Ever since the beginning of the smartphone era, the real drivers of entrepreneurship have been mobile applications. In the early days of Android, developers designed apps for the simplest functions and made a fortune out of them. However, now things are not as easy, but that’s not stopping entrepreneurs.
Android remains one of the most viable platforms for small businesses and developers. While, essentially, there are two major companies in the smartphone OS world, Android is dominant globally.
It has a much stronger foothold in developing countries than Apple, which is still focused on developed markets. This has allowed entrepreneurs in developing countries to choose Android over iOS.
Yes, the apps market has become highly saturated, but there are new and exciting apps coming out every few weeks. This shows that the entrepreneurial spirit behind Android apps is still pretty much alive. However, it seems like designing and programming apps is not the only card in the Android entrepreneur’s deck.
Android’s New RCS
Android has finally rolled out it’s RCS (Rich Communication System), which is just a fancy word for smart messaging like that on Apple’s iMessage. Google has released the new Messages app in some countries where users will be able to send more than the standard SMS.
Like iMessage, they will be able to send emojis, stickers, and animations to other Android users. Much like Apple’s RCS, it will use the internet to send these messages and rely on cellular networks to send the usual SMS.
However, there have been concerns about the privacy of these text messages as they are not fully encrypted from the sender’s end to the receiver’s end.
When Apple added these rich media features to its iOS with the release of iPhone X, it also included an App Store for the iMessage. It allowed third-party developers to design apps specifically around messaging, which was something brand new. You can download these third-party apps and see them in your apps drawer as you send messages.
It’s expected that Android will also have something similar, which will once again have developers rushing to come up with something new and interesting.
This will be a much less saturated subsection of the Play Store as there’s only so much you can do on messages. Nevertheless, we should see some great entrepreneurial drive from Android enthusiasts once this RCS becomes a norm.
Android Emulators
Another big driver of entrepreneurship in Android circles in recent years is the Android emulator. It’s a software that emulates an Android device and lets you run Android apps for PC or Mac. Up until a few years back, there weren’t many choices. Android gave its own emulator with the Android Studio mainly for testing purposes.
However, some Chinese tech companies came up with more sophisticated emulators that could do everything a real Android device can do. That really changed how users used Android, as it was no longer limited to smartphones.
Gamers are the primary market of Android emulators, but developers use it for testing games and other apps. It’s a thriving faction of the Android ecosystem, with more entrants coming every year. Currently, it’s dominated by Chinese tech companies, with some having millions of downloads.
This also has a lot of potential for developers and entrepreneurs who may want to move away from traditional apps. It’s true that the app market has become really cut-throat, but still, innovation is the key to winning. If you can solve a problem, you can sell the app.
After all, true entrepreneurship is not about profits, but about solving real-world problems.
What’s Next?
Android has finally launched Android 11. It doesn’t have many new features, just improvements to the layout and how certain things are done. That should also drive change in the app market, with developers rushing to take advantage of the new features and settings.
Change also drives growth, and as long as things will stay fresh on Android, entrepreneurs will keep bringing out innovative solutions.
About Carson Derrow
