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How to become a Mobile App Developer

Also called: Smartphone app developer, Mobile application developer

Develops apps for smartphones as part of a team.

Main tasks

Workers in this job say university is common. From job tag's survey of people in each job, who could give several answers. It shows what workers see as common, not how many workers hold each level.

How to become one

No particular education or qualification is required to start, and no particular subject of study is needed. Some people join after finishing their studies, but many are hired mid-career in their 20s and 30s from other industries. Some students have strong skills, for example from developing apps on their own outside their university classes. You need skills in the development environments for the smartphone operating systems Android and iOS, the programming languages Swift and Kotlin, and frameworks. Smartphones are now linked to online shopping, cashless payments, home appliances and cars, so security has become important and knowledge of it is also needed. The technology and information in this field change fast, so you need to keep up with the latest news by joining study groups and meetups, watching talks online and following social media. Remote events spread during the COVID-19 pandemic, but in-person meetups are growing again, for showing demos face to face and exchanging business cards. Some people gain related qualifications, including in nearby technologies. With a track record, some move into product management or go freelance. Designing the user interface (UI) needs a sense of design and colour, but this is often done by web designers or UX/UI designers. You also need to understand users' needs and new technical possibilities accurately. Understanding marketing and market trends and reflecting them in proposals is also expected, though this is often done by product managers. Development tools that anyone can use for simple apps are spreading, so ideas and originality are increasingly valued.

Ways in

Pay · Job openings · AI and this job

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Questions people ask

How do I become a Mobile App Developer?

No particular education or qualification is required to start, and no particular subject of study is needed. Some people join after finishing their studies, but many are hired mid-career in their 20s and 30s from other industries. Some students have strong skills, for example from developing apps on their own outside their university classes. You need skills in the development environments for the smartphone operating systems Android and iOS, the programming languages Swift and Kotlin, and frameworks. Smartphones are now linked to online shopping, cashless payments, home appliances and cars, so security has become important and knowledge of it is also needed. The technology and information in this field change fast, so you need to keep up with the latest news by joining study groups and meetups, watching talks online and following social media. Remote events spread during the COVID-19 pandemic, but in-person meetups are growing again, for showing demos face to face and exchanging business cards. Some people gain related qualifications, including in nearby technologies. With a track record, some move into product management or go freelance. Designing the user interface (UI) needs a sense of design and colour, but this is often done by web designers or UX/UI designers. You also need to understand users' needs and new technical possibilities accurately. Understanding marketing and market trends and reflecting them in proposals is also expected, though this is often done by product managers. Development tools that anyone can use for simple apps are spreading, so ideas and originality are increasingly valued.

How much does a Mobile App Developer earn in Japan?

Average annual income in the private sector, bonus included, is ¥5,784,700 (Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare). The figure is for the wage survey group Software creators, which covers several jobs.

Do you need a degree to become a Mobile App Developer?

Usually. In this job's census occupation group, 67% of workers are university graduates.

Will AI change the work of a Mobile App Developer?

Generative AI could change many tasks in this job, which usually reshapes the work more than it replaces it, by the ILO's global estimate.

Sources

独立行政法人労働政策研究・研修機構（JILPT）作成 職業情報データベース 解説系ダウンロードデータ（IPD_DL_description_7_01.xlsx）ver.7.01 職業情報提供サイト（job tag）より2026年10月4日にダウンロード（https://shigoto.mhlw.go.jp/User/download）を加工して作成

独立行政法人労働政策研究・研修機構（JILPT）作成 職業情報データベース 簡易版数値系ダウンロードデータ（IPD_DL_numeric_7_00.xlsx）ver.7.00 職業情報提供サイト（job tag）より2026年10月4日にダウンロード（https://shigoto.mhlw.go.jp/User/download）を加工して作成

Sources: JILPT Occupational Information Database download data via job tag (解説系 ver.7.01 and 簡易版数値系 ver.7.00, downloaded 4 October 2026), processed by Peernovo; MHLW, Basic Survey on Wage Structure 2025; Statistics Bureau of Japan, 2020 Population Census; MEXT, School Basic Survey 2025; MHLW, Employment Referrals for General Workers (Hello Work statistics). Figures processed by Peernovo. English job names, translations and the matching of jobs to statistical groups, schools and degree fields by Peernovo.

Updated 4 October 2026