Thriving in Android Development Using Kotlin: A project-based guide to using the latest Android features for developing production-grade apps

Build a range of Android applications such as a messaging app, a photo editor, and a video streaming platform that address common real-world issues such as authentication, connecting to synchronous and asynchronous remote sources, rendering complex UIs with Jetpack Compose, and more with seasoned Android GDE, Gema Socorro Rodriguez

Key Features

• Understand complex concepts in a coherent way by solving challenging real-world problems and developing three practical projects
• Use the latest features of libraries in Jetpack Compose, Room, CameraX, ExoPlayer, and more
• Leverage best practices for UI creation, app structure, data handling, and lifecycle management
• Purchase of the print or Kindle book includes a free PDF eBook

Book Description

Finding resources on creating apps with the Android framework and Kotlin is easy, but discovering content that addresses the common challenges faced by app developers is difficult. This book is designed to bridge that gap and equip you with the skills to tackle everyday problems in Android development.

You'll get hands on with Android development by building an app similar to WhatsApp. Next, you'll learn how to process asynchronous messages reactively, render them using Jetpack Compose, and advance to creating and uploading a backup of these messages. As you progress, you'll develop Packtagram, an app inspired by Instagram, focused on advanced photo-editing capabilities using the latest CameraX libraries. Finally, you'll build your own Netflix-like app, integrating video playback functionality with ExoPlayer for both foreground and background operations, and enabling casting to other devices.

By the end of this book, you'll have crafted three fully functional projects across multiple platforms and gained the expertise to solve the most common challenges in Android development confidently.

What you will learn

• Create complex UIs with Jetpack Compose
• Structure and modularize apps with a focus on further scaling
• Connect your app to synchronous and asynchronous remote sources
• Store and cache information and manage the lifecycle of this data
• Execute periodic tasks using WorkManager
• Capture and edit photos and videos using CameraX
• Authenticate your users securely
• Play videos in the foreground and background and cast them to other devices

Who this book is for

If you're a mid-level Android engineer, this book is for you as it will not only teach you how to solve issues that occur in real-world apps but also benefit you in your day-to-day work. This book will also help junior engineers who want to get exposed to complex problems and explore best practices to solve them. A basic understanding of Android and Kotlin concepts such as views, activities, lifecycle, and Kotlin coroutines will be useful to get the most out of this book.

Table of Contents

1. Building the UI for Your Messaging App
2. Setting Up WhatsPackt's Messaging Abilities
3. Backing Up Your WhatsPackt Messages
4. Building the Packtagram UI
5. Creating a Photo Editor Using CameraX
6. Adding Video and Editing Functionality to Packtagram
7. Starting a Video Streaming App and Adding Authentication
8. Adding Media Playback to Packtflix with ExoPlayer
9. Extending Video Playback in Your Packtflix App

Gema Socorro Rodríguez is a Google Developer Expert for Android with over 15 years of experience. After completing her studies by building a mobile project in 2009, she began working on more mobile apps and fell in love with Android. Since then, she has been part of several teams developing mobile apps. As her experience grew, she realized she wanted to share her knowledge with the community, leading her to give talks and organize workshops. She has also been an instructor in a mobile-specialized bootcamp. She is currently a Senior Android Engineer at Cabify, a popular ride-hailing company with a presence in Spain and most Latin American countries.