What is a mobile app development? Native, cross-platform or hybrid approach? Which approach to use for a mobile app development.
In today’s world the use of gadgets is increasing day by day. The use of mobiles is the one on the top of those gadgets and with the use of mobile phones the number of creating mobile applications is also increasing. There are huge numbers of mobile apps growing for different purposes, for playing games, for shopping, for cooking, for watching movies and so on.
What is an application development?
An application development is a set of different processes and procedures, used for software writings. It has roots for software development for example: mobile development applications, computer applications, Web applications and so on, they are used according to the unique features of gadgets.
Mobile application development:
Mobile app development is a process of developing software applications that run on the devices. It involves the developing of different installable applications on mobile using network connection.
There are two presiding enactments app development that are “android” and “iOS”. The “iOS” is used by the apple company for the development of their software development and for operating their apple devices. The second, is “android” that is prominently used by google. It not only works with google but also other OEMs and helps them for creating smart devices and their applications.
What are the approaches for mobile app development?
There are three different approaches for mobile application development.
- Native approach
- Cross-platform approach
- Hybrid approach
All these approaches have their pros and cons. When developing an app, the developers must choose approach according to their needs, time target, experience, features they need, resources, and budget to maintain their app.
A native approach is used for mobile application developments and are written as coded programming languages such as ‘java’ for android and ‘C’ for iOS. The application uses the OS characteristics, providing excellent user experience and great function of applications.
In an operating system, the native mobile app is developed by following some technical and experienced guidelines. It has some advantages as well as some disadvantages.
- Native applications are modelled for OS, so they have very high speed of processing and the performance is also excellent.
- They give their users the best benefits like navigations and offer features for mobile devices like camera, maps, calendar, notifications and so on.
- Due to their high speed and great performance they offer good graphic features to companies like gaming.
- The presentation of native applications is very attractive and eye-catchy, the users can understand the buttons are icons easily.
- It is easy for a native application to get approval because it follows all guidelines.
- The applications using a native approach can be use without network connection.
- They tested and reviewed the applications from downloading, so the native approach is also saved for security issues.
- Native app is expensive because they have different codes for different platforms.
- It takes more time because the developer must write different versions for each platform.
- The native approach must add new versions each time to have their application updated.
- It needs much time and attention to maintain these applications because different teams are required to support different versions.
- Every time you need to get permissions to publish an app. If you did not get permission it will not get published and won’t work.
- During android application development it is difficult to manage because it has many devices. So, developers have to code different versions for each device.
Cross-platform approach is the process of developing mobile applications that can be reused and published on multiple platforms. They can use a single code for multiple applications, instead of creating a new version or code for each application.
Developers can use different frameworks and types of programming languages for mobile applications in cross-platform approach, but they have to be compiled into native applications for running directly in operating system.
- Cross-platform is not very expensive to develop because you hire a single developer for different platforms that can reduce your cost.
- Developer can use a single code for multiple platforms that can reduce time and effort for development.
- Development is fast.
- Thorough Cross-platform approach you can target a huge market through iOS and android.
- Ross-platform approach is easy to build and easy to maintain.
- This approach can not directly interact with the hardware of the system it has to be compile with native approach for running directly.
- Cross-platform approach have different screen layouts, functions and platforms that’s why they cannot give native like experiences. This gives a limited user experience.
- For different and complicated features, the developers could not run a same application of different devices that can need much more effort and time to go through whole application again specially in confusing features.
- The same approach cannot be used for all features of android thus, a framework has to be updated to support all features.
Hybrid applications are easy to reach for large audiences and also easy to develop in less time. This approach is also like the native approach because it can have access to features like a camera, mic and so on.
- A single code can be used for different platforms. To update the applications few lines could be added into the old version.
- The language use for applications is simple. The developers didn’t have to learn new languages for programming.
- It can reach large audiences in less time.
- It offers a large range of features life camera, Navigations, notifications, contact and so on so, it can give more experience to audience.
- Hybrid applications are slower in running as compare to native approaches.
- You have to depend on another platform for the running of apps.
- I will cost more money for the addition of customizations, which can be saved using native approach.
- It can have issues in bug fixing.
- Hybrid app sometimes, can face problems while launching because it doesn’t follow the store guidelines.
- Hybrid applications need a full internet connection because they cannot work offline.
The development of mobile applications is based on the requirement of the clients and checking all the pros and cons, function, and experience of the approaches.
Native approach gives you the best quality of work, security, performance and more features in less time but it is expensive to develop. Whereas, the cross-platform can be developed in less time and money, but it needs a platform to connect with the hardware. But if you want to deliver your work in less time to a huge business you should go for hybrid approach. It gives different features at a same time, less costly and almost native like approach. No one can distinguish between the native and hybrid approach unless of small differences. The developers can use hybrid approach to interact with the audience and later can switch to the native approach with time.
The best recommendation is to choose an approach that can fill the requirements of the clients and can provide valuable apps to the audience.