Android Studio,

then your app will launch and you'll see an image of a phone
appear on the right:
But, if you haven't set up a virtual device, you may see a
screen appear asking you to choose one:

As you can see, we don't have a real device plugged in to this

computer, as it says none under Connected Devices. (We'll
plug a real device in, soon.) There is an option
under Available Virtual Devices, however. For us, this
is Nexus 5X API 25 x86.
If you don't see the above dialog box, then you can select a
device from the dropdown list to the left of the Run button:
You can also set up a virtual device by selecting Device
Manager from the menu above. If you do, you'll see this
screen appear on the right of Android Studio:

There are two tabs at the top, Virtual and Physical. If you
don't have a phone plugged in to your computer, the Physical
tab will be empty. The Virtual tab shows you what virtual
devices you have already set up. To set up a new one, click
the Create Device button at the top. you'll see this:
In the image above, we've selected the Phone category. In the
middle, we've selected tp set up a Pixel 6 virtual device. Click
Next to see this screen:

This screen is where you can select a system image for when
the device loads. As the message on the right says, the
recommended images run faster and support Google APIs.
Click Next and you're almost there. This is the final screen
you'll see:
Not much to do here but confirm you choices. Click Finish to
finish setting up your new virtual device.
After you have finished setting up the new device, you should
see it appear on your Device Manager list:
You'll also see it on the menu to the left of the Run button at
the top of Android Studio:

When you click the Run button now, your app will start on
your new virtual device. The idea here is that you can test
your app on a wide range of devices to see what it looks like:
Now have a look at the control strip at the top of the the
emulated phone. This one:

Creating AVDs:
In android development, we need an android device to run
the application. So, developers of Android Studio provide an
option to install android virtual device to run it.
Follow the below steps to install Android Virtual Device.
Step 1: Go to Tools > AVD Manager.
Step 2: Now click on Create Virtual Device.

Step 3: A pop-up window will be there and here we select

the category Phone because we are creating android app for
mobile and select the model of mobile phone we want to
install.
Step 4: Here we select the android version to download
like Q, Pie, Oreo etc and click Next button.

Step 5: Click the finish button to complete the installation.

Step 6: Now we can select the virtual device we want to run
as emulator can click on the run icon.

Step 7: Finally our virtual device is ready to run our android

app.
Types of Android Applications:
1. Native Applications
Native Android based applications are mobile apps developed
specifically for the Android operating system using the
Android Software Development Kit (SDK) and programming
languages such as Java, Kotlin, or C++. The advantage of
being optimized for the Android platform is providing a
smoother and faster user experience. They also have access to
all the features and functionalities of the device, including the
camera, GPS, accelerometer, and other sensors. This level of
access allows for more advanced functionality and integration
with the hardware.
Pros: High performance, access to full Android API and
features, and ability to provide a seamless user experience.
Cons: High development costs, time-consuming development
process, and the need for specialized skills and expertise.
Example: WhatsApp, Instagram, Google Maps.
2. Hybrid Applications
Hybrid applications are a type of mobile application that
combines elements of both native and web applications. They
are built using web technologies like HTML, CSS, and
JavaScript and then wrapped in a native application using
frameworks such as PhoneGap or React Native.The
applications can access device features like the camera, GPS,
and contacts, making them more powerful than traditional
web applications.
Pros: Faster development time, lower development costs,
ability to use web technologies like HTML, CSS, and
JavaScript, and ability to be deployed across multiple
platforms.
Cons: Lower performance and responsiveness compared to
native applications, limitations in accessing device features
and APIs, and potential compatibility issues across different
devices.
Example: Twitter, Uber, Instagram Lite.
3. Web Applications
Web applications are software programs accessed over the
internet using a web browser. They can be as simple as a
single page or as complex as a multi-page application that
performs various functions. Applications are built using web
technologies like HTML, CSS, and JavaScript and are
typically hosted on a web server. Users can access the
application by entering its URL into their web browser.
Pros: No need to install the application, ability to access the
application from any device with an internet connection, and
lower development costs compared to native and hybrid
applications.
Cons: Limited access to device features and APIs, potential
security concerns, and user experience and interface
limitations.
Examples: Google Drive, Dropbox, Trello.
4. Progressive Web Applications
Progressive Web Applications (PWA) are web applications
that use modern web technologies to provide a native app-like
experience to users, even when the application is accessed
through a web browser. PWAs are designed to be fast,
reliable, and engaging, with features like push notifications,
offline support, and the ability to install on a user’s device like
a native app.
Pros: Ability to provide an app-like experience with features
such as offline access, push notifications, and full-screen
mode, lower development costs compared to native
applications, and ability to be deployed across multiple
platforms.
Cons: Limited access to device features and APIs, user
experience and interface limitations, and potential
compatibility issues across different devices.
Examples: Twitter Lite, Flipkart Lite, Trivago.
5. Gaming Applications
Gaming applications are software programs that provide users
with an interactive and engaging gaming experience. They
can be played on various devices, including desktop
computers, laptops, mobile devices, and gaming consoles.
Applications can take many forms, including action games,
role-playing games, simulation games, puzzle games, and
more. Typically, a combination of graphics, sound, and user
input creates an immersive gaming experience that challenges
and entertains users.
Pros: Ability to provide immersive experiences, the potential
for monetization through in-app purchases or advertising, and
the ability to engage a large user base.
Cons: High development costs, intense competition in the
market, and potential limitations in device compatibility.
Examples: Candy Crush, PUBG Mobile.
6. Social Media Application
Social media applications are software programs that allow
users to create, share, and interact with content on social
networks. They typically include features like profiles, news
feeds, messaging, commenting, and sharing. The applications
can be used for various purposes, such as connecting with
friends and family, networking with colleagues, sharing
information and ideas, promoting businesses and brands, and
more.
Pros: The ability to connect people and build communities,
the potential for monetization through advertising, and the
ability to engage a large user base.
Cons: Potential security and privacy concerns, potentially
negative effects on mental health and well-being, and intense
competition in the market.
Examples: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter.
7. Educational Applications
Educational applications are software programs designed to
enhance the learning experience by providing educational
content, interactive activities, and personalized learning
pathways. They can be used in various settings, such as
schools, universities, and online learning platforms.

Pros: Ability to provide education and training to a large

audience, potential for personalized learning experiences, and
the ability to improve access to education.
Cons: Potential limitations in device compatibility, the
potential for limited engagement and retention, and challenges
in developing high-quality content.
Examples: Duolingo, Khan Academy, Coursera.

Best Practice in Android Programming

As Android engineers, we’re all motivated by the desire to
create memorable experiences for people all across the
world. Listed down are few best practices that you can take
on to have better outcomes in your development.
1. Choose suitable development method.
Not all apps are built with the same approach. You have to
brainstorm, plan and pick an appropriate method before
starting the development process. Before proceeding you will
have to make a prior move that your further app will be
a Native, Hybrid, or Web-based app.

2. Maintain high quality code.

We all know that Coding is an Art. And once an individual

starts coding correctly he/she starts loving the flavor.
Moreover how creatively you code, shows how better
developer you are. Your Quality Of Code Always Matters.
Because writing long code is never a smart step, it not only
increases the chances of having more bugs and consumes a
lot of time, and creates lots of complexity. Here are few
points listed you can adopt for superior code quality.

 To give the finest look to your code you can initially

study the code of an expert, analyze their approach and
try to modify that.
 Provide the purposes of every function you use.

3. Always keep a consistent coding style and accurate

architecture.
Use descriptive names.
Always keep your code simple and sober, remove
unnecessary lines and keep your work short and descriptive.
4. Learn how to use android documentation.
Android itself is a very vast concept, and it’s very much
impractical to imagine that you are a master in all the
concepts and techniques. And when it comes to programming
or building application nothing can help you out other than
the stack’s documentation. Learning how to use/read and
understand the Android Documentation is important this will
help you to build lots of applications with a variety of
features.
5. User Input.
Your project work seems more friendly if it’s highly
interacted with the users and it seems more helpful as
well. While coding, every text field is planned for a different
job. We take input in some text fields as numbers or as
alphabets. It is counted as better practice if only the number
pad is open if we ask the user for numeric value.
6. Avoid deep level in layouts.
Having deep hierarchical code views actually makes the UI
slower to manage the layout. Deep hierarchies can mostly be
avoided by using the correct view group. It’s a
recommendation to use a single-level hierarchy.
7. Speeding up Android Gradle Builds
Always keep your Gradle updated and use the latest Gradle
plugin for android.
Enable Offline mode, Gradle Daemon, and Parallel build of
your project. to use Gradle offline see the setting done
below.
(Gradle is a build automation tool known for its flexibility to
build software).
Use specific dependency versions instead of Dynamics
versions.
8. Go for a selective layout and Re-using layouts with
<include/> tag.
Before we choose any layout we need to understand that how
the UI of the project is created. So when we talk about
layouts as we know there are ConstraintLayout,
LinearLayout, RelativeLayout, FrameLayout,
CoordinatorLayout, and out of all these layouts, you just
need to do performance analysis for some of them before
getting started with it. If you have some part of your XML
getting reused and you want to Avoid replication of code in
different layouts. Just add <include/> by extracting them in a
separate layout.
Android Tools
a. Android Studio
As Google's official Android IDE, Android Studio is an
undisputed must-have tool for professional Android
developers in 2024. It includes everything required for end-to-
end development, spanning project setup, code editing,
debugging, testing, and publishing app updates through a
single intuitive interface.
b. Kotlin programming Language
Android development first started using Java as their
preferred language of development. However, since JetBrains
announced their stable release of Kotlin, we have had
multiple migrations from Java to Kotlin quickly. In May
2019, Google announced Kotlin to be Android’s preferred
language of development. Every new technology released
since then by Google has been written in Kotlin.
Kotlin builds upon the foundation of improving the
drawbacks of Java. It reduces the verbose syntax and adds
functionality that Java developers have complained about for
multiple years. Kotlin’s concise syntax and robustness was
the primary reason for the migration of Java developers to
use Kotlin for development.
c. Firebase
Firebase is perhaps one of the best tools to use if you are not
familiar with building backend API Servers, or you may be
just too lazy to build one yourself. Firebase is a Google-run
backend service that is free to use until a certain limit. This
service includes databases, cloud storage, cloud functions,
authentication, and more.
d. Jetpack compose
One of the best tools to be released by Google in the past
years is Jetpack Compose. This is a brand new UI toolkit
written entirely in Kotlin for Kotlin developers. Shifting from
the old norm to having separate XML layouts and connecting
them to the backend code, Jetpack Compose is a declarative
style UI toolkit where “Composable functions” are drawn on
the screen.
e. Github
(This tool is a no-brainer to use regardless of the work you
are doing. Imagine you have some code that is working, but
it breaks when you implement a feature. OH no! You need to
revert back to the previous stage when it was working, but
you forgot the exact code. Your entire code is now broken
and you must start over. . . NO!).. Only explainatory part.
You should use a Version Control System like Git and
upload your code on a platform like GitHub. Your code is
saved by identity strings called “Commit Hashes”
and GitHub is a cloud platform that saves your code for
others to see, like your friends, peers and recruiters. They can
contribute to the code you write and develop Android
applications together.
f. Coil
Coil is a brilliant library to use, especially with Kotlin and
Jetpack Compose, to load images from the internet. If your
application uses many images, it may be a bad idea to have
the images bundled with your APK file (making the
application big). Instead, you can have your images stored
somewhere on the cloud, and use the Coil library to load the
images when the user opens the application.

Building your First Android application

Prerequisites

 Basic Kotlin knowledge

What you'll need
 The latest version of Android Studio
What you'll learn

 How to create an Android App with Android Studio.

 How to run apps with the Preview tool in Android
Studio.
 How to update text with Kotlin.
 How to update a User Interface (UI) with Jetpack
Compose.
 How to see a preview of your app with Preview in
Jetpack Compose.
What you'll build

 An app that lets you customize your introduction!

What you'll need
 A computer with Android Studio installed.
a. Create a project using the template
 In this codelab, you create an Android app with the Empty
Activity project template provided by Android Studio.

To create a project in Android Studio:

1. Double click the Android Studio icon to launch Android
Studio.

2. In the Welcome to Android Studio dialog, click New

Project
 The New Project window opens with a list of templates
provided by Android Studio.

3. Make sure the Phone and Tablet tab is selected.

4. Click the Empty Activity template to select it as the template
for your project. The Empty Activity template is the template
to create a simple project that you can use to build a Compose
app. It has a single screen and displays the
text "Hello Android!".
5. Click Next. The New Project dialog opens. This has some
fields to configure your project.
6. Configure your project as follows:
The Name field is used to enter the name of your project, for
this codelab type "Greeting Card".
Leave the Package name field as is. This is how your files
will be organized in the file structure. In this case, the package
name will be com.example.greetingcard.
Leave the Save location field as is. It contains the location
where all the files related to your project are saved. Take a
note of where that is on your computer so that you can find
your files.
Select API 24: Android 7.0 (Nougat) from the menu in
the Minimum SDK field. Minimum SDK indicates the
minimum version of Android that your app can run on.

The panel on the left side of the android studio window has
all the files that the app includes. Under the java folder,
observe the first folder containing the java file of your
project.
For every activity, a “.java” file and a “.xml” file is created.
In this case for MainActivity, “MainActivity.java” and
“activity_main.xml” are created.
The above java file shows us the default code that is present
when an app is created. An activity is created that extends
AppCompactActivity class.
The “res” folder contains “layout” subfolder, which includes
the xml files of the projects.
Now, consider the activity_main.xml file, it contains various
tags similar to HTML. The first tag ensures the version. The
second tag is usually the Layout tag. There are various types
of Layouts but for now, let us go with the
default RelativeLayout. This is a layout that places the
widgets relative to screen size.
There is a TextView widget by default. This “TextView” is
basically the Text field that displays the text specified. It has
various attributes. For now, consider the default attributes
present. The layout_width and layout_height are the width
and height of the widget occupied in the screen. The attribute
“wrap_content” refers to width or height being restricted to
the content of the text.
Now, click the “Run” option at the Toolbar at the top. You
can observe the option being highlighted in the image below.
You would get a pop-up as in the image below.
You can either choose the emulator or you can connect your
phone and find them listed under Connected Devices but for
this you must enable the developer options in your phone and
set the USB debugging mode on.

Once done, click on OK.

Usually, the emulator consumes a lot of RAM. The more
RAM size you have, the faster your emulator will work.
Generally, 4GB is the descent RAM size. Size more than that
would increase the performance of your emulator.
The image below shows the working of the first app, My
Application. You can find all the basic functionalities that
your phone has, on the emulator, like Home button, back
button, power, etc.