Introduction
Smartphones and tablets have become ubiquitous. From office tasks to education, music, fitness, and entertainment, all are available through the applications for the users at the palm of their hands.
The inclusion of innovative features provided by various applications ensures multiple benefits for the users and dramatically transforms how several tasks are performed today. As a result, the need for Android developers has surged in the industry and is likely to maintain the upward trend for a long time to come.Â
Besides the tech leaders, many startups are emerging in the Android development market that offer competitive salaries to the most skilled Android developers to capture a large chunk of the market share in the application development for the Android platform.
Such companies are looking for adept programmers who can design, build applications and embed them with advanced features and functionalities to draw the users’ interests with exciting features.Â
Today, the Android development industry is proliferating and expected to be worth a staggering $6.3 trillion in 2021, leading several exceptional app developers to stand out and enter the elite millionaire clubs.
For those looking for a switch in their career or brainstorming career prospects, now is the most opportune moment to upskill themselves with Android development skills and deep dive into an exciting and future-proof career.
Related reading: Top 13 iOS App Development Courses
1. Android App Development Specialization by Vanderbilt University – Coursera
This is an Android developer specialization program offered on Coursera. The course enables learners to implement core Java programming languages and various features and software patterns required for developing and maintaining mobile applications.Â
In addition, the concepts of core Android components and the fundamentals of Java I/O and persistence mechanisms are covered in depth. A capstone project in the final module requires learners to build an Android application using Java programming features, Android studio tools, Android activity components, material design, unit testing, and software pattern concepts covered throughout the course.Â
The course curriculum includes:
- Java for Android
- Android App Components- Intents, Activities, and Broadcast Receivers
- Android App Components- Services, Logic IPC, and Content Providers
- Engineering Maintainable Android Apps
- Capstone for Android App Development
Instructor: Dr. Jerry Roth, Michael Walker, Dr. Jules White, Dr. Julie L. Johnson, and Dr. Douglas C. Schmidt
Level: Beginner
Duration: 5 Months
User Review: 4.5/5
No. of Reviews: 2572
Price: Free Enrollment (Additional charges for certification may apply)
2. Programming Mobile Applications for Android Handheld Systems: Part 1 and Part 2 – Coursera
This is a two-part online course offered by the University of Maryland on Coursera (part 1/part 2). In the first part of the training program, the learners will delve into the design and implementation of Android applications for mobile devices.Â
The concepts on app development, the Android studio setup, and various activities associated with a user interface to make apps run smoother and enhance user experience are covered precisely with hands-on sessions. However, it is expected that the learners have basic knowledge of Java for this course.
For the second part of this certificate program, the learners will build upon the previous concepts and learn about handling notifications, multimedia and graphics, and the inclusion of touch and gestures in the applications. Furthermore, critical GUI elements, user interface concepts are covered comprehensively. There are practical sessions for each module to build the programming experience of the learners.Â
The course curriculum includes:
PART 1:
- Android Platform and Development Environment
- Application Fundamentals and the Activity Class
- Intents, Permissions, and Fragments
- User Interface Classes
- Build from Scratch Assignment
PART 2:
- Threads and Networking
- User Notifications, Broadcast Receivers, and Alarms
- Graphics, Touch, and Multimedia
- Sensors, Location and Maps, and Data Management
- Build from Scratch Capstone Project
Instructor: Dr. Adam Porter
Level: Intermediate
Duration: Part 1:28 hours/Part 2:20 hours
User Review: Part 1: 4.6/5, Part 2: 4.7/5
No. of Reviews: 638 and 170 respectively
Price: Free Enrollment (Additional charges for certification may apply)
3. Android Certification Training Course – Edureka
This Android certification training is offered on Edureka. Among various online courses, this training program stands out as it is certified by Google. The certified program aligns with Google’s vision of training high-quality mobile developers for the industry.
The learners will cover various aspects of Android development, from basics to the most complex topics. In addition, there are interactive sessions and hands-on projects that are mandatory to be completed.
Moreover, the learners will understand the Android Studio setup, Android architecture, the Android development tools and learn about the integration of mobile apps with social media networks and various Google features such as Google Drive and Google Maps.
Finally, the learners will explore the concepts on how to optimize the app user experience. However, there are prerequisites for the course’s participants that include proficiency with Java basics and core Java knowledge.Â
At the end of the course, the learners will gain mastery over the concepts such as:
- Activity Lifecycle, DDMS, Android Studio, Drawables, Listeners, and Android Development Tools
- Various Layouts and Widgets and Event Receivers in Android Applications
- Communicate between Fragments and Activities
- Creating Interactive Applications with Audio, Video, and Animation
- Dynamic Web Application with JSON and SOAP
- Displaying Current Location in a Google Map
- Creating Applications using SQLite Database and Third-Party Libraries
- Integrating Facebook, Dropbox, and Google Drive in Existing Android Application
- Publishing Application in Google Play Store
Instructor: Industry Professionals and Google Developers
Level: Intermediate
Duration: 21 hours (Including Self-paced and Instructor-led Sessions)
User Review: 5/5
No. of Reviews: 62,000
Price: $165
4. Android App Development for Complete Beginners – Skillshare
The course is offered on the Skillshare platform. In this training program, the learners will explore the user interface, Android Studio setup, and the essentials for building interactive applications. There is also a session on installation and testing the application on Android devices. Besides, there is no prior programming experience required.Â
For learners interested in gaining more knowledge of mobile application development with advanced concepts, they can enroll for the extension of this course.Â
The course contents are:
- Introduction
- Installing Android Studio
- Creating the User Interface
- Testing the App with the Stimulator
- Adding Behaviors
- Testing the App with a Real Device
- Making the App Interactive and Look Better
- Conclusion
Instructor: Lee Falin
Level: Beginner
Duration: 38 minutes (Self-Paced)
User Review: Over 80% positive reviews
No. of Reviews: NA
Price: Free Trial (Charges may apply after trial. Prices available on Sign-Up)
5. Advanced App Development in Android Specialization by Imperial College London – Coursera
This specialization is offered on the Coursera platform. The course is intended for learners with fundamental knowledge in Android app development and the programming language developers use for building mobile applications. T
here are various modules on computer graphics, software development, and virtual reality in Android in this certification. Throughout the course, the learners will cover computer graphic theories, the practical implementations, 3D graphics, OpenGL ES, and the integration of virtual reality features on Android applications to build an immersive app.
 In addition, there are multiple lab sessions provided to build strong programming knowledge of the learners for advanced app development requirements.Â
The course modules are:
- Introduction to Android Graphics
- Android Graphics with OpenGL ES
- 3D Graphics in Android: Sensors and VR
- Advanced App Development
- Android Capstone
Instructor: Benny Lo
Level: Intermediate
Duration: 4 Months
User Review: 4.0/5
No. of Reviews: 39
Price: Free Enrollment (Additional charges for certification may apply)
6. Android Architecture Masterclass – Udemy
This is a hands-on course with no prior programming experience required by the learners. It is available for enrollment on Udemy.Â
The learners will explore clean coding concepts and avoid duplication and other associated problems such as random structure packages and singletons that slow down Android projects. In addition, the learners will cover best practices to ensure the long-term quality of Android applications. The essentials of clean architecture, model view X architectural patterns, dependency injection, packages, and logic reusability are covered in-depth.
 At the end of this course, the learners will understand writing clean and readable codes, incorporating features in small and decoupled classes to be organized as a meaningful package, and discovering the roles of activities and fragments in Android applications.Â
The course contents are:
- Architecture
- MVx Architectural Patterns
- Review of Android Architecture Blueprint
- MVx in Android
- MVC Basics
- Dependency Injection
- Controller
- Packages Structure
- Nested MVC Views
- Nested MVC Views through Inheritance
- Nested Controllers
- Dialogs and Runtime Permissions
Instructor: Vasiliy Zukanov
Level: Beginner/Intermediate
Duration: 7 hours and 5 minutes
User Review: 4.8/5
No. of Reviews: 953
Price: $69.6
7. Become an Android Kotlin Developer Nanodegree Program – Udacity
Mastering Android app development with modern programming language has become easy with this course on Udacity.
Another critical benefit of this certification is the collaboration with Google, which guarantees learners to build top-industry level skills to build more concisely. Besides, the learners will gain insights into the best practices, the Android studio, Android Jetpack, and Kotlin programming language to build applications for mobile devices running on Android OS. Furthermore, the video lectures are designed to be easy for learners to follow in terms of the theoretical aspects and practical sessions with a follow-along approach.Â
Finally, the learners will cover essential concepts on Android UI components, navigable interfaces, use of APIs, enhancing app functionality with robust notification features, and adding location and Google features such as Google Maps in the applications.Â
The course contents are:
- Developing Android Apps Part 1 and 2
- Advanced Android Apps with Kotlin Part 1 and 2
- Capstone Project
Instructor: Dan Galpin, Aleks Haecky, Sean McQuillan, Murat Yener, Chet Hasse, Meghan Mehta, Caren Chang, Lyla Fujiwara, Asser Samak, Joshua Donlan, Kevin Moore, Jesus Valdez, Aida Issayeva, and Mohamed Habib
Level: Intermediate/Advanced
Duration: 4 Months
User Review: NA
No. of Reviews: NA
Price: Monthly Access: $310 and 4-month Access: $1056 (Approximately)
8. Android Basics by Google – Udacity
This is a nanodegree program on the Udacity platform. With the curriculum developed by Google, this online course is ideal for aspiring Android developers that have no prior programming experience.Â
The learners will build real-world skills to build and accelerate the performance of the apps and understand the Android user interface, the functionalities for user inputs to add more interactivity, and discover the power of APIs in development. Besides, the learners will also delve into the concepts of multi-screen applications and add images, audio and animations to the applications to enable visual changes in case of touch events.Â
The course curriculum includes:
- Android Basics: User Interface
- Android Basics: User Input
- Multi-Screen Applications
- Networking
- Capstone
Instructor: Katherine Kuan, Jessica Lin, Jennie Kim Eldon, Asser Samak, Lyla Fujiwara, Joe Lewis, Vicky Tu, and Chris Lei
Level: Beginner
Duration: 3 Months
User Review: 4.8/5
No. of Reviews: 1850
Price: Monthly Access: $310 and 3-month Access: $792.6(Approximately)
9. Leveraging the Power of Android Platform – Pluralsight
The course is offered on Pluralsight. This advanced certification program focuses on enabling learners to understand modern Android application development and their background behaviors that extend beyond the user interactivity. The training program offers concepts that allow understanding how to use powerful features of the Android platform to incorporate such advanced behaviors.Â
First, the learners will cover the concepts related to the Android threading model, Async tasks, handlers, and StrictMode to perform long-running tasks in the background without impacting the user experience. Next, the learners will discover various Android services for background activities that can be performed safely despite exiting the application.
Furthermore, specific concepts on the Android job scheduler for creating background jobs and networking requirements are covered in depth. In addition, job delegation in the Android system for efficient management and execution and the uses of Android broadcast and the broadcast receivers for publishing information is explored for comprehensive knowledge building.Â
Finally, the learners will delve into time-sensitive tasks, and their scheduling with the help of Android Alarm Manager is also covered.Â
The course contents are:
- Understanding the Android Threading Model
- Performing Background Work with Services
- Scheduling Background Work with Job Scheduler
- Working with Broadcast Receivers
- Using Alarms for Time-Sensitive Tasks
Instructor: Jim Wilson
Level: Advanced
Duration: 3 hours and 2 minutes
User Review: 5/5
No. of Reviews: 43
Price: 10-Day Free Trial (Charges may apply after trial. Prices available on Sign-Up)
10. Become an Android Mobile App Developer – LinkedIn Learning
This Android development learning path includes eleven courses and is available for enrollment on LinkedIn Learning. In this program, the learners will begin from the fundamental concepts on Android development and progress ahead to advanced concepts, including the tools, Android Studio setup, the Google Play app store, and more.Â
The learners will explore storing data, connecting to web services, testing the applications, and distributing the Android app. In addition, the learners will work on various hands-on assignments that will build essential skills on adding features for navigation and the user interface. Furthermore, the learners will also work with modern programming languages such as Kotlin for Android development.Â
Finally, the learners will deep dive into the concepts of the Android app development lifecycles, the Android architecture required for high-quality Android applications, animations, managing data, APIs, and connecting Android applications to the cloud.Â
The course curriculum includes:
- Android Studio Essential Training
- Android Development Essential Training: First App with Kotlin
- App Architecture with Kotlin
- Data Management with Kotlin
- Distributing Apps with Java
- Fragments API with Java
- Animations and Transitions with Java
- Building an Android App with Architecture Components
- Android Development: Retrofit with Java
- Advanced Android Espresso Training
Instructor: David Gassner, Jon-Luke West, and Chiu-Ki Chan
Level: Beginner/Intermediate
Duration: 23 hours (Self-Paced)
User Review: NA
No. of Reviews: NA
Price: 1-Month Free Trial (Charges may apply after trial. Prices available on Sign-Up)
11. Certified Android App Developer Training – Simplilearn
The course is available on Simplilearn. This is a Google authorized Android development training program that includes key concepts on the Android environment, its architecture, user interfaces, activities, controls, layouts, services, multimedia, APIs, and more.Â
The learners will gain development experience over practical sessions and complete six Android applications during the entire course. Besides, this certification program trains learners for the official certification exam for Android App Developers conducted by Google called the “Associate Android Developer Exam.” In addition, the learners will be provided with a single practice test that is in line with the actual certification exam for preparation.Â
The course curriculum includes:
- Introduction to Android Development
- Android Activity and Intents
- Layouts and Controls
- ListViews and SQLite
- Services
- Content Providers
- UI and Fragments
- Location and Sensors
- Multimedia Audio, Video, and Camera
- Introduction to Google Play
- Application Development
- Certified Android App Developer Expert
- Java Essentials
Instructor: Industry Professionals
Level: Beginner/Intermediate
Duration: Self-Paced Learning
User Review: 4.6/5
No. of Reviews: 395
Price: Prices available on Sign-Up
12. Developing Android Applications with Kotlin – Pluralsight
The course is offered on Pluralsight. The primary emphasis of this program is to provide a comprehensive understanding of the concepts on Android views and widgets in Android app development. In addition, the learners will explore customized components to maximize the app’s potential for more outstanding performance. Furthermore, the learners will gain the ability to combine any Android views into compound components and extend the existing views to provide unique styles for the applications. Finally, the concepts on extending view class will be covered in detail.Â
The course contents are:
- Getting Started
- Creating Compound Components
- Extending views
- Creating Custom Views with Kotlin
- Custom View Positioning and Sizing
- Making the Custom Views Interactive
Instructor: Brendan Wanlass
Level: Intermediate
Duration: 2 hours and 10 minutes
User Review: 4.7/5
No. of Reviews: 18
Price: 10-Day Free Trial (Charges may apply after trial. Prices available on Sign-Up)
13. The Comprehensive 2021 Android Development Masterclass – Udemy
This online course is available on Udemy. The tutorials cover a wide range of current Android development topics, including tools and new features.Â
The learners will begin from the foundations of Android development, the Android Studio, and object-oriented programming concepts. All the participants in the course will build applications from scratch using Android Studio and Java programming throughout the modules.
While covering the Java learning fundamentals, the differences between the App development environment and web development will be highlighted for more clarity, alongside the concepts and how Android apps can be connected to the web using JSON and network services.Â
In addition, the learners will understand the building blocks, leveraging APIs, Android app design essentials, and Android data binding. Besides, the newest concepts on Android APIs such as ROOM persistence, Firestore Realtime Database, and the ML-Kit for face recognition will be covered in detail.Â
The course modules are:
- Installation
- Introduction to Object-Oriented Programming with Java
- Java Inheritance, Data Structure
- Android Development
- Android Layouts and MVC Architecture
- Connecting the Apps to the Web
- Build a Trivia App
- Running Android Apps on Physical Devices
- Persistence in Android and Database
- SQLite and ROOM Library
- Android App Architecture and Persistence Layer
- Android Listviews and Recyclerview Widgets
- Android Locations, Maps, Sounds, Video, and Animations
- Android Material Design and Themes and Fragments
- Monetizing the Android App
- Publishing the App on Google Play
Instructor: Paulo Dichone
Level: Beginner/Intermediate
Duration: 49 hours and 33 minutes
User Review: 4.5/5
No. of Reviews: 2789
Price: $69.6
14. Android Java Masterclass – Become an App Developer – Udemy
This is another outstanding course on Android development offered on Udemy. In this certification training, the learners will explore the concepts of the Android development tools and the support libraries used to make apps built with newer versions work seamlessly with older versions.Â
The learners will understand how to write clean codes for the latest Android version, the configurations, and the Android framework. Moreover, the learners will gain insights into the testing phases of Android applications on an actual Android mobile or tablet. There are concepts on Java programming, including all the latest programming techniques used by top developers. The learners will also understand how to evaluate if the application is working with current and older Android versions on the devices.Â
In addition, the concepts on database use, web services, constraint layouts, drag and drop features, and powerful libraries for integrating videos, website data, images, and animations are covered with thorough hands-on sessions.Â
The course curriculum includes:
- Introduction
- Download and Setup
- The Button Counter App
- Java Tutorials
- Multiple App Creation Hands-on Sessions
- Databases and the Fragment Lifecycle
- Multiple Tables
- Source Codes and Resources
Instructor: Tim Buchalka and Jean-Paul Roberts
Level: Beginner/Intermediate
Duration: 60 hours and 23 minutes
User Review: 4.4/5
No. of Reviews: 9644
Price: $69.6
15. Testing and Debugging with Android Studio and Gradle – Pluralsight
The training program is offered on Pluralsight. Android apps require to support a wide variety of devices and Android SDK versions while maintaining the performance and stability of the applications. Therefore, this course aims to provide the testing and debugging fundamentals with Android Studio and Gradle. The learners will understand how to leverage debugging tools across various developmental cycles to shorten the overall development time.Â
In addition, the learners will explore how to automate testing for the apps to find the bugs early in the development phase itself. Furthermore, the learners will explore configurations, create multiple build variants for the apps, and include external libraries using Gradle.Â
Finally, the learners will learn about the uses of Logcat and debugger tools in Android Studio to resolve various development issues and add The course contents are:
- Creating and Configuring a Project with Android Studio
- Configuring Build Variants and Dependencies Using Gradle
- Using Logcat for Debugging
- Using Android Studio Debugger and Breakpoints
- Implementing Local Unit Tests
- Implementing Instrumented and UI Tests
Instructor: Nitin Singh
Level: Beginner
Duration: 2 hours and 12 minutes
User Review: NA
No. of Reviews: NA
Price: 10-Day Free Trial (Charges may apply after trial. Prices available on Sign-Up)
16. Enhancing the Android Application Experience – Pluralsight
The course is available on Pluralsight. In this online certification program, the course participants will explore the concepts of providing a high-quality user experience for Android applications. The contents of this course will serve as a guide for developers aiming to add new features to the applications without disrupting the user experience.Â
First, the concepts on card-based lists using Recyclerview and Cardview are covered in-depth. Next, the learners will explore how to improve the options menus and app bar actions. In addition, the options to expand the application navigation using NavigationDrawer are covered with the help of practical sessions.
Additionally, the learners’ deep dive into application reliability concepts, including creating automated UI tests and enriching the application appearance with the help of resources, styles, and themes.Â
Finally, the learners will discover how to include user-customizable behavior with Shared Preferences and setting screens. The course curriculum includes:
- Designing and Planning the App
- Working with RecyclerView and CardView
- Binding Data to RecyclerView
- Using Option Menus
- Working with Navigation Drawer
- Testing Menu, Navigation Drawer, and Recycler View Behavior
- Using Drawable and Values Resources
- Customizing App Appearance with Styles and Themes
- Creating Settings Screens
Instructor: Jim Wilson
Level: Intermediate
Duration: 4 hours 5 minutes
User Review: 4.7/5
No. of Reviews: 111
Price: 10-Day Free Trial (Charges may apply after trial. Prices available on Sign-Up)
Conclusion
Android developer roles are highly technical and require proficiency over programming languages to write efficient codes for development. Besides the coding requirements, Android developers must be trendy to provide better design language to the apps to make them more appealing.
Developing top Android applications, requires that developers stay abreast of the latest technology trends in the industry and upskill themselves. In addition, aspirants looking to gain entry into the industry require top-level technical and programming skills with clarity of the relevant concepts.
As the smartphone industry continues to proliferate, there are endless opportunities for Android developers and continuous demand. Therefore, in the quest to achieve a highly competitive job role with a lucrative salary, it is essential to enhance the skills with the latest development standards and best practices and the know-how of modern programming languages.
Thus, existing developers and aspirants aiming for Android app development as a career prospect should add advanced skills from some of the top courses listed in the article that act as value addition to an individual’s career to climb the hierarchical ladder in the shortest time possible.
