With the increasing use of mobile phones to do everything from shopping to banking – along with their responsive design, it has become much more commonplace for consumers to migrate onto mobile platforms. This proliferation has led to the emergence of a relatively new professional group focused on the development of software systems for mobile devices.
Mobile developers are professionals who create software applications, optimized for mobile devices. They specialize in building apps for Apple’s iOS, Google’s Android or Microsoft’s Windows platforms. Their roles are becoming more popular as more people further engage in digital interactions and conduct e-commerce more on their smartphones than their computers.
What Mobile Developers Do
A Mobile Developer’s role is to interact with Back-End teams such as product managers and UI/UX designers. They must be familiar with software applications and be sensitive to user concerns. They work essentially with the systems of the main operating system makers such as Android, Apple and Microsoft.
A Mobile Developer is involved in the entire life-cycle of the application, from concept, release to support. They gather specific requirements to produce a fully functional application. They then troubleshoot and debug the application to optimize its performance. They collaborate with product development teams to plan new features and utilize many of the tools used by traditional programmers and developers – but with specific skills associated with their role.
Skills of Mobile Developers
Traditional engineering schools do not yet teach mobile development skills, but a degree in a relevant field will definitely be helpful. Many mobile developers come from a Back-End development background but they must also be proficient in the use of one or more programming languages. They should also be familiar with object-oriented design principles, be able to work on a team, have good analytical skills and excellent problem-solving abilities.
There are two types of mobile developers:
– The Native Mobile Developer builds and installs native applications, or applications built for specific platforms in the platform’s accepted language .
– The Hybrid Mobile Developer builds hybrid apps that combine both elements of native and web applications.
Most developers specialize in either Native or Hybrid applications, but some do choose to combine both. Some native mobile developers even sub-specialize in either Android or iOS applications. Whichever platform they choose to specialize in, they must have experience in the process of publishing on the store they are working with.
How Much Do Mobile Developers Earn?
On the international market, earnings vary widely depending on the language/framework a Mobile Developer works with. For an IOS developer using Swift or Objective C, an Android developer using Java or Kotlin, or Mobile developer using hybrid technologies, the salary range is between 40K and 65K.
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