When starting Android development, the vast diversity of devices can initially appear overwhelming. Android has a large number of manufacturers, each with their own range of devices spanning various versions of Android, often further customised with manufacturer-specific amendments. This fragmentation presents a unique set of challenges for mobile startups, especially those without the luxury of extensive funding to test on the widest array of devices.
However, there are several strategies developers can employ to manage and mitigate the effects of fragmentation in their projects.
Embrace Standard Android Controls
One of the most effective approaches is to avoid the temptation of heavily branding apps and instead leverage the default Android screen controls. These controls are designed to be flexible and automatically scale across different devices, significantly reducing the development overhead associated with creating interfaces. You can creatively re-purpose and re-colour these controls to achieve a branded look and feel without sacrificing compatibility and scalability.
Design Specifically for Android
Designing with Android in mind, rather than attempting to replicate iOS idioms, also significantly reduces compatibility issues and lower development cost. This includes focusing on responsive and adaptive UI designs that use relative and constraint layouts to ensure your app’s interface adjusts seamlessly to different screen sizes and resolutions.
Use Compatibility Libraries
Android’s compatibility libraries, such as AndroidX, play a crucial role in bridging the gap between new and old versions of the OS. These libraries allow developers to use features introduced in newer versions of Android while maintaining backward compatibility with older devices.
Understand Your Audience
It’s crucial to analyse the devices predominantly used in your target geographic region or intended market. Often, testing on a select 20% of devices can cover up to 80% of your target audience. This approach enables you to focus their testing efforts more efficiently, ensuring that the majority of users experience the app as intended.
Simplify and Re-use
Aiming for simplicity in app design and functionality can greatly reduce the fragmentation challenges. Deep integration with the OS can lead to many more, non-UI, compatibility issues across different devices. Therefore, developers should evaluate whether certain deep API uses are essential or if there are simpler approaches. Additionally, leveraging open source libraries can save time and effort by re-using solutions that have already addressed common fragmentation issues.
Embrace Automated Testing
Automated testing frameworks and services, such as Spoon and Firebase Test Lab, enable testing across a wide range of devices simultaneously. This not only improves efficiency but also helps identify device-specific issues that might not be evident in emulator testing.
Feature Toggles and Gradual Rollouts
Implementing feature toggles allows developers to enable or disable app features for specific devices or Android versions dynamically. This strategy is particularly useful for introducing new features to a subset of users or rolling back problematic features without needing to deploy new app versions.
Seek Vertical Business to Business Opportunities
Entrepreneurs can look for niche markets or verticals that may only require support for a limited range of devices. In certain business scenarios, it may even be feasible to standardise on a single device model, which can simplify development and ensure the chosen devices are adequately rugged for the intended use case.
Conclusion
The challenge of Android fragmentation, while real, is often exaggerated. With careful planning, strategic decision-making, and the use of available tools and libraries, developers can navigate the fragmented Android landscape effectively. It’s about being prepared, adaptable, and open to leveraging the ecosystem’s strengths to create engaging and widely accessible applications. Accepting that a small percentage of issues will arise on any platform, and planning for this eventuality, can help maintain focus on delivering quality user experiences across the broad spectrum of Android devices.
