Best Types of SDK’s for Mobile App Development
|Mobile apps use many SDK’s to provide key functionality. Doing so avoids every app developer having to reinvent the wheel with every app. It’s also been found that the longest running code tends to be the least buggy because it’s been used so many times. This is still mostly true because software is updated so frequently now that new bugs get added just as fast as they’re eradicated. However, the updates are incremental, only touching a small part of the raw code, and so the old rule still applies. Long available SDK’s are often the most trustworthy to use.
Here are some of the better types of SDK’s for mobile app development.
Barcode Scanning
A new app doesn’t natively come with an excellent barcode scanning system. It’s useful to have an SDK for using the camera as a barcode scanner. App users can scan a QR code, scan a product barcode to look-up the product, or use it for a multitude of other reasons.
The SDK’s that are enterprise-grade handle barcode scanning and reading far better than other barcode scanners. They deal with low-light conditions, unwanted shadowing or blurring caused by an unsteady hand, or can even scan multiple barcodes in a single captured image for the ultimate in efficiency.
Push Notifications
Push notifications have become very common on iOS and Android platforms. Getting alerted that you just received a new email can be very handy. An app that works in the cloud and lets users set alerts so they can be prompted when a certain trigger point is reached, is a sought-after feature for many people who use mobile apps regularly.
Social Media Integration for Sign Ups
Social media integration to connect an app to an existing Facebook, Twitter, Gmail or other platform is helpful when first getting started. Instead of creating a new ID and password for every app, which is hard to remember, being able to piggyback off an existing social or email account makes things much easier for users. While you still want to provide access to a basic account setup feature using their email address, it’s become commonplace to offer social media integration for mobile app account sign-ups. Not offering the feature can fall flat for heavy social media users.
Ad Serving Networks
Offering an easy way to integrate Google’s MobAd or other ad networks into an app takes the heavy lifting out of adding this form of mobile monetization. With some ads sitting at the bottom of the screen and others showing a full-screen ad periodically, which has to be actively dismissed to get back to the main interface screen, not having to code that setup from scratch is useful. Pulling in new ads when connected to the internet and having the app monitor for a new internet connection using an SDK that’s coded to do so makes it much easier to earn money from free apps.
Using the right SDK’s to get your mobile app up and running shortens development time and puts you on the path to making money sooner from your suite of apps. Along with the option to use pre-made app UI frameworks to shortcut design time, apps are continually getting easier to develop, which is great news for app developers.