Mobile developer - Job description, mission, training

The role of the mobile developer

With over 4.5 billion people worldwide using smartphones by 2023, this profession has become indispensable. Mobile developers create applications for smartphones and tablets, as well as versions of websites adapted to mobile interfaces. As specialists in mobile development, they master languages such as Java for Android and Swift for iOS, enabling them to work in a variety of fields (video games, geolocation, payment platforms).

They work in teams with Product Managers and designers, and under the supervision of a CTO or Lead Developer. They are involved in all phases of an application's lifecycle: defining technical requirements, developing functionalities, testing and correcting any bugs.

Tasks of the mobile developer

They analyse the functional and technical specifications to understand the needs of the project.
They recommend the most appropriate technical solutions for creating applications and interfaces on iOS or Android.
They program the functionalities of existing mobile applications or from scratch (a new project) using different programming languages (Java, Swift, Kotlin). As part of this, they integrate the graphic mock-ups supplied by the designers.
They write the technical documentation for future developments.
They carry out the testing phases and resolve any bugs.

Key contacts

Tech lead

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Front-end developer

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Lead UX/UI designer

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QA Tester

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Product Owner

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Scrum Master

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Back-end developer

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Chief Technical Officer (CTO)

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Mobile developer skills

Technical skills for Android development

Mobile developers specialising in Android are proficient in the Java and Kotlin programming languages, which are the pillars of development on this platform. They use the Android SDK and tools such as Android Studio or Eclipse to design, code and test applications. He has knowledge of the JDK (Java Development Kit) for development in Java, and the NDK (Native Development Kit) to code in C or C++ for certain needs.

Technical skills for Android development

For iOS development, a mobile developer masters the Swift and Objective-C languages, which are at the heart of iPhone and iPad applications. They use the Xcode IDE, which is the main development platform for iOS, to write, test and deploy their applications. He is proficient in the Cocoa Touch, Foundation, Cordova, and Core Motion frameworks. He also uses software engineering tools such as JUnit and SVN to manage code and facilitate teamwork.

Additional technical skills

Development of hybrid or cross-platform applications: Apache Cordova (PhoneGap), Ionic Framework, React Native, Xamarin, Appcelerator, and Flutter.
Front-end: skills in HTML/CSS, JavaScript, as well as the Bootstrap and Backbone frameworks.
Ability to structure, query and manage SQL databases for mobile applications.
Ability to connect mobile applications with external services via APIs.
Knowledge of Agile methods (Scrum, Kanban).

Soft skills

Thoroughness
Curiosity
Creativity
Flexibility
Patience
Fluent in English

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Education and training for mobile developers

You can become a mobile developer with a 2-year higher education qualification. This could be a BTS in computing, a professional degree in computing or communication techniques ( bac +3 ), an engineering degree or a master's degree in computing ( bac +5 ).

Possible career paths

With experience, mobile developers can become Lead Mobile Developers, supervising a team of developers. They can also specialise further by moving into mobile architecture.