32 Best Android Development Books of All Time

We've researched and ranked the best android development books in the world, based on recommendations from world experts, sales data, and millions of reader ratings. Learn more

1

Android Programming

The Big Nerd Ranch Guide

Android Programming: The Big Nerd Ranch Guide: is an introductory Android book for programmers with Java experience. Based on Big Nerd Ranch's popular Android Bootcamp course, this guide will lead you through the wilderness using hands-on example apps combined with clear explanations of key concepts and APIs. This book focuses on practical techniques for developing apps compatible with all versions of Android widely used today (Android 2.2 - 4.2). Write and run code every step of the way - creating apps that catalog crime scenes, browse photos, track your jogging route, and more. Each... more

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2

Head First Android Development

A Brain-Friendly Guide

What will you learn from this book?

If you have an idea for a killer Android app, this fully revised and updated edition will help you build your first working application in a jiffy. You'll learn hands-on how to structure your app, design flexible and interactive interfaces, run services in the background, make your app work on various smartphones and tablets, and much more. It's like having an experienced Android developer sitting right next to you! All you need to get started is some Java know-how.

Why does this book look so different?

Based...
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4
Learn how to write HTML, CSS, and JavaScript and build your own website, app, and game! An essential guide to computer programming for kids by kids.
Crack open this book and set off on several fun missions while simultaneously learning the basics of writing code. Want to make a website from scratch? Create an app? Build a game? All the tools are here, laid out in a user-friendly format that leads kids on an imaginary quest to keep a valuable diamond safe from dangerous jewel thieves. Presented by Young Rewired State an international collective of tech-savvy kids in...
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5
Your all-encompassing guide to learning Android app development If you're an aspiring or beginning programmer interested in creating apps for the Android market--which grows in size and downloads every day--this is your comprehensive, one-stop guide. "Android Application Development All-in-One For" Dummies covers the information you absolutely need to get started developing apps for Android. Inside, you'll quickly get up to speed on Android programming concepts and put your new knowledge to use to manage data, program cool phone features, refine your applications, navigate confidently around... more

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8

Follow a walkthrough of the Unity Engine and learn important 2D-centric lessons in scripting, working with image assets, animations, cameras, collision detection, and state management. In addition to the fundamentals, you'll learn best practices, helpful game-architectural patterns, and how to customize Unity to suit your needs, all in the context of building a working 2D game.

While many books focus on 3D game creation with Unity, the easiest market for an independent developer to thrive in is 2D games. 2D games are generally cheaper to produce, more feasible for small teams,...

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Don't have time to read the top Android Development books of all time? Read Shortform summaries.

Shortform summaries help you learn 10x faster by:

  • Being comprehensive: you learn the most important points in the book
  • Cutting out the fluff: you focus your time on what's important to know
  • Interactive exercises: apply the book's ideas to your own life with our educators' guidance.
11

Android Hacker's Handbook

The first comprehensive guide to discovering and preventing attacks on the Android OS

As the Android operating system continues to increase its share of the smartphone market, smartphone hacking remains a growing threat. Written by experts who rank among the world's foremost Android security researchers, this book presents vulnerability discovery, analysis, and exploitation tools for the good guys. Following a detailed explanation of how the Android OS works and its overall security architecture, the authors examine how vulnerabilities can be discovered and exploits...
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12
Android Game Development Made Easy. If you've always wanted to make Android games but didn't know where to start, this book is for you. Whether you are an absolute beginner with no programming experience or an experienced Java developer wanting to get started with game development, this comprehensive book will help you accomplish your goals and teach you how to build your own games from scratch-no game engines needed. In this beginner-friendly guide, you will find focused, step-by-step approaches designed to help you learn and practice one fundamental concept at a time. You will study Java... more

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13
Summary

Hello App Inventor! introduces creative young readers to the world of mobile programming—no experience required! Featuring more than 30 fun invent-it-yourself projects, this full-color, fun-to-read book starts with the building blocks you need to create a few practice apps. Then you'll learn the skills you need to bring your own app ideas to life.

Purchase of the print book includes a free eBook in PDF, Kindle, and ePub formats from Manning Publications.

About the Book

Have you ever wondered how apps are made? Do you...
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14
If you're grounded in the basics of Swift, Xcode, and the Cocoa framework, this book provides a structured explanation of all essential real-world iOS app components. Through deep exploration and copious code examples, you'll learn how to create views, manipulate view controllers, and add features from iOS frameworks.


Create, arrange, draw, layer, and animate views that respond to touch
Use view controllers to manage multiple screens of interface
Master interface classes for scroll views, table views, text, popovers, split views, web views, and controls
Dive...
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15
Android is the world's favorite mobile operating system and B4A is the easiest rapid app development tool, allowing complete beginners to create powerful Android apps using the easily learned BASIC language.

This book covers B4A version 5.50. It starts with step-by-step beginners' guides explaining how to plan, design, develop, test, publish and make money from Android apps in the shortest possible time. It explains how to use B4A to create graphics and databases, to communicate with the user and to modify your app dynamically so it will look good on a wide range of devices.
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16

Learn Java for Android Development

Android development is hot, and many programmers are interested in joining the fun. However, because this technology is based on Java, you should first obtain a solid grasp of the Java language and its foundational APIs to improve your chances of succeeding as an Android app developer. After all, you will be busy learning the architecture of an Android app, the various Android-specific APIs, and Android-specific tools. If you do not already know Java fundamentals, you will probably end up with a massive headache from also having to quickly cram those fundamentals into your knowledge base. more

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17
Jump in and build working Android apps with the help of more than 230 tested recipes. The second edition of this acclaimed cookbook includes recipes for working with user interfaces, multitouch gestures, location awareness, web services, and specific device features such as the phone, camera, and accelerometer. You also get useful info on packaging your app for the Google Play Market.

Ideal for developers familiar with Java, Android basics, and the Java SE API, this book features recipes contributed by more than three dozen Android developers. Each recipe provides a clear solution...
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18

Introduction to Android Application Development

Android Essentials

Bonus KitKat material is available for download at www.informit.com/title/9780321940261

What Every Android(TM) App Developer Should Know Today: Android Tools, App/UI Design, Testing, Publishing, And More
This fully reworked edition of a proven title is the most useful real-world guide to building robust, commercial-grade Android(TM) apps. The content is revised and updated for the latest Android 4.3 SDK and the newest development best practices. Introduction to...
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19
Build Android apps using the popular and efficient Android Studio 3 suite of tools, an integrated development environment (IDE) with which Android developers can now use the Kotlin programming language. With this book, you'll learn the latest and most productive tools in the Android tools ecosystem, ensuring quick Android app development and minimal effort on your part. Along the way, you'll use Android Studio to develop apps tier by tier through practical examples. These examples cover core Android topics such as Activities, Intents, BroadcastReceivers, Services and AsyncTask. Then, you'll... more

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20
Fully updated for Android Studio 2, the goal of this book is to teach the skills necessary to develop Android based applications using the Android Studio Integrated Development Environment (IDE) and the Android 6 Software Development Kit (SDK).

Beginning with the basics, this book provides an outline of the steps necessary to set up an Android development and testing environment. An overview of Android Studio is included covering areas such as tool windows, the code editor and the Designer tool. An introduction to the architecture of Android is followed by an in-depth look at the...
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Don't have time to read the top Android Development books of all time? Read Shortform summaries.

Shortform summaries help you learn 10x faster by:

  • Being comprehensive: you learn the most important points in the book
  • Cutting out the fluff: you focus your time on what's important to know
  • Interactive exercises: apply the book's ideas to your own life with our educators' guidance.
22
Summary

Xamarin in Action teaches you to build cross-platform mobile apps using Xamarin and C#. You'll explore all the layers of a Xamarin app, from design to deployment. By the end, you'll be able to build a quality, production-ready Xamarin app on iOS and Android from scratch with a high level of code reuse.

Purchase of the print book includes a free eBook in PDF, Kindle, and ePub formats from Manning Publications.

About the Technology

Rewriting the same app for iOS and Android is tedious, error-prone, and expensive....
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26
The Busy Coder's Guide to Advanced Android Development picks up where its predecessor left off, covering yet more topics of interest to the professional Android application developer. If you need to use sensors, create home screen widgets, play back media, take pictures with the camera, or implement sophisticated services, this book will be a helpful guide. With all sample source code available for download from the CommonsWare Web site -- as are the samples from all of CommonsWare's Android books -- you can try out the book examples yourself and continue your education further. CommonsWare... more

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27
Fully updated for Android Studio 3.0 and Android 8, the goal of this book is to teach the skills necessary to develop Android based applications using the Android Studio Integrated Development Environment (IDE), the Android 8 Software Development Kit (SDK) and the Kotlin programming language. This book contains 88 in-depth chapters and 45 sample projects (including the source code). Note: This is the Kotlin edition of the book. If you are looking for the Java edition, search for Android Studio 3.0 Development Essentials - Android 8 Edition. Beginning with the basics, this book provides an... more

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28
Gain a strong foundation in Java programming with the confidence and technical skills to build working mobile applications when you use ANDROID BOOT CAMP FOR DEVELOPERS USING JAVA: A GUIDE TO CREATING YOUR FIRST ANDROID APPS, 3E. Written by an award-winning technology author, this book provides a thorough introduction to Java with an emphasis on creating effective mobile applications. This book is ideal whether you have some programming experience or are brand new to Java and the Android Studio. The book's hands-on tutorial approach offers step-by-step instruction and numerous screen shots to... more

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29

Advanced Android Application Development

Advanced Android Application Development, Fourth Edition, " is the definitive guide to building robust, commercial-grade Android apps. Systematically revised and updated, this guide brings together powerful, advanced techniques for the entire app development cycle, including design, coding, testing, debugging, and distribution. With the addition of quizzes and exercises in every chapter, it is ideal for both professional and classroom use. An outstanding practical reference for the newest Android APIs, this guide provides in-depth explanations of code utilizing key API features and includes... more

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30
This book is written in a Cookbook style, beginning with recipes which focus on helping developers make their software/application available in Android.Android developers who want to learn Android NDK programming, or develop multimedia and games in Android NDK will benefit from this book less

See more recommendations for this book...

Don't have time to read the top Android Development books of all time? Read Shortform summaries.

Shortform summaries help you learn 10x faster by:

  • Being comprehensive: you learn the most important points in the book
  • Cutting out the fluff: you focus your time on what's important to know
  • Interactive exercises: apply the book's ideas to your own life with our educators' guidance.
31
Get a thorough and practical introduction to Unity development for Android devices with no previous experience with game development needed. In this book, you'll go through every step from downloading and installing Unity and the Android SDK, to creating fully functional games. The bulk of Learn Unity for Android Game Development is a simple project to create a 2D platform game complete with touchscreen controls, physics, enemies, respawning, collectibles and more.
The book closes with a brief introduction to creating 3D games, virtual reality games for the Gear VR, and other more...
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See more recommendations for this book...

Don't have time to read the top Android Development books of all time? Read Shortform summaries.

Shortform summaries help you learn 10x faster by:

  • Being comprehensive: you learn the most important points in the book
  • Cutting out the fluff: you focus your time on what's important to know
  • Interactive exercises: apply the book's ideas to your own life with our educators' guidance.