The mobile application makes business more modern, allows you to reach a large audience, facilitate communication with people, and increase profits. Entrepreneurs are considering the development of a mobile application, and even if the idea for the application already exists, doubts, confusion, and misunderstanding remain, because there are many options for solutions. In this article, we have collected for you answers to important questions - what are the types of mobile applications, approaches to development and their advantages, what criteria should be relied on when choosing an OS.
Development of IOS applications
A feature of the creation of iOS applications is the homogeneity of the design of Apple smartphone and tablet models. This makes it easier to build and test applications. Businesses often choose iOS because of the high purchasing power of iPhone and iPad owners. The main advantages of developing applications for iOS:
- advanced user protection and closed code: it is difficult for hackers to find and exploit vulnerabilities;
- quick solution of problems of compatibility of programs with the OS;
- high quality standard, which improves the image of the business - before publication, the App Store carefully moderates the program;
- application users are very active, as updates there are fast and immediately available for all devices;
- quick returns on investment in development and profit.
Disadvantages include the length of moderation and expensive placement in the store. You need to wait for about 2 weeks for the results of the check, and pay $99 every year for a developer account. In addition, in the App Store, after downloading the program, you can get a refusal or get under the purging of already published applications. Therefore, it is better to immediately contact an agency that knows Apple’s requirements and adheres to them.
A few years ago, we were approached by a client who wanted to create a service for online food tracking and control. His application Nutritionist was supposed to count calories for losing weight or gaining muscle, based on many parameters: age, height, weight, physical activity, amount of food intake per day and others. The specialists of the Golden Team implemented the idea in accordance with all the requirements of the App Store - the program has successfully passed moderation and has been benefiting the business for years.
US iOS mobile application development service is suitable for businesses in the fields of e-commerce, finance, medicine, tourism, real estate, etc., when:
- complex functionality is required;
- you need enhanced data protection due to a high level of confidentiality;
- you want to receive income directly from the application - for additional functionality or from product sales;
- will make complex calculations, interact with the equipment and telecommunication capabilities of the smartphone, process a large amount of data in real time;
- most of the target audience uses Apple devices.
Development of applications for Android
The peculiarity of the development of native applications for Android is the coverage of more than 3 billion active users, which is more than a third of the Earth’s population. And on the device market there are 24,000 models of gadgets with Android OS from 1200+ manufacturers. They have different technical characteristics that are important to take into account for adapting the application during development and testing.
Due to the low level of requirements from Google Play, the competition is high. Therefore, you should stand out with a thoughtful and modern application, and for this, hire an experienced company that provides mobile application development services.
Advantages of creating a mobile Android application:
- due to open source code and a simplified development process, the OS develops quickly, becomes more reliable and optimized;
- a large number of downloads - almost three times more than in the App Store;
- a sufficient level of protection against hackers and viruses for the implementation of projects of various directions and scales;
- integration with other services;
- Google Play does not make special requirements for the product and moderates it in a few hours, the fee for the developer account is a one-time $25.
However, for this OS, it is necessary to thoroughly test the program on a large number of devices and current versions. It is difficult, long, expensive. In addition, devices, in addition to Android itself, have a subsystem from the smartphone manufacturer, or firmware that may conflict with applications. This slows down development and testing.
Implementation of the Android application is possible for startups, small and medium-sized businesses, large companies of various fields. To develop an application in this system, as well as for iOS, we recommend businesses that have features and specific conditions, for example, as was the case with two more of our projects:
- The first is Delta Mobile: the client asked for a program that would constantly and accurately track the location of a mobile phone and its speed. Our experts advised to choose Android, because the application required interaction with GPS and other smartphone equipment, data processing in real time. This can be implemented only through the code of native applications.
- The second project is SafeDriver, a program that manages incoming messages and calls while driving for safety. All sensors and telecommunications capabilities of the smartphone are involved in the work (reception of SMS, blocking of incoming calls). All of this works differently on the two OCs and requires a deep dive into the system during development. The cross-platform approach does not provide this possibility. Only native development allows you to set up such clear functions, so we used this format.
Development of cross-platform applications
A feature of the development of cross-platform applications is that they are written using a single software code for two OSes. Specialists most often use frameworks: React Native, Flutter, Cordova. This approach has the following advantages:
- increased revenue by reaching more than 4 billion people;
- quick return on investment in development, because the application goes to the market twice as fast;
- you save time thanks to one team and a unified project;
- simplified updates and interface through unified code and design;
- due to less code than with native solutions, the cost of mobile application development services for enterprises is reduced by half.
There are also disadvantages: it is not suitable for implementing complex functions; reduced application speed due to less efficient use of device resources.
Golden Team specialists now often write cross-platform applications to save money and time for clients. Two of the latest similar projects:
- The RELOC business application is an inventory and accounting system for a company that transports furniture to order when moving large offices. The customer had a goal - to make a universal application so that all workers could use it freely, so they chose this solution.
- Fleet location and status tracking software for a rail and freight accounting company. Since it is also a logistics business, versatility and simplicity were important. The client was satisfied.
The implementation of a cross-platform application is suitable in the following cases:
- you are interested in the widest possible audience;
- want to save on development;
- you want to make a quick profit;
- the design will not require complex functionality and calculations, a large amount of device resources, interaction with smartphone equipment;
- to assess the demand for the application in Google Play and the App Store.
The choice of platform depends on many factors: business objectives, available resources and time, desired functionality, etc. Do you have an app idea but don't know which approach to take? Still have doubts or questions about native and cross-platform apps? The Golden Team company provides custom mobile application development services. We will discuss all the details of your idea, analyze it and offer a solution. Sign up for a free consultation and get recommendations on choosing the most profitable application format that will grow your business.