14 Mobile App Development Books You Should Definitely Read

We cannot deny that mobile devices are already part of any customer’s life. Whether it’s for educational, work, or leisure purposes, people from all ages have access to any mobile. With this, it is only reasonable that digital marketers also include effective mobile app development services to their marketing efforts.

Mobile application development means crafting applications for smartphones and other small digital devices like smartwatches. App development usually involves a lot of processes and procedures, so it is important to arm yourself with knowledge before adding it in your digital marketing to-do list.

To start honing your skills, we round up 14 mobile app development books that you should definitely add to your reading list.

Each book is recommended by our very own mobile app developers and are some of the richest sources of practical knowledge in the discipline. They’re also available in well-known online bookstores worldwide so you can pick the best one for you.

14 Best App Developments Books to Add to Your Reading List

1. ‘App Store Optimization’ by Oliver Hoss
2. ‘Mobile App Development with Ionic’, Revised Edition by Chris Griffith
3. ‘Cracking iPhone and Android Native Development’ by Matthew Baxter-Reynolds
4. ‘Lean Mobile App Development’ by Mike van Drongelen, Adam Dennis, et. al
5. ‘Developing Inclusive Mobile Apps’ by Rob Whitaker
6. ‘Learning Mobile App Development’ by Jakob Iversen and Michael Eierman
7. ‘iOS App Development For Dummies’ by Jesse Feiler
8. ‘Android App Development’ by Herve J. Franceschi
9. ‘Secure Development for Mobile Apps’ by JD Glasser
10. ‘App Development Guide: Wack-A Mole’ by Chris Coscina and Mark Lassoff
11. ‘Beginning App Development with Flutter’ by Rap Payne
12. ‘Building Versatile Mobile Apps with Python and REST’ by Art Yudin
13. ‘Marketing Apps & Selling Apps’ by Albert Luton
14. ‘App Secrets: How To Create A Million Dollar App’ by Sean Casto

1. ‘App Store Optimization’ by Oliver Hoss

One of the things that app developers dread is having an unsuccessful app. It is stressful to think that you spent a good deal of time and money on your app, but your users do not want to use it.

To avoid such a situation, this app development book is a must-read for you. It has a comprehensive app store optimization (ASO) guide to increase downloads, that starts from discussing basic concepts about ASO. Then, the book will reveal well-explained guidelines and techniques to best research and implement keywords on your apps.

Another reason this book is one of the best books for mobile app development is because it also features effectives practices and expert tips on screenshot, video, and icon designs for your apps.

Perfect for: App developers aiming for a high number of app downloads.

2. ‘Mobile App Development with Ionic’, Revised Edition by Chris Griffith

Aside from being time-consuming, app development can be costly. So, it is important that you acquire reliable cross-platform mobile app development services. But of course, you need to understand how it works first.

For this reason, the revised edition of Mobile App Development with Ionic is one of the app development books that you should read. The book covers the basics on what and how a hybrid app works. After reading the basics, you can also learn about building functional apps using Ionic 2. Ionic 2 is crafted based on the framework of Apache Cordova and Angular, and its tools are vital in making apps with HTML and CSS.

Perfect for: Mobile app development newbies and experts searching for more app development tools.

3. ‘Cracking iPhone and Android Native Development’ by Matthew Baxter-Reynolds

How can I help my app reach its maximum potential on any mobile device? If you have no idea what to do, this book will introduce you to the world of native app development. Gaining knowledge on native app development services and skills are necessary, if you want to make sure that your apps are relevant and optimized to your customers’ needs.

In addition, this book covers a lot of effective ways to deploy and manage any application that you have crafted for iOS and Android devices. What also makes this book one of the best books for mobile app development is it features service architectures, which is essential in boosting storage, security, and communications services for different platforms.

Perfect for: App developers who are interested in native app development.

4. ‘Lean Mobile App Development’ by Mike van Drongelen, Adam Dennis, et. al

We are living in a fast-paced world, which means we need to provide fast-paced services to our customers. This book understands this concept, which makes it one of the must-read mobile app development books out there. It provides techniques to help lessen the development time in making quality and relevant apps.

Additionally, it uses a viable lean startup methodology that is useful in both iOS and Android-compatible apps. Other helpful tips in the book include using innovations that will boost your boarding process for your apps.

Perfect for: App developers and digital architects working in a start-up environment.

5. ‘Developing Inclusive Mobile Apps’ by Rob Whitaker

Inclusion is one of the important factors that any mobile app developer should consider. Customers will have different needs and tastes, and the developer must consider this factor because they can end up lowering their customer reach online.

This book proves to be a great addition to your list of mobile app development books because it aims to eliminate digital exclusion, especially for people with disabilities. It also features different ways to make mobile apps with accessible customer features and services.

Lastly, the book includes several tools and methods to help any app developer achieve their goal for digital inclusion.

Perfect for: Product owners, UX designers, and app developers with a wide variety of customers.

6. ‘Learning Mobile App Development’ by Jakob Iversen and Michael Eierman

Who says you cannot master making apps on both iOS and Android platforms? This book is a goldmine of helpful tips for anyone who wants to be a master app developer. It features ways to understand app designs and set up a good Android and iOS development environment. It also uses Android lists and iOS tables to help in presenting data to clients, as well as integrating useful data to your customer apps. On top of that, the book helps readers, and both newbies and seasoned developers to gain profit in making apps for Android and iOS devices.

Perfect for: Students who are interested in app development, as well as experienced developers looking for a way to monetize their apps.

7. ‘iOS App Development For Dummies’ by Jesse Feiler

There is no denying that iOS is one of the most popular mobile platforms right now. Apple products also have different handheld devices like smartphones, smartwatches, and tablets.

‘iOS App Development for Dummies’ should be on your reading list especially if you want to focus on enriching your development skills specifically for iOS devices. It features a detailed walkthrough of Apple’s developer program, as well as Apple’s developer tools.

This book also highlights differences in iPad and iPhone apps, which can help in customizing app designs that work on the said devices. It covers different app objects to use such as view controllers, gesture recognition tools, and nib files.

Perfect for: Beginner and intermediate app developers who wish to enhance their skills for iOS mobile app development.

8. ‘Android App Development’ by Herve J. Franceschi

Android is also one of the hottest mobile platforms in the world. A lot of mobile devices powered by Android are used by users of different ages.

If you want to make functional apps for Android devices, this book is your go-to for your growing list of app development books. The book will help you understand the Android development environment called Android Studio. It also features software engineering tips and informational tidbits on common errors.

Lastly, the book adopts a Model View Controller architecture that highlights the View and Controller elements that readers need to focus on for developing apps.

Perfect for: Students and seasoned professionals who aim to focus on Android mobile app development.

9. ‘Secure Development for Mobile Apps’ by JD Glasser

Have you ever felt scared entering your personal information online? Your customers probably felt the same at some point, because it is scary to have their personal number, email addresses, or home address being accessed by hackers.

But as an app developer, you need to ensure that your apps are definitely secured for use. So take note of this book as one of the best app development books that you should start reading. The book enumerates effective practices to maintain app security from the moment you start building your app.

It also provides comprehensive guidelines and techniques in PHP security, session management, and file uploading. In addition, the book helps you learn the basics of app development such as picking project layout templates but with additional notes on how to add security.

Perfect for: Any app developer wanting to strengthen their app’s security.

10. ‘App Development Guide: Wack-A Mole’ by Chris Coscina and Mark Lassoff

Learning can be tiring. So if you are the type who wants to gamify for fun learning, this book should be in your list of mobile app development books.

This fun book is designed based on the game Whack-A-Mole, which will help you understand apps not just for iOS and Android, but also for the Web. In addition, the book provides everything you need to create interesting and relevant apps, such as coding tips and tools.

Apart from its humor, the book also provides practical information on HTML, CSS, and Javascript, which you would use to make those exciting arcade video games.

Perfect for: Expert app developers who want to make interesting and gamified apps.

11. ‘Beginning App Development with Flutter’ by Rap Payne

Mobile app development has always involved complex concepts and procedures. But this book makes it more manageable for newbies and intermediate app developers.

This book has easy-to-understand examples and starter tasks and solutions. ‘Beginning App Development with Flutter’ is a great addition to your growing list of app development books, this book gives you the basics of the Dart programming language, the Flutter development tool, and app architecture.

On top of that, you will also learn how to develop the vital parts of a tool using Flutter. These vital parts include working with themes, styles, widgets, layouts, and gesture controls for your apps.

Perfect for: Beginner app developers who are working on multi-screen apps.

12. ‘Building Versatile Mobile Apps with Python and REST’ by Art Yudin

Looking for a way to make a unique app that will wow your customers? It will need a lot of work, but this book will make sure that you achieve your goal from start to finish.

In this book, you will learn to develop apps for iOS, desktop, and Android using Django. It will also help you make apps using the Model-View-Controller pattern, and build an app from scratch with a powerful database. The book also features ways to manage communications between the backend and front-end of your web apps that have HTTP.

Make sure to add this book on your mobile app development books list because it will also help you in designing an optimized front-end for any of your apps.

Perfect for: experienced app developers who want robusts front-end and backend for their apps

13. ‘Marketing Apps & Selling Apps’ by Albert Luton

This book is certainly not just for those who are newbies to app development. It is also a great review for newbies in digital marketing!

This book is a great comprehensive guide for creating, marketing, and selling your apps effectively. It basically has tips and helpful articles to understand and improve app store optimization, monetization models, app marketing campaigns, app concerns and ethical considerations, app success tracking, and avoiding common app creation and selling mistakes.

Perfect for: newbies both in app development and digital marketing campaigns

14. ‘App Secrets: How To Create A Million Dollar App’ by Sean Casto

A steady user growth for your app is surely a dream come true. After all, more users increase the possibility of greater customer reach and eventual marketing success. This is exactly what ‘App Secrets: How to Create A Million Dollar App’ is for.

This book aims to share the best strategies in creating million or billion-dollar apps, just like the popular and well-received apps that we have now. This book also features common app mistakes and how to avoid them, as well as effective techniques to gain organic downloads for your apps. On top of that, you will learn methods from app experts that can possibly help your apps go viral.

Perfect for: All app developers looking for methods and tips behind viral apps.

Key takeaways

There is no lack of learning resources for mobile app developers for when you want to improve your knowledge and craft. While working through the books on this list, remember as well that learning would be nothing without practical application, and so you should keep in mind that:

• Mobile app development is vital in digital marketing campaigns. After all, we lived in a mobile-dominated world where customers of all ages own a mobile or two.
• Mobile app development can be costly, time-consuming, and arduous both for newbie and experienced app developers. So, it is necessary to learn ways on how to develop effective and relevant mobile apps by reading the best mobile app development books.
• App development books can be a good source of skills development. Any app developer must pick the books that not only peaked their interest but also cater to their app development needs.

Now that you have a list of all the best books to enhance your app development skills, do not forget to add to cart on the next online bookstore sale. These books will surely take you one step further into achieving your digital marketing goals.

But if you need help on reaching your maximum potential on mobile app development, let us discuss your concerns through our social media channels on Facebook, X, and LinkedIn.