The form factor of Play Store apps must adapt to different types of devices. The applications can also be run on various television sets, different sizes of handsets and Chrome devices. You must consider the methods of interaction, too, as the television sets will not have a touchscreen.
The developers must also consider the font and text size of the app content. You must believe that there could be some requirements for the application being run on televisions or other large screens. There can be a difference in the layouts for various window sizes. The resource qualifiers can ensure this can happen. The difference can be because of the constraints on the device screen.
Designing responsive content
It is essential to provide an enriching experience for all app users. You must leverage the full screen size of the window and create a responsive app. The app will take the entire window screen but should not hide details as the screen size wasn’t matching. The app must be optimised to the fullest so that it can readily use the full device screen width.
It is necessary that you adequately attend to the user expectations. The content and the screen set-up must be such that it is fully optimised for small and large screens. There must not be too much white space on larger screens which can look awkward and affect customer interaction levels. It can also lead to awkward interactions between the Play Store app and the customer.
The developer must decide the various resources that will be provided for different window sizes. There are specific steps that the developer must follow to implement their ideas.
Providing tailored user experiences
The developer must remember that the app must provide brilliant experiences that will allow the user to interact better with the app. The user must be presented with the ideal experience better than the competition. The user experiences must be better than the competition and be beyond just filling in the white spaces. The user interface must be personalised using Android Studio, which provides the optimal user experience and enhance the app usage parameters.
Developers must remember that the user experience must be consistent for all window sizes and use various widgets and layouts. You can use BottomNavigationView during Android development as the top-level navigation when there is proper vertical space. Remember that when the window size is lesser, the top-level navigation is implemented using a DrawerLayout.
The toolbar can hide or show action menu items for the space available. The RecyclerView.LayoutManager can change the span count and leverage the window size. Developers can increase the amount of detail shown for custom views as there is more space.
Responsive layout – ConstraintLayout
Developers must adapt to several device configurations, and the app layout must respond to various screen orientations and sizes, which will ensure a better user experience. The advent of foldables can also change the posture and impact the Play Store app. As the posture changes, the display panes’ aspect ratio can also change.
You can use ConstraintLayout to create a responsive layout during Android development for various screen sizes. You can specify the size and position for each view basis the spatial relationships with other layout views. The views can stretch and move together as the screen size changes. ConstraintLayout is about creating constraints and defining the relationship between two widgets in the controls and layout and how the widgets can be positioned within the layout.
ConstaintLayout is a popular Jetpack library shipped separately from the Android OS. In ConstraintLayout 2.1, various features were introduced to manage foldable devices better. It included features like SharedValues, ReactiveGuide, and better animation support. Adding a dependency can be handled by adding the Google Maven repository to your project
Jetpack WindowManager for larger screen
Jetpack WindowManager is a new addition in Android Studio that allows developers to handle large screens and foldables comprehensively. It is like Android WindowManager, but it also adds support for foldables. The Jetpack WindowManager library can help developers provide support for various form factors. All foldable devices will have multiple features and configurations like hinges, folds, and curved areas. The placement and layout of the content in the window must avoid disruptive areas.
The key features of Jetpack WindowManager are:
- WindowLayoutInfo has a list of display features within the window. The positions, features, and sizes can be altered once the window is resized or moved.
- WindowMetrics provides a better way to query for metrics regarding the current display or window.
- FoldingFeature requires the current phone posture. It provides location, boundaries, and other device-specific information, enabling a single code base to adjust to various foldable devices. Developers can detect device-specific UI boundaries and can line up the UI of the app to work faultlessly with multiple form factors.
The Jetpack WindowManager library allows developers to design Play Store apps which can enable improved experiences for end-users.
