Mobile application development is the process of making software for smartphones, tablets, and digital assistants, most commonly for the Android and iOS operating systems. The software can be preinstalled on the device, downloaded from a mobile app store, or accessed through a mobile web browser.
Today, mobile devices and the mobile applications that unlock their value are the most popular way for people and businesses to connect to the internet. To stay relevant, responsive, and successful, organizations need to develop the mobile applications that their customers, partners, and employees demand. Yet mobile application development might seem daunting. Once you’ve selected the OS platform or platforms, you need to overcome the limitations of mobile devices and usher your app past the potential hurdles of distribution. Fortunately, by following a few basic guidelines and best practices, you can streamline your application development journey. To learn more about the specifics of mobile application development on either platform, read our articles on iOS app development and Android app development.
Table of content:-
Choose a platform
Develop for both Android and iOS: native apps or hybrid app
Think light
Extend your app with advanced cloud services
Join a developer program
Choose a platform:-Many independent application development teams choose to build their apps for Android first. Why? The vast majority, around 70 percent, of smartphones run Android, and the Google Play Store has fewer restrictions than the Apple App Store. On the other hand, mobile applications developed for iOS have far fewer devices that need support, making optimization simpler. And user retention is typically higher for iOS applications. Depending on the intended use case and target audience for the mobile application you are developing, you might have other considerations. For example, if you’re designing an app for your organization’s employees, you’ll need to support the platforms they use, which might mean developing cross-platform apps that work for both Android and iOS.Or if you’re building a mobile application for your customers and you know most of them use iPhones, then developing iOS applications should be a top priority. Other considerations when developing your mobile applications include monetization strategies and anticipated user behavior, which can be influenced by geographical and cultural factors. Enhance efficiency and tighten security by integrating the development platform and device management tool.
Develop for both Android and iOS: native apps or hybrid apps:-Let’s say you need to do mobile application development for both the Android operating system and iOS. What is the best software development approach? You might develop two native applications. Taking advantage of native APIs and OS-specific programming languages can help you build a powerful app. Most enterprise apps, especially ones that require substantial application programming interface (API) traffic, benefit from native development. If you decide to develop native applications one at a time, you’ll likely want to begin with Android, for some of the same reasons that independent app developers often focus on Android. You’ll probably have better luck developing the full application as an MVP on Android and then converting and optimizing it to iOS after release. You will still need to debug and rewrite the code for the native language and redesign the front-end user interface, because the two operating systems function differently, making cross-platform operation impossible. So why not start completely from scratch? While you can’t translate the code into a new programming language, much of the backend can be replicated cross-platform. Frameworks, libraries, and third-party extensions often function identically in both environments, allowing you to avoid costly reworking. You can also use a prebuilt mobile cloud service, such as IBM Mobile Foundation, to manage the web backend. Another option is to go hybrid, taking a write-once-run-anywhere approach. Hybrid apps use a single codebase that can function on either platform. They’re typically coded in a programming language that’s universally recognized, such as Java, JavaScript, HTML, or CSS. Because you’re denied access to the operating system’s native APIs, hybrid mobile application development works best for simple web applications, three- or four-page mobile applications with limited functions.
Think light:- Building for a mobile platform Whether you choose native or hybrid mobile application development, one of the first hurdles you’ll need to overcome is the relatively limited resources on mobile devices.
Your target mobile device has much less processing power and memory than desktop computers or enterprise servers.
These constraints might seem like a significant challenge, especially if you’re more familiar with the comparatively boundless resources for conventional software development for web apps.
Limited mobile platform resources mean you need to adjust your goals for your app design.
Throughout the mobile application development process, developers must work to help ensure that their mobile app is less resource-intensive than a typical desktop application.
Delivering a great user experience is vital.
That starts with understanding that your user interface for a mobile app should be simpler than a desktop application interface.
By creating a straightforward UX design that is focused on critical functions, you can provide a better user experience while consuming fewer resources.
Your mobile app interface should be designed for touch.
Mobile users must be able to navigate your app easily and provide input without excessive typing.
Fortunately, these requirements for efficient, simple touch-based apps map well to user expectations.
Mobile users generally want to accomplish tasks easily, with just a few taps.
They want apps that are, above all, fast, convenient, and simple to use on their mobile devices.
Offload processing to the cloudWhat if your mobile application requires more processing than a typical mobile platform can support? Consider offloading that processing to the cloud.
Through the judicious use of APIs, you can connect your app to cloud-based services and databases to provide advanced functions without slowing your application or straining the device it is running on.
You can even offload data storage and caching to a cloud-based server, leaving little data on the device.
Extend your app with advanced cloud services:-
The cloud can offer other advantages beyond performance boosts.
Connect your mobile application to powerful cloud services to add features and improve usability.
Employ APIs to integrate new features, such as advanced cloud-based services that can help you enhance your mobile apps.
These include push notifications, IBM Watson®, powered AI analytics, Internet of Things (IoT) smart device integration, and more.
Join a developer program:-
Neither Android nor iOS is an open environment.
Before your application can be officially distributed, you’ll need to join the appropriate developer program.
The Android mobile application development program lets you use your existing Google account to create a developer account, pay the USD 25 fee, and submit your application.
Google Play, the official Android store, does have quality standards that must be met before publication, but they’re more guidelines than actual rules.
As part of your app development process, you can also distribute your applications outside the Google Play store and allow users to directly download and install them.
By contrast, the Apple mobile application development program sets a high barrier to entry.
You need to pay a program fee of USD 99 per year and adhere to high standards.
When you’re a member of the program, you get early access to beta versions of the operating systems and proprietary frameworks or APIs.
Meeting the high standards for the App Store also signifies to the world that you’ve developed a high-quality app.
Related Solutions
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1. iOS app development Identify key developer requirements, choose the right programming language, and draw from cloud-based resources to improve results.
2. Explore iOS app development. ResourcesWhat is iOS app development?
This holds even today, as the number of apps hitting the app store increases each day. Additionally, Google and Apple consistently remove apps from their app stores that do not meet their requirements, making it difficult for poorly planned and executed apps to stay online in the app store. Today’s mobile app users are hard to please due to the plethora of options they have at their disposal. Today, creating an app requires more than just technical expertise. Your development team must go beyond their capacity to ensure an outstanding user experience along with world-class levels of security, reliability, agility, and responsiveness to ensure high user adoption rates. Accomplishing such levels of quality is not possible without an efficient app development process.
Dysfunctional UI/UX design that compels users to abandon your appExcessive time and money wasted in fixing random hangs and crashes caused by low code and app quality Reduced user confidence due to security vulnerabilities, including malware and backdoorsSlower app updates as you fall behind on the product roadmapApps can also get banned or removed from the app store if they do not follow the guidelines of their target platform. At Volumetree, we understand the importance of creating a well-defined and effective mobile app development process.
With 4+ years of industry experience, we know what it takes to survive in this competitive market. Our mobile app development steps build upon our years of experience creating enterprise-grade apps for our clients. A well-thought-out process of mobile app development (like ours) can increase the chances of project success manifold. Here’s what we do to create amazing apps for our clients. A mobility strategy is essential for every business that wants to be ready for a mobile-first, digital future. If you want help with your mobile app development strategy, our tech leads offer a free 30-minute consultation to address the fine points of your requirements. His consultation will cover any app-specific impact of your overall mobility strategy.
