Are you planning to develop a mobile app for your business? Wondering which platform to target to reap higher benefits from mobile presence – Android or iOS?
Considering the skyrocketing competition in the business mobile domain, Cross-platform app development has become the new reality of the mobile industry. It has become a better option over Native application development approach with benefits, such as:-
Better Market Presence
The foremost reason why business people are heading towards Cross-platform app development technology is that it enables you to make your presence in both the Android and iOS market. This reduces the risk of app failure in case you pick the wrong platform or your audience switch from Android to iOS, or vice-versa. Besides, it helps you to target your audience at both the platforms without making any special arrangement, which fosters better business opportunities.
Uniform Design
When talking about developing an application for both Android and iOS using the Native approach, it often happens that you end up designing two completely different applications because of the differences in their design layouts, configurations, etc. For example, if you are building an app on Android that uses ‘Back’ button for performing an action, it would create an issue in the case of iOS app development since iOS phones do not have a ‘Back’ button.
However, there’s no such challenge when option Cross-platform application development approach, considering a single code is written for both the platforms (using the same code for functionalities, while writing platform-specific code individually). This helps to make a familiar image on both the platforms and thus deliver uniform app experience.
Easier Integration with Cloud
Cross-platform mobile applications can easily and swiftly integrate into the Cloud environment for hosting services. This makes it easier for mobile app developers to design Cloud-based mobility solutions and thus, serve the businesses with the cost-effective advantage of using Cloud hosting in their solution.
Shorter App Development Timeline
In the case of Native approach, two apps are designed to make your business presence on Android and iOS platform. However, only a single app is designed in the case of Cross-platform app development. This lessens the time required to develop an app for both mobile platforms.
Quick Deployment
Unlike the native app development approach, Cross-platform technologies enable you to build a single application for both the platforms. This makes it easier to deploy and test your mobile application and then ensure a top-notch app is delivered to the market.
Earlier Market Reach
Another reason why businesses prefer going with the Cross-platform app development approach is that it cut down the development timeline. This makes it possible for them to launch their app at an earlier pace, which helps them to beat the competition and eventually, drive better outcomes.
Lower App Cost
Since it enables you to design one app instead of creating two native apps, it also lower down the app development cost, which attracts more startups and established companies for their app needs.
Simplified App Update Process
Mobile apps developed using Cross-platform app development need not wait for App Store approval to make an app update available to the target audience or prompt the users to update their apps. These technologies and tools offer mobile app developers the opportunities to push an update on their users’ apps directly from their server, which means a faster and easier process to deliver higher user experience.
Now as you know all the reasons that make Cross-platform application development a good investment for your business, it is quite evident that you must be interested to know what all technologies and tools are prevailing in the market.
So, taking this thought forward, here are some of the option you can go for in 2019:-
Xamarin
Xamarin enables you to create mobile apps for different platforms like Android and iOS using C# codebase. The tool offers a comprehensive development environment by making it easier for you to employ the same language and APIs everywhere, along with direct integration to Git.
The app development process using this tool is a quick and easier task, enable reusability of over 75% of the code, provide the opportunity to perform quality assurance on multiple devices, and deliver performance as expected from native programming languages like Swift, Objective-C, and Java. This, as a whole, not only serve businesses with exquisite app services but also deliver cost-effectiveness.
React Native
Backed by Facebook, React Native is basically a UI development framework inherited from React.Js. It offers the facility of writing the same code for both the platforms as well as design engaging app screens, which cut down the cost to make an app for cross-platforms and emerge out as a plus point for React Native in React Native vs Native apps battle.
The app development framework is used by various popular brands including Facebook, Instagram and Bloomberg, which signifies that relying upon this tool won’t be a wrong decision in the long run – especially when Facebook has recently announced a re-architecture of React Native framework.
Ionic
The ionic framework is another best tool that you can turn towards to meet your cross-platform development needs. It uses Angular with its own UI library that makes it easier for the web developers to migrate from web development platforms to mobile app development platforms. Besides, it supports PWAs (Progressive Web Applications) that paves the way to maintain a presence on web platforms too.
NativeScript
NativeScript is another cross-platform app development tool that is highly used for building business apps. Supported by Facebook’s rival company, it relies upon Angular as its development framework and compiles JavaScript and TypeScript applications to deliver a native experience like that offered by React Native.
It enables mobile app developers to write a single code base and directly integrate Gradle and CocoaPods in their development environments to easily incorporate native development codes into their NativeScript codes and thus, deliver a better engaging experience to the target audience.
When talking about its usage, NativeScript is highly preferred by Enterprises. This implies if you are looking forward to investing in Enterprise app development, going with Native will be a good decision.
Flutter
Though new in the mobile market, Flutter is also a good app development framework to go with. Introduced by Google, this open-source framework uses Dart programming language and implements Material Design guidelines to build an app that gives native look and feel, and higher performance when compared to other cross-platform application development tool.
As per the top app developers, the framework has recently hit the market but has already created a threat to React Native and other trending cross-platform technologies to become the first choice. Also, the framework is supposed to be a part of Google’s strategy of replacing Android with Fucshia which means creating an app with this technology will render better future even if the Android platform loses market in the coming years.
Concluding Note
The pace at which the business world is turning towards mobile technology, it is for sure that the competition in the mobile market will touch the sky. In a scenario like this, making your business application available on both the mobile platforms will become the need of the hour. So, look forward to investing in Cross-platform app development and make a brighter future.
