#App Development Process for Android and iOS

[pinkpatrolunknown]

Helpful insight is a leading mobile app development provider in USA. Creating a successful mobile app involves a structured development process. This step-by-step guide outlines the essential stages, from initial planning and design to development, testing, and deployment.

[ds4u]

Choosing the right mobile app development company is crucial for turning your ideas into a successful app. You can make an informed decision by knowing what you need, reviewing past work, checking experience, assessing tech skills, reading reviews, understanding their process, and comparing costs wisely.

[jcmarchi]

Amazon now offers a phone-based palm scanning service for sign-up purposes - Technology Org

New Post has been published on https://thedigitalinsider.com/amazon-now-offers-a-phone-based-palm-scanning-service-for-sign-up-purposes-technology-org/

Amazon now offers a phone-based palm scanning service for sign-up purposes - Technology Org

Amazon’s palm scanning service now offers the convenience of sign-up directly from your mobile device.

Palm features used in personal identification. Image credit: Amazon

Instead of requiring a visit to a physical location, users can now enroll in Amazon One by capturing images of their palm using the newly launched Amazon One app, available on both iOS and Android platforms. This streamlined process enables users to set up their accounts swiftly, facilitating the use of palm scanning for authentication purposes at supported locations.

Previously, Amazon One enrollment requited visiting designated physical sites, where users could link their palm print to their Amazon account for various purposes such as making purchases or age verification.

[embedded content]

Presently, this service is accessible at all Whole Foods stores across the US, select Panera Bread locations, and over 150 other venues, including stadiums, airports, fitness centers, and convenience stores.

Amazon One utilizes advanced generative AI technology to analyze the unique vein structure of the palm, generating a distinct numerical vector representation for identification during in-store palm scans. It’s noteworthy that Amazon does not utilize raw palm images for identification purposes.

On the mobile app, Amazon employs AI algorithms to compare the photo captured by the phone’s camera with the near-infrared imagery obtained from an Amazon One device. Users are required to integrate a payment method within the app and upload a photo of their identification for age verification purposes if desired. Additionally, the app allows for the linking of loyalty programs, season passes, and gym memberships.

While privacy concerns surrounding the technology persist, Amazon asserts that palm and vein images are promptly encrypted and transmitted to a highly secure section within the AWS Cloud, specifically designated for Amazon One. It is in this secure environment that Amazon creates the unique palm signature.

Furthermore, Amazon emphasizes that the new app incorporates additional layers of anti-spoofing measures, and it explicitly prohibits the saving or downloading of palm images to the user’s device. Nonetheless, some individuals may remain apprehensive about relinquishing their biometric data, considering the irreplaceable nature of palm prints compared to traditional passwords.

Written by Alius Noreika

[codehunger]

Decoding App Development Costs in India: What to Expect

Embarking on the journey of app development is an exciting venture, but one that often comes with questions about costs. In India, where the tech industry is thriving, understanding how much an app developer charges is crucial for planning and budgeting. In this guide, we’ll delve into the factors influencing app development costs and provide insights into what you can expect when hiring an app…

[tech-ahead-corp]

Mobile App Development Companies

Companies that specialize in providing mobile app development services. These companies have expertise in developing apps for different platforms and offer services such as app design, development, testing, and maintenance!

[ms-demeanor]

got a question I was hoping you could answer!

why do all apps have to go through an app store? why doesn't anywhere have their app downloadable from the internet or something?

was wondering this because lots of issues with apps seem to stem from having to comply with app store guidelines and whatnot. So why not avoid that problem and make the app available off the appstore? And if part of it is because they're easier to find in the appstore, why not do both? why not also offer the download on a website or something?

there's gotta be some reason why there's afaik no one who offers a download for their app without the appstore right?

There are absolutely other ways to get apps, and the one that springs immediately to mind is the F-Droid App Repository.

Sideloading is the process of loading an app that doesn't come from your phone's OS-approved app store. It's really easy on Android (basically just a couple of clicks) but requires jailbreaking on an iphone.

The reason more USERS don't sideload apps is risk: app stores put apps through at least nominal security checks to ensure that they aren't hosting malware. If you get an app from the app store that is malware, you can report it and it will get taken down, but nobody is forcing some random developer who developed his own app to remove it from his site if it installs malware on your phone unless you get law enforcement involved.

The reason more developers don't go outside of the app store or don't WANT to go outside of the app store is money. The number of users who are going to sideload apps is *tiny* compared to the number of users who will go through the app store; that makes a HUGE difference in terms of income, so most developers try to keep it app-store friendly. Like, if tumblr were to say "fuck the app store" and just release their own app that you could download from the sidebar a few things would happen:

Downloads would drop to a fraction of their prior numbers instantly

iOS users would largely be locked out of using tumblr unless they fuck with their phones in a way that violates Apple's TOS and could get them booted out of their iOS ecosystem if they piss off the wrong people.

Ad revenue would collapse because not a lot of advertisers want to work with companies that are app-store unfriendly

They'd be kicked off of the main app marketplaces

So most people who develop apps don't want to put the time and effort and money into developing an app that people might not pay for that then also can't carry ads.

Which leads into another issue: the kind of people who generally make and use sideloaded app aren't the kind of people who generally like profit-driven models. Indie apps are often slow to update and have minimal support because you're usually dealing with a tiny team of creators with a userbase of people who can almost certainly name ten flavors of Linux and are thus expected to troubleshoot and solve their own problems.

If this is the kind of thing you want to try, have at it. I'd recommend sticking to apps from the F-Droid Repository linked up above and being judicious about what you install. If you're using apple and would have to jailbreak your phone to get a non-approved app on it, I'd recommend switching to another type of phone.

(For the record, you also aren't limited to android or ios as the operating system of your phone; there are linux-based OSs out there and weird mutations of android and such - I am not really a phone person so I can't tell you much about them, but they are out there!)

[agapi-kalyptei]

crowdstrike: hot take 1

It's too early in the news cycle to say anything truly smart, but to sum things up, what I know so far:

there was no "hack" or cyberattack or data breach*

a private IT security company called CrowdStrike released a faulty update which practically disabled all its desktop (?) Windows workstations (laptops too, but maybe not servers? not sure)

the cause has been found and a fix is on the way

as it stands now, the fix will have to be manually applied (in person) to each affected workstation (this could mean in practice maybe 5, maybe 30 minutes of work for each affected computer - the number is also unknown, but it very well could be tens (or hundreds) of thousands of computers across thousands of large, multinational enterprises.

(The fix can be applied manually if you have a-bit-more-than-basic knowledge of computers)

Things that are currently safe to assume:

this wasn't a fault of any single individual, but of a process (workflow on the side of CrowdStrike) that didn't detect the fault ahead of time

[most likely] it's not that someone was incompetent or stupid - but we don't have the root cause analysis available yet

deploying bugfixes on Fridays is a bad idea

*The obligatory warning part:

Just because this wasn't a cyberattack, doesn't mean there won't be related security breaches of all kinds in all industries. The chaos, panic, uncertainty, and very soon also exhaustion of people dealing with the fallout of the issue will create a perfect storm for actually malicious actors that will try to exploit any possible vulnerability in companies' vulnerable state.

The analysis / speculation part:

globalization bad lol

OK, more seriously: I have not even heard about CrowdStrike until today, and I'm not a security engineer. I'm a developer with mild to moderate (outsider) understanding of vulnerabilities.

OK some background / basics first

It's very common for companies of any size to have more to protect their digital assets than just an antivirus and a firewall. Large companies (Delta Airlines) can afford to pay other large companies to provide security solutions for them (CrowdStrike). These days, to avoid bad software of any kind - malware - you need a complex suite of software that protects you from all sides:

desktop/laptop: antivirus, firewall, secure DNS, avoiding insecure WiFi, browser exploits, system patches, email scanner, phishing on web, phishing via email, physical access, USB thumb drive, motherboard/BIOS/UEFI vulnerabilities or built-in exploits made by the manufacturers of the Chinese government,

person/phone: phishing via SMS, phishing via calls, iOS/Android OS vulnerabilities, mobile app vulnerabilities, mobile apps that masquerade as useful while harvesting your data, vulnerabilities in things like WhatsApp where a glitched JPG pictures sent to you can expose your data, ...

servers: mostly same as above except they servers have to often deal with millions of requests per day, most of them valid, and at least some of the servers need to be connected to the internet 24/7

CDN and cloud services: fundamentally, an average big company today relies on dozens or hundreds of other big internet companies (AWS / Azure / GCP / Apple / Google) which in turn rely on hundreds of other companies to outsource a lot of tasks (like harvesting your data and sending you marketing emails)

infrastructure - routers... modems... your Alexa is spying on you... i'm tired... etc.

Anyway if you drifted to sleep in the previous paragraph I don't blame you. I'm genuinely just scratching the surface. Cybersecurity is insanely important today, and it's insanely complex too.

The reason why the incident blue-screened the machines is that to avoid malware, a lot of the anti-malware has to run in a more "privileged" mode, meaning they exist very close to the "heart" of Windows (or any other OS - the heart is called kernel). However, on this level, a bug can crash the system a lot more easily. And it did.

OK OK the actual hot lukewarm take finally

I didn't expect to get hit by y2k bug in the middle of 2024, but here we are.

As bad as it was, this only affected a small portion of all computers - in the ballpark of ~0.001% or even 0.0001% - but already caused disruptions to flights and hospitals in a big chunk of the world.

maybe-FAQ:

"Oh but this would be avoided if they weren't using the Crowdwhatever software" - true. However, this kind of mistake is not exclusive to them.

"Haha windows sucks, Linux 4eva" - I mean. Yeah? But no. Conceptually there is nothing that would prevent this from happening on Linux, if only there was anyone actually using it (on desktop).

"But really, Windows should have a better protection" - yes? no? This is a very difficult, technical question, because for kernel drivers the whole point is that 1. you trust them, and 2. they need the super-powerful-unrestrained access to work as intended, and 3. you _need_ them to be blazing fast, so babysitting them from the Windows perspective is counterproductive. It's a technical issue with no easy answers on this level.

"But there was some issue with Microsoft stuff too." - yes, but it's unknown if they are related, and at this point I have not seen any solid info about it.

The point is, in a deeply interconnected world, it's sort of a miracle that this isn't happening more often, and on a wider scale. Both bugfixes and new bugs are deployed every minute to some software somewhere in the world, because we're all in a rush to make money and pay rent and meet deadlines.

Increased monoculture in IT is bad for everyone. Whichever OS, whichever brand, whichever security solution provider - the more popular they are, the better visible their mistakes will be.

As much as it would be fun to make jokes like "CrowdStroke", I'm not even particularly mad at the company (at this point - that might change when I hear about their QA process). And no, I'm not even mad at Windows, as explained in the pseudo-FAQ.

The ultimate hot take? If at all possible, don't rely on anything related to computers. Technical problems are caused by technical solutions.

[backtoeltingville]

Hello!! Sorry for bothering you, I've been wanting to ask about the development of your game for a long time :"D

Will this game be available in a mobile version? (Because unfortunately I don't have anything with me except my phone, but I would like to try it in the future. I like your work process and I look forward to your result! 😭💕)

YOU'RE NOT BOTHERING ME OMG😭💔💔💔, yes I can do a phone version ! ! ! Making the game into other platforms is one of the main ideas so anyone in the fandom can play it

I also got another question like that from:

There's some options from the renpy app itself in the laptop that I can do to change the platform that the game could be playable before making it a game itself

Basic menu of renpy

Build distributions (no idea of this yet)

And YESSS the Android option is there to make it into a playable game in the phone but I heard is more of a wonky process since it needs to get all the buttons re-do + the screen touch can be wonky sometimes (that's what I heard😭😭😭) and there's also IOS idk

I don't wanna touch it yet so I'm mostly guiding myself with tutorials in any case, most of my learning in renpy comes from my IT tech classes and tutorials

[acafe-official]

A-Café (Update #25) - Community Discussion

Good morning everyone! I know it's been a while since I've posted, but I'm finally back with another community update. In the first part, I'll be giving a brief overview of where we're at in terms of project progress. Then, in the second half, we'll discuss a new development in app accessibility.

Without further ado, let's begin!

1) Where are we at in the project currently?

A similar question was asked in the A-Café discord recently, so I figured I'd include my response here as well:

Right now we’re reworking the design of A-Café, both visually and architecturally. The initial planning and design phase of the project wasn’t done very thoroughly due to my inexperience, so now that I’m jumping back into things I want to ensure we have a solid prototype for usability testing. For us that means we’ve recently done/are doing a few things:

analyzing results from the old 2022 user survey (done)

discussing new ideas for features A-Café users might want, based on the 2022 user survey

reevaluating old ideas from the previous app design

making a new mock-up for usability testing

Once the mock-up is finished, I plan on doing internal testing first before asking for volunteer testers publicly (the process for which will be detailed in an upcoming community update).

2) Will A-Café be available for iOS and Android devices?

Yes! In fact, the first downloadable version of A-Café may no longer be so device-specific.

What do I mean by that? Well, in the beginning, the plan for A-Café was to make two different versions of the same app (iOS and Android). I initially chose to do this because device-specific apps are made with that device's unique hardware/software in mind--thus, they have the potential to provide a fully optimized user experience.

However, I've since realized that focusing on device-specific development too soon may not be the right choice for our project.

Yes, top-notch app performance would be a big bonus. But by purely focusing on iOS and Android devices for the initial launch, we'd be limiting our audience testing to specific mobile-users only. Laptop and desktop users for example, would have to wait until a different version of the app was released (which is not ideal in terms of accessibility).

Therefore, I've recently decided to explore Progressive Web App development instead.

[What is a Progressive Web App?]

A Progressive Web App (or PWA) is "a type of web app that can operate both as a web page and mobile app on any device" (alokai.com)

Much like a regular mobile app, a PWA can be found through the internet and added to your phone's home screen as a clickable icon. They can also have the ability to work offline and use device-specific features such as push-notifications.

Additionally, due to being web-based applications, PWAs can be accessed by nearly any device with a web browser. That means regardless of whether you have an iOS or Android device, you'd be able to access the same app from the same codebase.

In the end, a PWA version of A-Café should look and act similarly to an iOS/Android app, while also being accessible to various devices. And, due to having only one codebase, development of PWAs tends to be faster and be more cost-effective than making different versions of the same app.

To be clear, I haven't abandoned the idea of device-specific development entirely. We could launch iOS/Android versions of A-Café in the future if demand or revenue end up being high enough. But as of right now, I don't believe doing so is wise.

[What Does this Mean for me as a User?]

In terms of app installation and user experience, not much should hopefully change. I'd like to have A-Café available on both the Apple App Store and Google Play Store.

There will also be the option of searching for A-Café via your device's web browser, and then installing it on your home screen (iOS devices can only do so using Safari). We will likely rely on this method until we can comfortably ensure user access to A-Café on the Apple App Store and Google Play Store.

-------------

And that's it for now! Thank you for reading this latest community update. For more insight into the development process, consider joining the A-Café discord. If you have any questions or concerns regarding this post, we would love to hear your input in the comments below. See you later!

[octocon]

Important updates!

Hi, everyone! It's time for a quick update on the status of the Octocon project.

Business filings

We're currently in the legal process of filing for an LLC in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. It's expected that we'll be approved sometime in the next few weeks, at which point we'll be able to switch ownership of the app over on Google Play and file for an App Store account. Once this is all set, I'll follow up with our business name and address for transparency.

iOS development is on schedule!

I'll be getting a Mac to start development on the iOS app within a week or two! I expect to have a working prototype in closed testing by early January.

Because the demand for iOS testing is so high, I can't guarantee that everyone who signs up for the testing program will get access. I believe we can only accept a few dozen more people beyond our current testing base, so if you'd like to be part of the program, please sign up as soon as possible on our Discord server!

v1.2.1 release

Version 1.2.1 of the app is expected to be released for Android sometime this weekend. This release will include a plethora of features, including:

Expanding the "Show alter IDs" setting to fully hide IDs in the app when disabled

Marking alters as untracked (won't show up in your alter count)

New dyslexic font (Lexie Readable)

Deleting accounts and wiping alters from within the app

Option to hide alters from the root screen if they're in a tag

Project statistics

On another note, Octocon's growth the past few months has been absolutely incredible. Here are some of our current statistics:

517,505 tracked alters

8,434 Discord servers using the bot

7,998 registered Octocon accounts

2,950 Android app installations

2,035 members in this Discord server

438 members in the Octocommune

Thank you all so much for your continued support of the project! <3

[when-life-gives-you-lemons-if]

Hi there! I'm a twine game developer and I noticed you'd converted your games to be used on Steam and the Google Play store. I'd love to ask a few questions about this, if that's okay? 1. What tools/methods did you use to convert your Twine game to APK? Did you come across any limits with file sizes and game dependencies? e.g. Images pushing you over the 100mb limit? 2. As above, but what tools/methods did you use to get Twine into an executable for Steam? Were there any hiccups here? 3. If you had to make a text-based game with gamified elements and graphics (and you wanted it on Steam/Android, and to retain screen reader capabilities) would you do it in Twine again, or would you use another engine or solution such as Ren'py, Godot, Unreal, etc? Thank you so much for your time!

Hi.

Under the cut, you'll find a list of videos and links that helped me put the game on Steam and Android.

Feel free to ask any questions as you go through the process—some steps aren't detailed here, as a few things currently escape my memory.

To be able to publish your game on Steam, Google Play, or Apple store, you need to create an account.

Follow the steps on this video to create an account on Steam:

Or this one:

This is the Steam work page to start:

Follow this step for google Play

Twine game needs to be repacked as app before you can publish them.

To repack your Twine games, use these steps:

For Google, you'll need an Android repacker. You can use this one below: (This site is not free)

Here is how to use it (Skip to 3:01 minutes)

For point #1, I had no issues with size or image limit. Steam does give you different ways to upload depending on the size of your game.

For point #2, there will be hiccups and errors when you try to complete this checklist on Steam, but again, watch the videos and send some questions my way, I'll help as much as I can.

For point #3, I have no idea about the Screen Reader part. I know Twine is good for it, but personally, I don't plan on using Twine any longer, I'm moving to Renpy because it's are easier for me as of now.

Side note: Be sure to watch even more videos than those listed and don't hesitate to do additional research on Google whenever you feel stuck. Most questions and answers are already out there, so a quick search can often point you in the right direction.

If you still need help, feel free to send your questions my way!

[souhaillaghchimdev]

How to Build Software Projects for Beginners

Building software projects is one of the best ways to learn programming and gain practical experience. Whether you want to enhance your resume or simply enjoy coding, starting your own project can be incredibly rewarding. Here’s a step-by-step guide to help you get started.

1. Choose Your Project Idea

Select a project that interests you and is appropriate for your skill level. Here are some ideas:

To-do list application

Personal blog or portfolio website

Weather app using a public API

Simple game (like Tic-Tac-Toe)

2. Define the Scope

Outline what features you want in your project. Start small and focus on the minimum viable product (MVP) — the simplest version of your idea that is still functional. You can always add more features later!

3. Choose the Right Tools and Technologies

Based on your project, choose the appropriate programming languages, frameworks, and tools:

Web Development: HTML, CSS, JavaScript, React, or Django

Mobile Development: Flutter, React Native, or native languages (Java/Kotlin for Android, Swift for iOS)

Game Development: Unity (C#), Godot (GDScript), or Pygame (Python)

4. Set Up Your Development Environment

Install the necessary software and tools:

Code editor (e.g., Visual Studio Code, Atom, or Sublime Text)

Version control (e.g., Git and GitHub for collaboration and backup)

Frameworks and libraries (install via package managers like npm, pip, or gems)

5. Break Down the Project into Tasks

Divide your project into smaller, manageable tasks. Create a to-do list or use project management tools like Trello or Asana to keep track of your progress.

6. Start Coding!

Begin with the core functionality of your project. Don’t worry about perfection at this stage. Focus on getting your code to work, and remember to:

Write clean, readable code

Test your code frequently

Commit your changes regularly using Git

7. Test and Debug

Once you have a working version, thoroughly test it. Look for bugs and fix any issues you encounter. Testing ensures your software functions correctly and provides a better user experience.

8. Seek Feedback

Share your project with friends, family, or online communities. Feedback can provide valuable insights and suggestions for improvement. Consider platforms like GitHub to showcase your work and get input from other developers.

9. Iterate and Improve

Based on feedback, make improvements and add new features. Software development is an iterative process, so don’t hesitate to refine your project continuously.

10. Document Your Work

Write documentation for your project. Include instructions on how to set it up, use it, and contribute. Good documentation helps others understand your project and can attract potential collaborators.

Conclusion

Building software projects is a fantastic way to learn and grow as a developer. Follow these steps, stay persistent, and enjoy the process. Remember, every project is a learning experience that will enhance your skills and confidence!