App ideas for beginners - Android Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

I am just starting to learn how to develop apps for android. I want to start by making some nice easy apps and work my way up to harder stuff. Im having trouble thinking of apps that would be easy to make. I don't really care if they are usefull or reallistic.
Could developers post some app ideas that are good for learning perposes. I figure this will be usefull for others who are in the same situation as well.
It would be helpful if you put a general difficulty level and any hints/suggested research topics.

dmobbjr said:
I am just starting to learn how to develop apps for android. I want to start by making some nice easy apps and work my way up to harder stuff. Im having trouble thinking of apps that would be easy to make. I don't really care if they are usefull or reallistic.
Could developers post some app ideas that are good for learning perposes. I figure this will be usefull for others who are in the same situation as well.
It would be helpful if you put a general difficulty level and any hints/suggested research topics.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Look for some tutorials for a to-do list, or a currency converter.
Probably the best thing is to think about a "real" application and then try to implement it.
There are a lots of problem that you could find (connections, storing, parsing..), but they depends on the application.

Thanks thats the kind of stuff im looking for!
Keep them coming people. I would like to see this thread become a resource for people of different levels as well.

I'd really like someone to develop a calendar app where I can swipe down the hours on day view to set my shifts. I get 20 different shifts a per month, loading them individually into stock calendar on my phone is laborious. If I could press on 6am and swipe to 4pm, this would be great. I have searched high and low on the market for this function.
If this is something that you're interested in, let me know and I can expand somewhat.
Sent from my GT-I9300 using xda premium

Mr Woolf said:
I'd really like someone to develop a calendar app where I can swipe down the hours on day view to set my shifts. I get 20 different shifts a per month, loading them individually into stock calendar on my phone is laborious. If I could press on 6am and swipe to 4pm, this would be great. I have searched high and low on the market for this function.
If this is something that you're interested in, let me know and I can expand somewhat.
Sent from my GT-I9300 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Business Calendar has the swiping action in its Add Event screen.

Questions should be asked in Q&A forums, not Development forums.
Thread moved.

There's a 'hello world' app tutorial, in coding one simple code.example I'be seen is making tthe screen print "hello world", I assume this is a similar concept. Theyvare in the Development and Hacking section.
Sent from my LG-P999 using xda premium

Related

Kind of a [Q] / A better twitter app.

Okay I use twitter a lot and have around 39,000 followers and it makes it hard to keep up with everything. So I use listing to track important things, on iOS I used an app called Twitbird, and it keeps track of lists and searches in a similar way to an rss reader, and shows the number of updates per list along with mentions etc. Also when you enter the list it starts at the exact point you left off at so there's no wasted time scrolling through hundreds of updates just to scroll back up.
Now I have not been able to find an app like this for Android anywhere! So is there any that exist? How hard would it be to create one? Or am I pretty out of luck and will have to keep whipping out the old Iphone?
Sorry if this is in the wrong forum I'm rather new here.
Did you try tweetdeck? It does support lists.
Send from my GS2 using Tapatalk
brunobanane said:
Did you try tweetdeck? It does support lists.
Send from my GS2 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes I did try tweetdeck but it doesn't support lists in the same manner of tracking how many tweets have been added to the list and it doesn't start you where you left off reading. It's very frustrating not being able to keep track of my twitter without the old Iphone, its inferior in every other way. There are is also another app that I used to use called "echofon" which didn't have the features I loved from Twitbird but it informed you of any mentions when your tweets where re-tweeted or favorited so when I paired the two together it was great.
I've tried adding my lists to a rss like Google Reader but twitter makes sure that's close to impossible -_-
Ok. I tried some apps, but none of them supports the functions you are looking for. Lists yes, but nothing else.
But since I read your first post...I have to say that I would like to have those features too as Im using twitter mainly for news.
So if you find something, please come back here and tell me about
Send from my GS2 using Tapatalk
TheRealSickNick said:
Okay I use twitter a lot and have around 39,000 followers and it makes it hard to keep up with everything. So I use listing to track important things, on iOS I used an app called Twitbird, and it keeps track of lists and searches in a similar way to an rss reader, and shows the number of updates per list along with mentions etc. Also when you enter the list it starts at the exact point you left off at so there's no wasted time scrolling through hundreds of updates just to scroll back up.
Now I have not been able to find an app like this for Android anywhere! So is there any that exist? How hard would it be to create one? Or am I pretty out of luck and will have to keep whipping out the old Iphone?
Sorry if this is in the wrong forum I'm rather new here.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Try Twicca ... is a great twitter app and has a lot of thing , and plug'ins ...
You can try reregister too. It has lists!
Have been using https://seesmic.com/ .. works well !

App For Couples

looking for an app for that allows couples to flirt/foreplay with each other on their own separate devices. all i can find are those dice games.
You mean with someone you know, or some random person?
Sexting. Job done, next
Sent from my GT-I9100 using XDA
with girlfriend. just something, while we're both at work to kinda let each other know what we want that night. maybe something that offers suggestions or ideas.
Yeah a text message.... Smh
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I727
Gtalk works too.
Sent from my LG-VM670 using Tapatalk 2 Beta-4
Text message, comes with your phone you know
Sent from my X10a using xda premium
Lol yep txt always works no need for special application
Sent via the valley of the shadows.....
I get your drift, and I can see how something like that could be really popular. I know some folks are really addicted to these social games where they take turns and play with someone. Taking that idea into a romantic direction would work, I'd think. Something on the order of "Draw Something" or "Words With Friends" that was password protected and was on the order of "Truth or Dare" or something like that might find a huge market...particularly if you could attach audio or pictures. SMS just isn't a perfect substitute because it doesn't bring in the "game" aspect or provide the same kind of "rules" or "choices".
djeaton said:
I get your drift, and I can see how something like that could be really popular. I know some folks are really addicted to these social games where they take turns and play with someone. Taking that idea into a romantic direction would work, I'd think. Something on the order of "Draw Something" or "Words With Friends" that was password protected and was on the order of "Truth or Dare" or something like that might find a huge market...particularly if you could attach audio or pictures. SMS just isn't a perfect substitute because it doesn't bring in the "game" aspect or provide the same kind of "rules" or "choices".
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thank you for thinking outside the box to see the kind of app i'm looking for. we do the "texting" thing. i'm looking for something different. something that could promote new ideas and things to do. something that takes some of the control away.
App for Couples
There is a new app for couples out that could provide you with something of what you are looking for.
Search iLoveNote on Google Play for Android Devices. The App is awaiting release in the App store for IOS devices.
I was also looking for a similar app. I found an app so I want to make happy to my girlfriend with my performance.:

App Request-attention developers

Hey guys,
It's been a few years but I used to do some programming with I was in highschool. I have a 3 year old son who has autism, and I am after an app that doesn't seem to have been developed yet. I was going to learn some java and give it a go myself but I don't really have the time...
There are a couple of apps that I am already using with him, but they are all to easy to exit from, and to move from one to another you have to exit and then open the next. My son can't do that, but he has no problems finding the settings!
So what I need is a launcher app that has just the one home screen maybe, and the screen only has a couple large app choices that I can place there, but he can't delete. He also should not be able to get to settings unless I put a code in somewhere out something like that.
There is an app similar, but it is still to easy to get to the settings. So I really need an app to be developed.
Can anyone suggest how I could get this to happen? If it makes any difference, I need it for a tablet.
Thanks dean
Swiped on my Gnex
Please post questions in Q&A forums.
Thread moved.

Beginner looking for android app project to join.

I am an aspiring android developer trying to teach myself the language. I would like to find a project, maybe open source, that I can get involved in as a real world experience with android programming.
I am wondering if there are people here that are either working on, or who could recommend, a project that I could join? I think that working on a modern app would be a great way for me to continue my learning. I have been working with books, but I worry that the information might not be completely up to date.
I am excited to get involved with real world app programming. I hope to be helpful to any project that I join Thanks to everyone in advance!
Hi MastrFett,
It is great to see how exiciting a person could be when learning. I do not have a project but I recommend you to do one for your own.
When doing something that you are going to release you do the best of yourself and you learn much more. Facing real problems is very exciting. There are lot of things that a book wouldn't explain you; you will discover them when you know that not only you is going to use your app.
Try something and upload it on Google Play. Don't get bored reading questions/answers on StackOverflow -it will be your best friend :laugh:-
Patedit,
Thanks. My only problem is I don't feel like I have many good ideas of my own right now. I think the few I have would require algorithms more advanced than my level of skill. I'll have to keep thinking.
I was just hoping to find something that would give me the chance to just jump in head first on a project right away. I do eventually want to do something on my own when I come up with the right idea.
You need a good idea if you want to become rich
If you want to learn, you don't need great ideas I know it could be frustrating at first... Imagine something you need or that will help you in your daily use of your smartphone.
For example, yesterday I made for me a widget in which I could see the next alarm time. With pressing on the widget, the Alarm Clock app is launched. That could sound 'easy' but it took me several hours. I did it because I wanted a nice widget to do so and a shortcut to the Alarm Clock app which I didn't have.
Good luck!
There is an app idea I had, but I found out there are a lot that already do what I want on google play. Should I still make the app for experience? I don't know if it is worth it if the app already exists.
MastrFett said:
There is an app idea I had, but I found out there are a lot that already do what I want on google play. Should I still make the app for experience? I don't know if it is worth it if the app already exists.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Definitely.
There are already three apps like mine (see my signature)
But I still made it and posted it. Result : 110,000 downloads and #11 in the Top New Paid category last week

Is my GS3 cooler than my iPhone 4 ?? Help me MAKE IT COOLER :)

I know this might be the wrong question...? So I'm going to start with a simple disclaimer. No fighting or flaming here, I'm asking a serious question.
Here's the deal, I've been an iPhone user for 5 years since the original release in June 2007... I've owned every iPhone... ALL HAVE BEEN IN T-MOBILE USA SO I HAVE BEEN STUCK USING EDGE ON THEM ALL.
I tried another Android phone (LG O3D) before, but couldn't stick with it for some technical reasons... but I'll leave those discussions for the LG area.
So I paid high dollar and got myself a shiny new SGS3 for T-mobile to use my 4G and I did NOT get it on contract discount. So far I like it, its DIFFERENT from iPhone, and I'm missing a few of the jailbreaking tweaks I got used too over the years. And on the flip side, I'm really enjoying some of the cool features Android offer's out of the box.
So, can you guys help me make my GS3 as cool (or COOLER) than my iPhone?
Here's a quick list of a few things I miss on my iPhone (realize most of these are 3rd party apps from Cydia after jailbreaking)
Ringer X (set individual rings for each contact. MMS/SMS/EMAIL/PHONE CALL/ETC... and you can set ignore mute to create a ALWAYS RING WHITE LIST of Family members (for example), very nice.)
Lockscreen info (Shows current email headers, and has the ability to mark each read with a single click, useful for lots of emails, double clicking shows the entire email)
EMAIL IN GENERAL, I have NOT found any email app yet that can handle displaying desktop formatted emails properly for Android - and I can't understand why. Fit to Width seems to be a feature missing from android email apps, and either I'm crazy, or no one on Android has seen a fit to screen or fit to width email you can ZOOM in to and read the details on. VERY STRANGE TO ME.
There are a few apps that are cross platform that just work different on iPhone vs Android, and I liked the way they worked on iPhone so to me they seem "wrong" on android (not saying they are, just saying I'm not used to the way they work on this platform vs the other one) A good example is my security camera video program. Same app, same distributor, but the iPhone version has (for example) when you launch it - it takes you straight to the live view mode so you can see your cameras.. the android version doesn't have this ability - it wants me to navigate thru the menu's to click on LIVE VIEW, and then it doesn't retain the 4-way camera position everytime. Again, it just works DIFFERENT.
My car alarm app, on Android seems to crash 50% of the time while loading. This has been really annoying, especially as I walk thru the mall trying to start my car remotely. By the time I realize the app crashed, have to clear it from ram, re-launch wait again, well... you get it..frustration.
I'm really trying and wanting to LOVE Android - seriously. But obviously I need some guidance and maybe be shown the coolness of android over iphone... realize that after 5 years on iPhone, and having gone thru EVERY version of iOS since v 1.01 (or v1.02, I can't remember) I'm very familiar and comfortable with iOS - but by that same token, I'm bored too... I want something new and cool.
HELP ME PLEASE.
Many thanks in Advance.
I was a long time iOS user too (started with 1.0.3 in September 2007), I changed to Android about one year and a half now and nowadays I really prefer Android phones, Android has some really nice features. I can't help you with all the questions but I will try.
First of all, are you using the TouchWiz or have you tried other roms? TW has nice features but I really prefer a purer Android experience. With other roms you'll have freedom to personalize and change whatever you want on your phone, in my opinion this is one of the coolest things on Android. I believe CM9 (CyanogenMod9) is a good rom, but there are many other great roms available. If you want to try other roms you can look for it on the Development forums, and you can return to Samsung official rom when you want to.
1. To select specific ringtones you should look for your contact (People or dialer app), when you open it press the menu button and you'll see the option "Set ringtone".
2. I don't know any app to replace the 'lockscreen info', I believe something similar is coming to Android Jellybean, but you could use any app like 'Widget Locker' and use GMail widgets by now, it's not the same but should work.
For me the best email app ever is GMail... I got your point but I've never had any problems with it. I don't use any security camera or car alarm app on my Android phones, so I can't help you with this too, but there's a feature available on some roms (like AOKP) that should help you with this car alarm problem it's the 'hold back to kill' option, you just hold the back button and it instantly kills the crashed app. Although you can always long press the home button to see recent apps and then slide the crashed rom, it should kill the app from ram quickly.
If I remember any better options for this problems I will reply here, but I hope it helps you enjoy your new Galaxy SIII.
Iphone
Araltd said:
I know this might be the wrong question...? So I'm going to start with a simple disclaimer. No fighting or flaming here, I'm asking a serious question.
Here's the deal, I've been an iPhone user for 5 years since the original release in June 2007... I've owned every iPhone... ALL HAVE BEEN IN T-MOBILE USA SO I HAVE BEEN STUCK USING EDGE ON THEM ALL.
I tried another Android phone (LG O3D) before, but couldn't stick with it for some technical reasons... but I'll leave those discussions for the LG area.
So I paid high dollar and got myself a shiny new SGS3 for T-mobile to use my 4G and I did NOT get it on contract discount. So far I like it, its DIFFERENT from iPhone, and I'm missing a few of the jailbreaking tweaks I got used too over the years. And on the flip side, I'm really enjoying some of the cool features Android offer's out of the box.
So, can you guys help me make my GS3 as cool (or COOLER) than my iPhone?
Here's a quick list of a few things I miss on my iPhone (realize most of these are 3rd party apps from Cydia after jailbreaking)
Ringer X (set individual rings for each contact. MMS/SMS/EMAIL/PHONE CALL/ETC... and you can set ignore mute to create a ALWAYS RING WHITE LIST of Family members (for example), very nice.)
Lockscreen info (Shows current email headers, and has the ability to mark each read with a single click, useful for lots of emails, double clicking shows the entire email)
EMAIL IN GENERAL, I have NOT found any email app yet that can handle displaying desktop formatted emails properly for Android - and I can't understand why. Fit to Width seems to be a feature missing from android email apps, and either I'm crazy, or no one on Android has seen a fit to screen or fit to width email you can ZOOM in to and read the details on. VERY STRANGE TO ME.
There are a few apps that are cross platform that just work different on iPhone vs Android, and I liked the way they worked on iPhone so to me they seem "wrong" on android (not saying they are, just saying I'm not used to the way they work on this platform vs the other one) A good example is my security camera video program. Same app, same distributor, but the iPhone version has (for example) when you launch it - it takes you straight to the live view mode so you can see your cameras.. the android version doesn't have this ability - it wants me to navigate thru the menu's to click on LIVE VIEW, and then it doesn't retain the 4-way camera position everytime. Again, it just works DIFFERENT.
My car alarm app, on Android seems to crash 50% of the time while loading. This has been really annoying, especially as I walk thru the mall trying to start my car remotely. By the time I realize the app crashed, have to clear it from ram, re-launch wait again, well... you get it..frustration.
I'm really trying and wanting to LOVE Android - seriously. But obviously I need some guidance and maybe be shown the coolness of android over iphone... realize that after 5 years on iPhone, and having gone thru EVERY version of iOS since v 1.01 (or v1.02, I can't remember) I'm very familiar and comfortable with iOS - but by that same token, I'm bored too... I want something new and cool.
HELP ME PLEASE.
Many thanks in Advance.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
it's good for your choice, but if you are going to puchase a mobile for uses, so you have to check all feature related to your choice ,color and all that Iphone is branded phone.
for more information visit :emobileoffers.co.uk
edugmax said:
I was a long time iOS user too (started with 1.0.3 in September 2007), I changed to Android about one year and a half now and nowadays I really prefer Android phones, Android has some really nice features. I can't help you with all the questions but I will try.
First of all, are you using the TouchWiz or have you tried other roms? TW has nice features but I really prefer a purer Android experience. With other roms you'll have freedom to personalize and change whatever you want on your phone, in my opinion this is one of the coolest things on Android. I believe CM9 (CyanogenMod9) is a good rom, but there are many other great roms available. If you want to try other roms you can look for it on the Development forums, and you can return to Samsung official rom when you want to.
1. To select specific ringtones you should look for your contact (People or dialer app), when you open it press the menu button and you'll see the option "Set ringtone".
2. I don't know any app to replace the 'lockscreen info', I believe something similar is coming to Android Jellybean, but you could use any app like 'Widget Locker' and use GMail widgets by now, it's not the same but should work.
For me the best email app ever is GMail... I got your point but I've never had any problems with it. I don't use any security camera or car alarm app on my Android phones, so I can't help you with this too, but there's a feature available on some roms (like AOKP) that should help you with this car alarm problem it's the 'hold back to kill' option, you just hold the back button and it instantly kills the crashed app. Although you can always long press the home button to see recent apps and then slide the crashed rom, it should kill the app from ram quickly.
If I remember any better options for this problems I will reply here, but I hope it helps you enjoy your new Galaxy SIII.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
edugmax... i also have configured gmil but is there a way to get new email alerts as far as a "number" notification? sometimes i get new email and i don't know it. I would like to see a number in the email shortcut showing the amount of new emails. thanks
lostsoul565 said:
edugmax... i also have configured gmil but is there a way to get new email alerts as far as a "number" notification? sometimes i get new email and i don't know it. I would like to see a number in the email shortcut showing the amount of new emails. thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can configure tasker and minimalistic text to display unread emails, missed texts, missed calls etc. Tasker is a little expensive if you're just looking for and widget with the number of unread emails since there are a ton of dedicated widgets for that, but tasker is a lot more flexible and you can configure it to do a lot of other things too like nfc actions.
Not sure if you've looked into these email apps...I don't use them but hear about their popularity. K-9 and Kaiten.
S- Beamed from my SGH-T999
I just put aokp on mine last night. Has loads of options. Including the ones you are talking about
Sent from my SGH-T999 using xda premium
Move the iPhone as far away from the gs3 as possible.
Sent from my SGH-T999 using xda app-developers app
Sold 32g jail broke 4s got one x. The one x smoked the 4s. Bricked the one x got gs3 flashed AOKP and it smokes any phone I have ever had by far
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using xda premium
Well I'm not as knowledgeable as most of these guys when it comes to ask this android but I too just came over from a jail broken iPhone. But I've been using android like a mistress for over a year and came up with a few things:
Executive assistant is the closest app I found to replace Lock Info. But I don't use it anymore since I can drop down NC from lock screen to see what I missed. Gmail calendars can text you alerts.
Missed It allows you to create some pretty cool notifications in your launcher.
Prefixer allows you to alter your number dialed with default dialer. Works great for auto area codes or extended speed dial numbers...
I switch between Swype and Swift key
Good luck!
Sent from my SCH-I535 using xda premium
there's actually a ticker option for the lock screen in security settings
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using xda premium
Pretty much all the "cool" features are in stock android. Edit contact with any ringtone should do it. Switch out the contact icon on the bottom (don't need it you can see contacts in the green phone icon)with gmail and It will be on your lock screen. This device is still pretty new so some of the app delvs need to catch up. Once you learn your way around Android you 'll see that JBing is nothing more than a theme in Android.
Have fun learning
Sent from my SPH-L710 using xda premium
as far as the ringtone thing, what I'm taking about specifically is with a jail break app called ringer x I am able to set ringtones for a contact call, sms, email. 3 unique tones for 3 unique actions from the same contact.
Plus you can tell it ignore mute, and no matter what your ringer setting is, it will make noise (ring) at the volume you set in the contact. It's pretty great, especially for those of us with kids.
And I agree android is a learning curve.
Sent from my SGH-T999 using xda app-developers app
Pull the phone out of the box. Now it is already cooler than an iPhone.
Sent from my SCH-I535 using xda app-developers app
I would like to know if there is an android app that let's you automatically ignore calls as well.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2
Phonemaster123 said:
I would like to know if there is an android app that let's you automatically ignore calls as well.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah hold the phone near mouth and say IGNORE or put the phone face down when ringing or pull up the curtain and select a ignore text reply.
Sent from my SPH-L710 using xda premium
Phonemaster123 said:
I would like to know if there is an android app that let's you automatically ignore calls as well.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I thought I saw a built in black list? And I think tapping power button ignores call?
Sent from my SGH-T999 using xda app-developers app
Lol. Out of box, the S3 is already cooler than any iPhone. Any attempt at making it 'better' is just an extra plus
Sent from my SGH-T999 using xda app-developers app
Not helpful
OTAw said:
Lol. Out of box, the S3 is already cooler than any iPhone. Any attempt at making it 'better' is just an extra plus
Sent from my SGH-T999 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
nosympathy said:
Pull the phone out of the box. Now it is already cooler than an iPhone.
Sent from my SCH-I535 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Guy's these comments & posts are useless. This was meant to be a serious thread, and not a thread for fan boys of either camp.
Please keep the replies on topic and helpful, or keep them to yourself. :good:
Araltd said:
Guy's these comments & posts are useless. This was meant to be a serious thread, and not a thread for fan boys of either camp.
Please keep the replies on topic and helpful, or keep them to yourself. :good:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I answered the OP Question in the title of his thread. Sorry, was that not allowed? lol.

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