Are you planning to build messaging app in android? Getting amazed with its thought!
But still wondering to proceed further!
Chill! This tutorial is your blueprint – I will walk you through an end-to-end technical part to build your Android messaging chat application alongside building your confidence as well.
Before diving deep into the core, let’s have some insight about the needs of andorid chat apps in the businesses.
You can find several real time chat apps in the market with numerous features specifying their uniqueness. But still, there are some ground-level features that are common for all.
Here, Let’s Have A Look At Some Of These Grounded Features For Your Android Ap
However, these are some but there are more to dig deep into when it comes to real time communication applications.
As already discussed, Let’s have some in-depth understanding with steps as to how these android chat apps are built using specific programming languages such as kotlin and Java.
Anyhow, whenever you are planning to have your android chat SDK, the first step is to open an Android Studio, as every language starts over with its technical journey from its platform or studio.
Once, done with that you have to decide which programming language to proceed with. Mostly, Kotlin is preferred over Java for most of its qualified and easy to use attributes.
Furthermore in simple words, to build an android chat app the entire tutorial can be divided into two parts : The first part covers initializing and login, where the display, selection, and creation of channels is done. The second part includes the details about channels like 1-to-1 private or group chat channels, etc.
Depending upon these two activities, the entire process of the technical part is carried over to build an android chat app which we will have a further look on in the upcoming section.
For now, let’s see what could be the best choice to go for to build an messaging app, something ready-made or build from scratch.
If someone asks you, what to choose: a ready-made or custom solution? What could be your response? Of course, the first thing that strikes your mind would be what is special about each of them. Exactly! That’s what I am going to tell you now but in brief.
Ready-made solutions can also be indirectly considered as a White label Chat app as it is one of the basic features found in them. as the name suggests, they are the solutions that are available as an in-built one that you can purchase and integrate into your existing application.
The main drawback of these ready-made solutions is that you can only avail the benefits of the features that already exist. But, since it is available with the restriction it won’t provide you with the facility to add extra features in future. But, it does allow your solution to be hosted on our cloud as well as on your premises or cloud as per your business needs.
Whereas in the case of custom solutions, there is a need to building a chat app for android from scratch . It involves the following steps
The overall highlight of these custom android chat apps is that in the future you can add any number of features as per your business requirements with no restrictions. As an outcome of the above, both sound to be great in their own means, but finally it’s all about your needs.
Let’s have a look at what are the things being needed when building your own android chat app with CONTUS MirrorFly – “One of the market’s leading in-app Chat APIs & SDKs provider“.
Well, when it comes to building a messaging chat, voice, and video solution, every chat app provider follows their own protocols. Moreoless, all of them would be checking out to give out something best.
This section is all about the involvement of CONTUS MirrorFly when it comes to building chat applications for Android, iOS and web apps.
But here, I am going to give you an understanding of creating team chat app for Android platform. The exciting part is that this solution can be integrated easily into your application. Moreover, when it comes to the client-side, you can have them initialized as well as configured as per your need with minimal effort.
On the other hand with regards to server-side, CONTUS MirrorFly focuses mainly on the reliability within the application. It allows the space for all server setup-related documents to be downloaded from the control panels’ download section.
This later with initialization page gives the Chat SDK’s structure and installation procedure. Once everything is done, it moves across the preliminary steps of implementing the Chat SDK in your own project.
Let’s have a look at some of the minimal requirements for Chat SDK for Android
As an initial process, it is essential to see that the SDK is authenticated by CONTUS MirrorFly server using License Key. In this, you can make use of the master License Key in your dashboard while generating an account.
But, one thing that needs to be noticed is that the master API token can not be revoked or changed later.
To begin with, you need to check whether the SDK has already been compiled into an AAR file or not? This is so as to use the SDK, the below AAR file has to be imported into the project. However, the support of kotlin is needed for the messaging SDK in the project to move ahead.
Step 1 : First have to download the latest SDK from CONTUS MirrorFly Control Panel Download’s section.
Step 2 : Extract the files from downloaded zip file.
Step 3 : Create a new Android project.
Step 4 : Add the file libraries in app/libs folder in the project,
appbase.aar
flycommons.aar
flynetwork.aar
flydatabase.aar
compression.aar
xmpp.aar
Step 5 : Add The Following Dependencies In App/Build.Gradle File
implementation files('libs/appbase.aar')
implementation files('libs/flycommons.aar')
implementation files('libs/flynetwork.aar')
implementation files('libs/flydatabase.aar')
implementation files('libs/compression.aar')
implementation files('libs/xmpp.aar')
Step 6 : Add The Below Required Dependencies By The SDK In App/Build.Gradle
//For lifecycle listener
implementation 'android.arch.lifecycle:extensions:1.1.1'
annotationProcessor 'android.arch.lifecycle:compiler:1.1.1'
//For GreenDao
implementation 'de.greenrobot:greendao:2.1.0'
//For gson parsing
implementation 'com.google.code.gson:gson:2.8.1'
//for smack implementation
implementation 'org.igniterealtime.smack:smack-android:4.2.4'
implementation 'org.igniterealtime.smack:smack-tcp:4.2.4'
implementation 'org.igniterealtime.smack:smack-im:4.2.4'
implementation 'org.igniterealtime.smack:smack-extensions:4.2.4'
implementation 'org.igniterealtime.smack:smack-sasl-provided:4.2.4'
implementation 'androidx.localbroadcastmanager:localbroadcastmanager:1.0.0'
implementation 'androidx.multidex:multidex:2.0.1'
implementation 'com.google.android.gms:play-services-location:17.0.0'
implementation 'com.facebook.stetho:stetho:1.3.1'
implementation 'com.hypertrack:hyperlog:0.0.10'
//for mobile number formatting
implementation 'io.michaelrocks:libphonenumber-android:8.9.14'
//Dagger Dependencies
api 'com.google.dagger:dagger:2.25.2'
kapt 'com.google.dagger:dagger-compiler:2.25.2'
api 'com.google.dagger:dagger-android:2.25.2'
api 'com.google.dagger:dagger-android-support:2.25.2'
kapt 'com.google.dagger:dagger-android-processor:2.25.2'
//coroutines
implementation 'org.jetbrains.kotlinx:kotlinx-coroutines-android:1.3.3'
implementation 'org.jetbrains.kotlinx:kotlinx-coroutines-test:1.3.3'
//apicalls
implementation 'com.squareup.retrofit2:retrofit:2.6.1'
implementation 'com.squareup.retrofit2:converter-gson:2.6.1'
implementation 'com.squareup.okhttp3:okhttp:4.2.0'
implementation 'com.jakewharton.retrofit:retrofit2-kotlin-coroutines-adapter:0.9.2'
//stetho interceptor
implementation 'com.facebook.stetho:stetho-okhttp3:1.3.1'
//okhttp interceptor
implementation 'com.squareup.okhttp3:logging-interceptor:3.14.3'Step 7 : Add The Below Code In The App-Level Build.Gradle
plugins {
...
id 'kotlin-android'
id 'kotlin-kapt'
}
android {
compileOptions {
sourceCompatibility JavaVersion.VERSION_1_8
targetCompatibility JavaVersion.VERSION_1_8
}
kotlinOptions {
jvmTarget = '1.8'
}
packagingOptions {
exclude 'META-INF/AL2.0'
exclude 'META-INF/DEPENDENCIES'
exclude 'META-INF/LICENSE'
exclude 'META-INF/LICENSE.txt'
exclude 'META-INF/license.txt'
exclude 'META-INF/NOTICE'
exclude 'META-INF/NOTICE.txt'
exclude 'META-INF/notice.txt'
exclude 'META-INF/ASL2.0'
exclude 'META-INF/LGPL2.1'
exclude("META-INF/*.kotlin_module")
}
}
Step 8 : Open The AndroidManifest.Xml And Add Below Permissions
<uses-permission android:name="android.permission.INTERNET" />
<uses-permission android:name="android.permission.RECORD_AUDIO" />
<uses-permission android:name="android.permission.DISABLE_KEYGUARD" />
<uses-permission android:name="android.permission.ACCESS_NETWORK_STATE" />
<uses-permission android:name="android.permission.CAMERA" />
<uses-permission android:name="android.permission.READ_PHONE_STATE" />
<uses-permission android:name="android.permission.WAKE_LOCK" />
Well, this article would have given you deep clarity over the technical terms when it comes to building your own chat application for Android.
But, let me tell you that CONTUS MirrorFly provides this fantastic application for iOS and web apps as well.
Thus, if in case you are interested to know further about creating a chat app with iOS or web application, then I am happy to say that I am on my way to get you more on such technical contents in future. So, stay tuned !
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