How to Create an Android App

You can create your own Android app on your PC as long as you have the right software installed, and you can even take it for a test drive using an Android emulator so you can see exactly what it look like on a smartphone.

One of the strengths of Android platform when compared to iOS, is that it has an open source basis, which makes it easier to produce your own applications and distribute them without waiting for a lengthy approval process.

To submit apps directly to Google Play, you will need to sign up for a Google Play Developer account, which will cost you a one-time fee around $25. Submitting apps to Google Play is a far less rigorous activity than for the App Store—once submitted, it should be available in a few hours.

If you want a complete overview, Google offers a nice step-by-step training guide for budding developers.

The first thing you'll need to do is download Android Studio. While there are other IDE (Integrated Development Environment) out there, Android Studio is the official Androidone and is available for download on Windows, Mac, or Linux. If you want to design for Android, it might help to be acquainted with the Java programming language. It's not the only language that Android app are built in, but it's the fundamental one. Android Studio gives you the opportunity to develop, test, and monetize your app. Once you have developed and tested your Android app, you can publish it using the Google Play Developer Console.