Top 10 Skills Required To Develop Android Apps in 2025
Written by: Shiva Kumaran S
Quick Summary
Android is the most popular operating system in 2025 with a 71% global market share.
Android development refers to the process of creating apps for devices which run on the Android OS.
The necessary technical skills for Android developers range from Java and Kotlin proficiency, API integration, MVVM architecture and more.
Introduction
Android is the most popular operating system as of 2025, with over 3.3 billion users and a 71% global market share according to Demand Sage. As such, more businesses are looking to hire Android developers to reach an extensive user base, leverage its vast device ecosystem, and cost-effective development to establish their digital presence. As such, identifying the top skills to look for when hiring Android developers can help you find the right expert, build competitive apps users love, and scale seamlessly with solutions that grow with your business. This blog will help you understand the top 10 skills to look for in Android developers in 2025 to make informed hiring decisions.
What Are the Top Android Developer Skills in 2025? Technical Skills For Android Developer
Android developers create apps for devices that run on the Android OS. As such, Android skills entail programming language expertise, understanding of design principles, database design, integration principles, along with essential soft skills to work in a collaborative environment. Discussed below are essential technical skills required to develop Android apps:
1. Java vs Kotlin for Android
2. Database Technologies
3. API Integration Skills
4. Android Testing
5. Interactivity
6. UI/UX Design
7. User Interface Navigation
8. MVVM Architecture
9. Dependency Injection (DI)
10. Android Security
1) Java vs Kotlin for Android
Expertise in both Java and Kotlin programming languages is necessary for developing Android applications. Java supports the majority of Android frameworks and libraries and was the primary language used for Android development for over a decade. As a result, many legacy Android apps are built with Java, and expertise in the Java Programming Language helps developers work with older codebases, ensure seamless integration with third-party libraries, and update apps efficiently.
On the other hand, the Kotlin Programming Language offers interoperability with Java, a concise syntax, and the capabilities for managing asynchronous tasks. This expertise helps Android developers build stable and high-performing Android apps with cleaner code and minimal bugs. New-age Android projects are mostly built in Kotlin as Android Studio completely supports it. As such, developers who understand both Java and Kotlin help enterprises achieve compatibility with legacy apps, existing code bases, and build future-ready Android apps with greater flexibility.
2) Database Technologies
Databases for mobile apps offer structured information for meeting app requirements. Database management systems help update, manage and edit this information efficiently. As such, SQLite is one the most popularly used database technologies used by developers for storing structured data locally. Likewise, NoSQL databases help developers work with flexible data models, and cloud databases such as Firebase help real-time data sharing and synchronization across devices. The knowledge of these database technologies is crucial for reliable information for apps, app security against potential threats, and updating the app seamlessly.
3) API Integration Skills
API integration is one of the most important skills to look for when hiring an Android developer. An API, or application programming interface is a set of protocols using which one software program communicates with the other. It helps transform large data volumes into frameworks that can be used for mobile devices and is used by mobile apps of nearly every industry. API integration skill in developers helps businesses offer reliable data to a wider user base for greater engagement. With API integration, enterprises can achieve rapid delivery by bundling partner assets and delivering them to specific mobile apps they are meant for and enhance user experience while expanding on the go.
4) Android Testing
Android testing is another crucial skill to consider when you hire Android developers. It ensures that your app is reliable, safe, and offers users seamless experiences that drive greater engagement and retention. Another core aim of testing is to ensure that your app is scalable and can handle concurrent demand as the number of users grows. Additionally, Android has an extensive device range to cater to, and businesses must ensure their apps perform consistently across all devices. Android testing skills help developers ensure this consistency by testing the app in all possible use cases and interaction scenarios to identify flaws and address them before launch for users to have seamless end-to-end journeys.
5) Interactivity
One of the most crucial Android app development skills is adding interactivity in applications to facilitate smooth interactions of users with the app. Android developers who know how to make the app interactive by the strategic implementation of gestures like drag and drop, zoom, pan, and keyboard use can help businesses improve user experiences extensively. Positive user experience is a direct result of hassle-free user journeys while using an application to achieve their goals. This contributes to greater revenue boosts by eliminating user churn at its core.
6) UI/UX Design
Expertise in UI/UX design is one of the most non-negotiable skills for Android developers. An app’s future today is determined by the first impression users have of it. As such, there is no scope for any difficulty or confusion for using the app. User today expect highly intuitive, responsive, personalised apps that align seamlessly with their fast-paced and digital-first lifestyles. As such, Android developers should understand material design principles, simplify complex layout designs, use appropriate menus, and leverage animations for a more immersive user experience.
7) User Interface Navigation
When you hire Android developer, the knowledge of implementing user interface navigation is crucial. This helps users navigate across screens or content within the mobile app leveraging elements such as tab bars and toolbars. Other core elements for navigation include the Bottom Navigation View and the navigation drawer. Developers with navigation implementation expertise help you ensure that users can seamlessly switch between screens, access features as and when they need it, and improve their experience. Developers with navigation expertise under user intent well and often use Intents (explicit or implicit) for data sharing or transition between Activity, leverage ViewPager for swipeable tabs, and so on.
8) MVVM Architecture
Scalability determines the success or failure of enterprise mobile application development. MVVM architecture helps maintain and scale large-scale projects easily and proves to be one of the most crucial skills in Android developers. It serves as a strong foundation for applications that can grow with your business by enabling developers to collaborate seamlessly, achieve separation of concerns, and ensure seamless alignment of the business logic with the application.
9) Dependency Injection (DI)
DI is among the core skills required to develop Android apps. DI helps developers manage object dependencies with modular, reusable, and testable code. Dependency Injection is a must-have skill for large scale projects as it simplifies project maintenance with code reusability and code modularization. It also eliminates the need for developers to create class injections every time. Among the libraries commonly used for DI implementation by Android developers are Hilt, Coin, and Dagger, expertise in which helps businesses streamline development and improve development efficiency.
10) Android Security
Android security is among the non-negotiable skills required for developing an Android app. Android developers should be able to use Android built-in security features to their complete potential to safeguard the application. Some essential steps for implementing security features include requesting permissions for protecting the privacy of user data and securely sharing data with robust authentication measures in place. This is pivotal to the reliability of the app, building user trust, and achieving a credible brand reputation.
What is the cost to Hire An Android App Developer?
At Sciflare Technologies, India’s leading IT staff augmentation company, we offer top-tier Android developers for hire as per your project needs. Our developers have all the necessary technical and soft skills (problem solving, good communication, empathy, collaboration) required for building stunning Android apps and working in a team environment. We offer on-demand Android developers starting at $15 per hour for junior developers, $20 for mid-level developers, and $15 for senior developers.
Junior Android Developers
Core Technical Skills
Proficiency in Java and Kotlin programming languages, with understanding of their syntax and core concepts.
Familiarity with Android SDK and development tools like Android Studio.
Understanding RESTful APIs for data integration.
Basic knowledge of XML, used for layouts and data.
Knowledge of UI and UX design principles according to Material Design guidelines.
Development Practices
Basic version control skills, especially Git.
Ability to write clean, maintainable, and efficient code.
Debugging, testing, and application performance improvement.
Soft Skills
Strong problem-solving abilities.
Good communication and teamwork skills.
Continuous learning mindset to keep up with evolving Android technologies.
Senior Android Developers
Core Technical Skills
Proficiency in Kotlin and Java, with advanced Android SDK knowledge.
Experience with modern Android libraries and tools like Jetpack Compose, Material Components, LiveData, ViewModel, Room, Dagger/Koin.
Strong understanding of software design patterns (MVC, MVP, MVVM) and their trade-offs.
RESTful API and third-party service integrations.
Unit testing, instrumentation testing, and use of debugging/profiling tools.
Architectural and Development Responsibilities
Making architecture decisions and handling complex multi-threaded code.
Refactoring legacy code to modern standards.
Reviewing code to ensure high-quality, well-organized, maintainable codebase.
Focusing on long-term project health and covering edge cases.
Soft Skills and Leadership
Communicating technical concepts clearly to both technical and non-technical stakeholders.
Mentoring junior and mid-level developers.
Coordinating with cross-functional teams (designers, product managers).
Agile methodology experience and handling project management tools.
Additional Skills
Experience with CI/CD pipelines, Play Store submission, version control branching strategies.
Knowledge of app security, performance optimization, accessibility, and UX design principles.
Familiarity with cloud services, backend development basics, and DevOps is a plus.
Conclusion
Android app development in 2025 requires businesses to evolve with dynamic user demand, offer hyper-personal relevance, and unprecedented ease of use to create value in their respective industries while consistently offering top-notch performances at scale. As such, businesses need to hire Android developers who have top-tier technical expertise, are up-to-date with all technological developments and nuances, can prioritize scalability and security from the ground up, and seamlessly integrate with your existing team and workflows to bring your vision to life. At Sciflare, our Android developers have been doing just this for more than a decade to augment enterprise ability to achieve more and scale with Android app development. Get in touch with us to hire Android developers with expertise tailored to your project needs.
FAQs
What is the Android developer basic knowledge requirement?
Java and Kotlin proficiency are among the core fundamentals of Android app development. Java has been the standard programming language for Android for over a decade and Kotlin (offering interoperability with Java) offers a flexible and concise coding and development experience. Proficiency in these programming languages, strong UI/UX design understanding, and architecture expertise are some of the basic requirements for Android developers.
Can I hire remote developers for web apps from Sciflare?
Yes, you can hire remote, on-demand developers for web apps from Sciflare on a project-by-project basis, maintain complete project control, and leverage their top-tier technical expertise to build stunning web apps.
