Google has now joined the league of companies that allows you to develop your app in simple steps even if you are not a developer. Google now has what is called “App Inventor“. You can now build many different types of Android apps with App Inventor. You do not have to limit yourself to building only game apps. You can also build apps that inform and educate. With the Android’s text-to-speech capabilities, you can even have the phone ask the questions aloud.
The good news is that you do not need to be a professional developer. This is because instead of writing code, you visually design the way the app looks and use blocks to specify the app’s behavior. Creating an Android app begins in your browser, where you design how the app will look. Then, like fitting together puzzle pieces, you set your app’s behavior.
App Inventor is not only simple to use, it is also very powerful. Apps you build can even store data created by users in a database, so you can create a make-a-quiz app in which the teachers can save questions in a quiz for their students to answer.
What is App Inventor?
App Inventor lets you develop applications for Android phones using a web browser and either a connected phone or emulator. The App Inventor servers store your work and help you to keep track of your projects. You can build your apps by working with either of the following:
- The App Inventor Designer, where you select the components for your app.
- The App Inventor Blocks Editor, where you assemble program blocks that specify how the components should behave. You assemble programs visually, fitting pieces together like pieces of a puzzle.
If you have an Android phone, your app appears on the phone step-by-step as you add pieces to it, so you can test your work as you build. When you are done, you can package your app and produce a stand-alone application to install. If you do not have an Android phone, you can still build your apps but you will be using the Android emulator, software that runs on your computer and behaves just like the phone.
The App Inventor development environment is supported for Mac OS X, GNU/Linux, and Windows operating systems, and several popular Android phone models. Applications created with App Inventor can be installed on any Android phone. Before you can use App Inventor, you need to set up your computer and install the App Inventor Setup package on your computer. The video below gives you an overview of what the App Inventor is.
How To Setup App Inventor?
Before you can use the App Inventor, you need to complete the following steps:
- Step 1: Set up your computer
- Step 2: Do one of the following, depending on whether you will develop on an Android phone or with the emulator:
- Set up your Android phone and build your first app with the phone, OR
- Build your first app with the emulator
Interested in developing your Android app without having to code, then visit the Google App Inventor page and setup your computer system and device.
Image and Video credits: Google App Inventor page.
