Android Developers Make More $$ By Doing This

Android Devs Make More By Doing This
Posted by AndroidAppsReview.com

There are changes afoot that can have dire effects on the income many Android developers.

Thanks to our friends at Engadget we’ve learned something critical and this will easily affect current developers but also will impact anyone thinking about developing Android apps and trying to determine how best to maximize their income.

“If a developer wants more take-home revenue, it has to support all the platforms in a given category. A video app maker has to integrate with Android TV, Google TV and Google Cast. An audio app creator has to support Wear OS, Android Auto, Android TV and Google Cast, while a reading app maker has to optimize for tablets, foldables and the Entertainment Space experience.”

We think it’s fair to say that most developers first think about building apps for the current, or soon to be on the market, Android phones that we all salivate over. You know what I’m talking about, the latest Samsung or Google Pixel that we can’t wait to get our sweaty hands on.

Of course there’s also lots to be said for being a prudent buyer and getting a great phone, including 5G, for less, as advised by Dwight Silverman over at Forbes.

So what does all this have to do with making more money as an app developer? Well, for one thing notice that all the headlines are about phones, not tablets or watches. See? That’s the point, Google wants those killer apps that take advantage of non-phone hardware to be on Android, not iPadOS or watchOS.

The bottom line is that you will be incented, that is, paid more if you tow the line and support the other devices that are being left behind.

Of course that is not a universal opinion. There are many folks who swear that the best Android tablets are on a par with the best iPads, or even better. Not just a better value, but better overall. Take this article by Henry T. Casey writing for Tom’s Guide. He is not shy to say you’re best bet is the Android platform for features and price.

Let us not forget though that since the time of Eniac, and even more so true today, the value of the hardware is totally dependent on the softare. That’s why Steve Balmer used to rave like a madman at Microsoft sales meetings about developers! developers! developers! As much as the hardware depends on the softare that runs on it, the operating system depends on the apps that run on top of it.

A Final Word

We, of course, are big fans of the Android ecosystem, the dev platform, the plethora of device options and all the rest. It only makes sense for Google to push devs to accommodate other Android devices because by doing so they will enrich the entire Android ecosystem.