Main image of article How to Become a Freelance Android Developer

Google Android powers billions of smartphones and tablets worldwide. If you’re a freelance Android developer with the right set of skills, you can build apps and services that help and entertain thousands—maybe even millions—of people. But what do you need to know to break into the Android development field as a contractor or freelancer?

Just like an Android developer who works full-time for a company, you’ll need to learn a mix of technical and “soft” skills, along with a handful of programming languages. Contractors and freelancers must also know how to deal with clients, accurately price out their services, and more. Let’s dig in!

What is Android?

Google revealed the Android mobile operating system to the world in 2007. The Android codebase is free and open-source, so any manufacturer can install it on their phones, and any developer with the right skills can modify it. When you purchase a new Android phone, chances are very good it’ll come with Google’s proprietary software and services, such as Google Play and Google Search (the manufacturers also pay Google a licensing fee)—unless it’s a “forked” and heavily modified version of Android, such as Amazon’s FireOS operating system.

What skills do freelance Android developers need?

If you want to become a freelance Android developer, start by learning the two programming languages that power Android development: Java and Kotlin.

Because Google wants as many people building Android apps and services as possible, it offers courses for building your Android apps in Java, in addition to the enormous number of tutorials and documentation out there about Java development. As you expand your Java-related knowledge, you’ll want to check out the Java Developer Kit (JDK) on Oracle’s website, which also includes lots of built-in support, documentation, and libraries. 

Oracle and Google engaged in a long legal battle over Android and Java code (here’s a nifty explainer of a very complex issue), after which Google began to promote a newer language, Kotlin, as a “first class language” for Android development.

As with Java, Google has a lot of documentation and resources for Kotlin, including Android Basics in Kotlin, which offers the foundational knowledge necessary to build Android apps in the language. There’s also Kotlin Bootcamp for Programmers, Android Kotlin Fundamentals, and, for those with a bit more experience, Advanced Android in Kotlin. 

When you scan job postings for Android, you’ll generally note they list the following skills:

Material Design is Google’s design guidelines for its Android ecosystem. If you’re a freelance Android developer, you’ll need to be familiar with everything related to Material Design, as it heavily influences the UI/UX of apps and services.

Any freelance Android developer will also need to know the Android Developer Portal, which includes the Android Studio, the platform’s integrated development environment (IDE). Many clients will expect you to upload apps to Google Play, Android’s online storefront, and troubleshoot any issues related to that, so you’ll need to become familiar with Google Play tools and APIs. 

Whew, that’s a lot! Fortunately, learning the intricacies of Android is a lifelong process, and it doesn’t take too long for many developers to learn the basics. If you’re curious about online coursework, you have options available from many learning institutions.

How much should freelance Android developers charge?

According to Indeed, the average Android developer salary at $125,372 per year, and that can likely rise with experience and specialized skills. However, things are a bit different for freelancers; your take-home will hinge on how many clients you have, and how much you charge. For example, you might opt to churn for 80+ hours a week for two or three enterprise clients that are willing to pay a high rate—putting your salary comfortably into the six-figure zone—or you might see freelance Android development as a side gig, and only work 5-10 hours per week for smaller clients.

ZipRecruiter pins the average freelance Android developer salary at $59 per hour, while arc.dev puts the average and median hourly rate for freelance mobile app developers at $61-$80 per hour. If you have lots of Android experience, you can charge at the high end of that range, especially if you’re a full-stack developer who can handle pretty much every part of the development process.

How can I earn a freelance Android developer job?

But how can a freelance Android developer actually land clients? That’s the tough part. First and foremost, you need to show that you can actually do the work. Many freelance Android developers opt to create a portfolio showing off their code and best work. If you’ve already worked as an Android or mobile app developer for a company, you can include some of your best projects in portfolio, along with any independent projects (such as small apps and games) you’ve built over the years.

A portfolio is usually a personalized website that details your past projects in a visually appealing, easily discoverable way. You may also want to include links to any GitHub repos showing off your coding abilities.

If you’re a freelance tech professional, you’re well aware of sites such as Upwork and Toptal where you can pick up gigs. Many freelancers also rely on their personal networks to source new work; your former companies are always a good place to start, especially if you still have contacts there. Anyone who’s active in the open-source Android community has likely built up contacts they can use, as well. Good luck!