When Android first burst onto the scene in 2007, it had a rocky start. The world was stuck in the throngs of Apple fever, and the iPhone’s popular “there’s an app for that” marketing campaign became a part of modern vernacular. So, of course, some second copycat platform wasn’t going to unseat the mighty iOS.

What a difference 11 years makes.

The entire ballgame changed dramatically when Google got involved. Apple is one of the most respected and trusted companies on the planet, so only a company of equal reputation and resources could ever hope to compete. Google was and is that company.

Google set right to the task of revolutionizing Android’s app development process, and Android’s visibility and popularity exploded, almost overnight.

But what really puts Android over the edge was its open sourced Java friendly app development process. Creating an application on Android is a far more user-friendly experience, with a lot more potential for a return on investment.

What’s more, Android has overtaken Apple in dramatic fashion, with a whopping 87% of all mobile users logged onto the platform.

But maybe you need a little more convincing as to the benefits of creating an app for the Android platform.

Here are six reasons why it’s beneficial the build an application on Android’s platform.

1. Open Sourcing

Open source is a phrase I used above. If it left you scratching at your head, let me explain a bit further.

When I say that Android’s platform is open sourced, I mean that its original source code was made available to the masses and can be redistributed or modified by users. That helps to keep Android on the cutting edge, with various tech experts lending their knowledge and experience for the advancement of the platform.

So, what does this mean for the development of your Android-based application?

You can actually interact with the Android community and contribute to upcoming app development expansions. This comes at no additional cost, and it’s 100% royalty-free.

Wireless operators go absolutely nuts for this. It makes it far easier to develop new and advanced phones for the Android platform. That’s one of the reasons why the majority of modern iOS phone advancements were already created for Android phones several generations ago.

2. Higher ROI

When embarking on any kind of business opportunity, you want to stay heavily focused on your return on investment. That is, you want to make sure that the money you’re getting from this venture is greater than the money you had to put into it.

This is especially important when developing an app. Thankfully, Android apps have a far greater probability of turning a profit over other platforms because of their comparatively low entry barrier.

What I mean is, overhead costs are far lower than iOS, so right away you’re ahead of the game.

For starters, Android’s Software Development Kit (also known as SDK) comes free-of-charge for the entire development community. This leads to a massive reduction in both licensing and development costs.

That means initial investments go toward app development, testing, and the cost of test and deployment hardware.

It’s simple math. Put less money in and make profit faster.

3. Social Integration

It’s far easier to integrate popular social networks into Android applications because of the platform’s association with Google. For starters, Google’s ownership over Android makes it far easier to integrate Gmail into your app, and that is the most popular email platform on the planet.

Android apps often give you the chance to sign in directly with a social media account, whether it be Google, Twitter, Facebook, or more.

4. Ease of Use

Java is used for the scripting of Android applications, which makes development much easier for those with Java knowledge.

It’s common for software developers to start their education in Java, which means that it will be easier for them to adapt to the programming language of Android applications. That means that there is virtually no learning curve and developers can get right to the important task of developing a functional application.

With a working knowledge of Java, developers can transition its code script into a mobile application while implementing development services for Android in the process.

5. Sales Channels

One of the more profitable benefits of an application on the Android platform is sales deployment. While other mobile platforms will force developers to sell exclusively in their online app market, Android apps can be distributed through third party marketplaces, or through your company’s own sales channel.

Your app is yours. You can build it and publish it on your own, so it is also yours to sell as you please. That being said, the Google Play store is a fantastic and high traffic avenue to generate the most bang for your buck.

6. User Interface is Customizable

Android apps are completely customizable, which is good news when you consider that your user interface is one of the most important functions to get right.

Google wants customizable user interfaces for their apps because it will help developers create more apps in a shorter amount of time. This all goes back to the open sourced nature of Android. Developers can harness their creativity, turning their dreams into reality without having to worry about being pigeonholed into a platform specific mold.

Customization does not begin and end with the user interface though. Both multimedia tools and data management can be customized and easily updated throughout the process.

And with Android’s background processes, app integration is a snap.

In Conclusion

Companies that are developing applications for their business and overlooking the power of Android are doing themselves a disservice. The overwhelming majority of mobile users are on this platform, and you’ll wind up saving a bundle throughout the development process.

Many companies like to cast a wide net, developing apps for both Android and iOS platforms. That’s a good thing, because together, the two make up 99% of all mobile users. But if you’re ignoring Android in favor of iOS, you’re severely limiting your earning potential and making the app development process far more difficult than it has to be.