An android developer is a person who creates applications for phones that run on the Android operating system (OS). These phones can usually download and use a variety of different applications, known as apps, which can expand the phone’s functionality adding a variety of new features. Maps that incorporate data from a phone’s built-in global positioning system (GPS) software, as well as games, restaurant locators and reviews, and enhanced media playback, are examples of these apps. Individual programmers can also create apps, though most android developers work as part of a team.
The software that can be used such programs has significantly improved as wireless phones have become more powerful. Newer phones are frequently designed with a standard operating system, much like a computer, and can run a variety of other programs and apps. Different wireless companies use different operating systems on their phones, one of which is the Android OS, which can use apps developed and distributed through the “android market.” An android developer, who can be a company or an individual programmer, creates these programs.
An android developer can create a wide range of programs, including everything from interactive games to media players, as well as apps that interact with and update based on popular websites, electronic book readers, and global navigation software. An android developer can be a large corporation that hires a large number of programmers to create these apps, or an individual who creates apps for their own enjoyment and that of others. The code needed for android development is mostly open source and freely available to anyone interested in creating apps for Android phones.
Though an android developer usually creates apps for phones that can be downloaded and used for a variety of purposes, the term “android” can also refer to a humanoid robot. This interpretation of the word is quite common, and it has long been used in science fiction stories. As a result, in another sense of the term, an android developer could be someone attempting to create a robot that resembles a human. While this is not yet a major field of research, because robotic creations are still in their infancy, it is unquestionably a growing industry.