Android Development Glossary — Important Terms for Beginners

Android · Beginner Glossary

AK Ankit Kaushik · Lead Trainer, Data Engineering & AI | Updated 12 November 2026 | 14 min read Free · Glossary

Android terms grouped by layer — UI, logic, build, and publish. Learning them by layer is much easier than learning alphabetically.

Quick summary — Android glossary

Android development has its own vocabulary. This glossary groups the most important terms by layer so beginners can learn them in context, not in isolation.

In this guide you will learn:

UI terms — Activity, Fragment, View, Layout.
Logic terms — Intent, ViewModel, LiveData.
Build terms — Gradle, SDK, dependencies.
Publish terms — Manifest, APK, AAB.
Data terms — Room, SharedPreferences.

SECTION 01UI terms

These terms describe how you build screens in Android.

Term	Meaning	Used For	Beginner Tip
Activity	A single screen with a UI	App entry points	One Activity per major screen
Fragment	A reusable UI piece inside an Activity	Modular screens	Good for tablets & tabs
View	A UI element	Buttons, text, images	All UI is built from Views
Layout	Arrangement of Views	Screen structure	LinearLayout, ConstraintLayout

// MainActivity.kt
class MainActivity : AppCompatActivity() {
    override fun onCreate(savedInstanceState: Bundle?) {
        super.onCreate(savedInstanceState)
        setContentView(R.layout.activity_main)
    }
}

// HomeFragment.kt
class HomeFragment : Fragment(R.layout.fragment_home) {
    override fun onViewCreated(view: View, savedInstanceState: Bundle?) {
        super.onViewCreated(view, savedInstanceState)
        // UI logic here
    }
}

ui-terms.kt

Key insight: Activities and Fragments are containers; Views are what users actually see and tap.

SECTION 02Logic & navigation terms

These terms describe how your app moves between screens and manages state.

Term	Meaning	Used For	Beginner Tip
Intent	A message to start an Activity or service	Navigation, sharing	Explicit vs implicit
ViewModel	Holds UI-related data	Surviving rotation	Part of Jetpack
LiveData	Observable data holder	UI updates	Lifecycle-aware
Navigation	Jetpack navigation library	Screen flows	Handles back stack

// Start another Activity
val intent = Intent(this, DetailActivity::class.java)
intent.putExtra("id", 42)
startActivity(intent)

// Read in the other Activity
val id = intent.getIntExtra("id", -1)

// Simple ViewModel
class CounterViewModel : ViewModel() {
    private val _count = MutableLiveData(0)
    val count: LiveData<Int> get() = _count

    fun increment() {
        _count.value = (_count.value ?: 0) + 1
    }
}

logic-terms.kt

Key insight: ViewModel + LiveData keeps your UI stable during rotation and avoids memory leaks.

SECTION 03Build & SDK terms

These terms describe how an Android app is built.

Term	Meaning	Used For	Beginner Tip
Gradle	Build tool for Android	Compiling, dependencies	Learn build.gradle files
SDK	Software Development Kit	APIs, tools	Match minSdk & targetSdk
Dependency	External library	Reuse code	Keep them minimal
Gradle Wrapper	Pinned Gradle version	Consistent builds	Commit it to git

// app/build.gradle.kts
android {
    compileSdk = 34
    defaultConfig {
        applicationId = "com.example.app"
        minSdk = 24
        targetSdk = 34
        versionCode = 1
        versionName = "1.0"
    }
}

dependencies {
    implementation("androidx.core:core-ktx:1.13.1")
    implementation("androidx.appcompat:appcompat:1.7.0")
}

# Gradle commands
./gradlew assembleDebug
./gradlew installDebug
./gradlew clean
./gradlew test

build-terms.md

Key insight: Understanding Gradle saves hours of frustration — most Android build errors trace back to it.

SECTION 04Data terms

These terms describe how Android apps store and retrieve data.

Term	Meaning	Used For	Beginner Tip
SharedPreferences	Key-value storage	Small settings	Not for large data
Room	SQLite abstraction	Local database	Good with Flow
Repository	Data layer class	Single source of truth	Separates UI & data
Coroutines	Async programming	Background work	Use with ViewModel

// Save a value
val prefs = getSharedPreferences("app", MODE_PRIVATE)
prefs.edit().putBoolean("dark_mode", true).apply()

// Read a value
val dark = prefs.getBoolean("dark_mode", false)

@Entity(tableName = "users")
data class User(
    @PrimaryKey val id: Int,
    val name: String,
    val email: String
)

@Dao
interface UserDao {
    @Query("SELECT * FROM users")
    fun getAll(): Flow<List<User>>
}

data-terms.kt

Key insight: Use SharedPreferences for tiny values, Room for real data, and Coroutines for anything slow.

SECTION 05Publishing terms

These terms describe how an app reaches users.

Term	Meaning	Used For	Beginner Tip
Manifest	App configuration file	Permissions, activities	Declare each screen
APK	Android Package	Older distribution	Used for direct installs
AAB	Android App Bundle	Play Store upload	Required for Play
Signing	App identity	Security	Keep keystore safe

<manifest xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android">
    <uses-permission android:name="android.permission.INTERNET" />
    <application android:label="MyApp">
        <activity android:name=".MainActivity" android:exported="true">
            <intent-filter>
                <action android:name="android.intent.action.MAIN" />
                <category android:name="android.intent.category.LAUNCHER" />
            </intent-filter>
        </activity>
    </application>
</manifest>

# Build a release AAB
./gradlew bundleRelease

# Build a release APK
./gradlew assembleRelease

publish-terms.md

Key insight: Google Play requires AAB now — APK is for direct installs and testing.

SECTION 06Interview Q&A — Android terms

Q1What is the difference between Activity and Fragment?

An Activity is a single screen; a Fragment is a reusable UI piece that lives inside an Activity.

Q2What is an Intent?

A message object used to start Activities, services, or broadcast receivers, and to pass data between them.

Q3What is Gradle?

Android's build system. It compiles code, manages dependencies, and builds APKs/AABs.

Q4What is SharedPreferences used for?

Storing small key-value data like user settings. Not suitable for large datasets.

Q5What is the Manifest?

The file that declares the app's components, permissions, and configuration.

SECTION 07Test yourself — Android glossary quiz

Five questions. No sign-up.

0 / 5

Pick an answer to see why it is right or wrong.

SECTION 08Frequently asked questions

Do I need to know Java for Android?

Kotlin is now the recommended language, but many apps still use Java. Learn Kotlin first.

What is Jetpack?

A set of Android libraries (ViewModel, LiveData, Room, Navigation) that make apps easier to build.

What's the difference between APK and AAB?

APK is the classic install package; AAB is Google Play's newer bundle format that optimizes delivery.

Do I need an emulator?

An emulator is helpful, but a physical Android phone gives more accurate performance testing.

Which Android version should I target?

Target the latest stable SDK version, and set minSdk based on your audience.

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Android Development Glossary Important Terms for Beginners