Mobility

Gallery: 10 Android apps every new mobile developer needs in their toolbox

By // October 26, 2016, 6:42 AM PST // bviglia

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  • ​Developer Tools

    The designer of this app originally made it for himself. It was supposed to make his life easier, but then he realized it could help other Android devs as well: Developer Tools was born.

    Developer Tools shows a bunch of information that programmers might need to know: display information, resource qualifiers in use, and available system features, to name a few.

    Image: Roy Solberg

  • ​Developer Options

    Get tired of digging through menus to turn certain functions on or off? Developer Options is the app for you.

    This handy app puts all the dev options you may need in one easy-to-use package so you never have to dig for them again. It also has a homescreen widget.

    Image: uDroid

  • ​Libraries for Developers

    This app is chock-full of third-party libraries for use in developing apps. You can see examples and follow links to the libraries on sites like GitHub, Bitbucket, and Google Code. It's a valuable tool, and you can't beat the price: free.

    Image: Desarrollo Droide

  • ​Programmers Calculator Binary

    Sure, you could do the calculations you need using the stock calculator or the internet. You could also do all the binary, hexadecimal, decimal, and octal calculations you need in Programmers Calculator Binary.

    The name is a bit sloppy, but the app looks sharp and packs a lot of features.

    Image: TechRepublic/Brandon Vigliarolo

  • ​B4A-Bridge

    Here's one sure to please everyone tired of fishing for cables to connect their Android device to their computer: B4A-Bridge connects your IDE to your Android device wirelessly over a local network. Handy.

    Image: Anywhere Software

  • ​MultiROM Manager

    Developers definitely put a lot of stress on their devices, and that includes reflashing ROMs to try new tricks and test new features. MultiROM Manager makes that process a bit easier by allowing Android devs to boot into multiple ROMS.

    It also allows booting into Ubuntu Touch if you want to test features on that as well.

    Image: Vojtech Bocek

  • ​Programmers Keyboard

    Hopefully you never get stuck actually programming on your phone, but if you do Programmers Keyboard just might save your thumbs.

    This app adds several keyboards to Android that have frequently used commands from common languages. Think of how much time you could save, then go download Programmers Keyboard.

    Image: EllizeApps

  • ​UI Design for Android

    This app is a handy way to preview UI elements and easily add them to your code. UI Design for Android might just keep you from having to reinvent the wheel, leaving you more time to code those unique features into your app.

    Image: Boopathy Raja.S

  • ​WiFi ADB

    Don't debug that app with a cable--do it over Wi-Fi with WiFi ADB.

    Just open the app on your phone and then open the terminal on your computer. Type "adb connect device_IP_address" and that's it. Simple, useful, and free.

    Image: MetaCtrl

  • ​Google Play Developer Console

    Once that amazing new app is live on Google Play you're going to want to track its performance, and there's no better way to do so than with Google's own Play Developer Console.

    Google Play Developer Console allows you to monitor downloads, respond to comments, check earnings, and do it all from your Android device.

    Image: Google

​Developer Tools

The designer of this app originally made it for himself. It was supposed to make his life easier, but then he realized it could help other Android devs as well: Developer Tools was born.

Developer Tools shows a bunch of information that programmers might need to know: display information, resource qualifiers in use, and available system features, to name a few.

Image: Roy Solberg

Related Topics:

Mobility Android Security Hardware Software Apple Google

By Brandon Vigliarolo

Brandon writes about apps and software for TechRepublic. He's an award-winning feature writer who previously worked as an IT professional and served as an MP in the US Army.