Android app development
Android app developers in Sydney and Melbourne
Rocket Lab Australia is a team of Android app developers in Sydney and Melbourne. We design, build and maintain Android apps for phones and tablets, usually in React Native or Flutter so your iPhone app comes from the same codebase, and in native Kotlin when the app needs it.
- Android phones and tablets, with iOS from the same codebase
- Sydney and Melbourne team
- You own the code once it is paid for
- On Google Play 10,000+, Explore South Australia downloads
- Founded 2014, Sydney and Melbourne team
Our Android work includes apps for the South Australian Tourism Commission, CSIRO and Eigensystems' Quokka. You work directly with the designers and engineers building your app, from the first workshop to Google Play.
What we build for Android
Whether you are starting from a blank page or inheriting an app someone else built, we cover the whole life of an Android app.
New Android apps
From MVP to launch. We design and build your app, integrate your backend and payments, and handle the Google Play release.
Phones and tablets
Android runs on far more device models and screen sizes than iOS, so we design layouts for the phones and tablets your users actually have. CSIRO's field researchers use a tablet-optimised app we built.
Cross-platform or native Kotlin
Most Android apps we build use React Native or Flutter, so iOS comes from the same codebase. When an app depends on platform features those frameworks handle poorly, we say so at scoping and quote native Kotlin.
Connected devices
Apps that set up and manage hardware over Wi-Fi. We built the Android app that connects Eigensystems' Quokka device to Wi-Fi and manages it, with zero data collection.
Take over an existing Android app
Your agency or freelancer has moved on? We review the codebase, stabilise it, document it and keep shipping, without a rewrite unless it is truly needed.
Maintenance and support
Monthly plans that keep a React Native or Flutter app targeting the Android API level Google Play requires, so your updates are never blocked.
Android apps we have built
A few of the Android apps our team has designed, built and supported.
Tourism
South Australian Tourism Commission
Explore South Australia, the commission's official travel app for Android and iOS, built from the ground up by Rocket Lab in React Native. It has passed 10,000 downloads on Google Play.
EdTech
Quokka
An Android app, published on Google Play, that onboards a palm-sized, 30-qubit quantum computer emulator to Wi-Fi and manages it for classrooms and remote use, with zero data collection.
Government
CSIRO
The Bushfire Surveyor System: a tablet-optimised app for Android and iOS, with a web app, so researchers can collect bushfire survey data in the field, work offline and sync when they reconnect.
Workforce
MyGig
The MyGig app for Android and iOS, designed and built by Rocket Lab in Flutter. Casual workers find shifts, see the pay up front, clock in and out and track what they earn.
And more, for startups, enterprise and government. See all case studies.
How an Android project runs
Discovery
We agree goals, users, scope and the must-haves for launch, then give you a fixed quote.
Design and prototype
Clickable phone and tablet designs you can test before a line of code is written.
Build in sprints
Regular demos on real devices so you see progress every fortnight.
Test and release
QA on Android phones and tablets, then Google Play review and release under your own developer account.
Support and grow
Updates for each new Android release and Google Play requirement, monitoring and new features after launch.
Android app FAQs
How much does an Android app cost to build in Australia?
It depends on scope: the number of screens, integrations, user roles and backend work, and whether you need iOS as well. We give every project a fixed quote after a short discovery phase, and a free consultation is enough for a ballpark.
How long does it take to build an Android app?
A focused first release usually takes 2 to 3 months, a medium-sized app 4 to 6 months, and a larger platform 6 months or more. Discovery confirms the timeline before the build starts.
Do you build Android apps in Kotlin or cross-platform?
Usually cross-platform: React Native or Flutter ship one codebase to Google Play and the App Store, at lower cost than two separate apps. When an app depends on platform features that cross-platform frameworks handle poorly, we say so at scoping and quote native Kotlin.
Will we need a separate iPhone app?
Not usually. With React Native or Flutter, the same codebase ships to Google Play and the App Store, so iPhone and iPad come with the build rather than as a second project. See iPhone and iPad app development.
Why do Android apps need regular updates?
Google Play requires apps to target a recent Android API level. Fall behind and updates are blocked; fall further behind and the app is hidden from new users on current devices. Our Mobile App Maintenance plans keep React Native and Flutter apps current for a fixed monthly fee.
Do you handle the Google Play release?
Yes. We prepare the Google Play listing, complete its data safety and policy forms, and release each update under your Google Play developer account.
Can you take over our existing Android app?
Yes. We start with a code review to understand its health, then stabilise, upgrade and keep building. If the app was built mostly with AI tools, our fixed-price App Rescue Report (from A$2,950) is the fastest way to find out where it stands.
Do you only build apps for teams in Sydney and Melbourne?
Our team is based in Sydney and Melbourne, and we also work with teams in Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide and Canberra. Wherever you are, you work directly with the people building your app.
Other technologies we work with
iOS, Android and cross-platform apps with React Native and Flutter, built for speed, usability and long-term scalability.
iPhone and iPad app design, development, takeovers and maintenance, in React Native, Flutter or native Swift.
New React Native apps, takeovers, upgrades and maintenance for iOS and Android.
Flutter app design, development, takeovers, upgrades and maintenance for iOS and Android.
Fixed-fee plans that keep React Native and Flutter apps updated, compliant and live in the stores.
In our clients' words
Founders and long-term partners on what it is like to build with us.
1 of 8
We have a long standing partnership with Rocket Lab who provide Webjet with critical strategic and development services for our front-end websites.
Over the years Rocket Lab have seamlessly integrated with James Hardie in delivering a number of key projects for the business that to this day continue to be critical to the success and functionality of our operations.
When it comes to out-sourcing and partnering with a technology vendor, Rocket Lab is top of mind. Julien, Jen and the team are incredibly detailed and thorough whenever they’re engaged in a project. And, they do so at velocity.
Rocket Lab’s ability to help define and execute our business through software in a timely fashion, has been a breath of fresh air and a pleasure to work with.
The guys worked together very well with our internal resources and blended into our process seamlessly. We were very impressed with the level of skill from each of the engineers…
Our business has hundreds of suppliers and thousands of customers so we needed a highly robust structure and that’s exactly what was delivered by Julien, Jen and the RL development team.
Julien and his team are a real pleasure to work with. They are well rounded with a solid understanding of design/user experience best practices as well as diving deep under the hood with solid web and app development capabilities.
Their team delivered a site that met our expectations, and they’ve continued to assist us in refining and enhancing it over time. They are dedicated, creative, and technically skilled, helping to ensure our website looks good and functions smoothly.
Tell us what you are building.
A 30-minute call. No pitch deck, no obligation. We will tell you if we are the right fit.
