The game is all about mobile application development that starts with the users and ends with users. You develop a mobile app to start an online business or to create a digital presence; however, deep down, your purpose is to gain more customers. Modern technical solutions like app development, open up opportunities to attract more customers. But the real challenge arises when there are multiple app development approaches, and you can pick only one.
You might have heard that native app development is better than cross-platform app development in terms of functionality, performance, and creating the superior UI/UX design. You decided to opt for a native approach, but the cost of native app development holds you back. For cheaper app development, you thought a progressive web app would be good enough. Still, you cannot embrace the approach, as a PWA does not allow access to all the features of the mobile device that can be a problem to sustain users’ flow.
In this case, Cross-platform development is the only way to overlook this dilemma without major compromises. Since 98% of the world’s smartphone users are either using Android or iOS operating systems, avoiding any of these platforms can cause a significant loss. On the other hand, cross-platform mobile app development covers both platforms with one codebase and saves you from substantial business loss.
Let’s check out benefits that state the Future of Cross-Platform Mobile App Development, followed by the importance of cross-platform app frameworks that hold up the future of cross-platform development.
How Cross-platform app development benefits your business?
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Single codebase
Cross-platform approaches half the efforts and development time of developers by offering single codebase reusability for multiple platforms. Writing once and using the codebase for developing apps for different platforms, also, eases the bug fixing and app maintenance process, as you will not require to upgrade two separate codebases.
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Less workload
Unlike native app development that requires expert developers for Android and iOS separately, you will need to hire a small developers’ team for cross-platform app development. However, understanding of Android and iOS platforms is essential because Google Play and the App Store have unique deployment requirements.
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Rapid and cost-effective
Cross-platform development is a rapid approach because, in the time of one app development, you will be able to develop and market two applications on the different platforms simultaneously.
Cost-effective as you do not have to pay for apps deployed on different platforms separately. That means, in the time and cost of developing and marketing a native app, you can develop and commercialize two apps with the cross-platform app development approach.
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Native-like app feel
Cross-platform even takes care of the feel that people like in native apps. With the range of Cross-Platform App Frameworks, it is easy to achieve the app design similar to Material Design (Android) and Human Interface Guidelines (iOS) that make the app intuitive and user-friendly.
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Extensive Market reach
Your audience could be using iOS or Android or both operating systems equally as per their preferences. Developing a mobile app available for both types of audiences means more app users, the more customers, and, subsequently, more profit. It is one of the prominent reasons why entrepreneurs are opting for a cross-platform approach.
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Platform consistency
Comparing Android and iOS in the term UX and UI are similar to comparing Apple and Orange. Therefore, different Cross-platform app development frameworks enable developers to create cross-platform apps that offer a decent extent of consistency in native user interface and platform-specific navigation.
Top most frameworks that hold the future of Cross-platform app development
React Native
- Open-source cross-platform app development framework released by Facebook in 2015;
- Written in JavaScript;
- Render similar performance to a native app;
- Code reusability up to 90%;
- It uses native UI controllers
- Flexible framework as allows for using Java, Objective-C, or Swift to write native modules;
- Fast refresh or reload capability that accelerates the development process;
- Vast community to support developers;
- Current users Facebook, Uber, Pinterest, Skype, etc;
Flutter
- One of the most efficient cross-platform frameworks backed by Google released in 2018;
- It uses a client-optimized programming language Dart;
- Able to develop complex apps using Dart substantial repository of Flutter-compatible software packages;
- Dart’s native compilers and Flutter’s set of widgets eliminate the need for JavaScript bridge;
- UI-as-a-code approach of Flutter increase code readability;
- Flutter widgets for Material Design and Cupertino emphasize visual detail;
- Near to native-like experience is possible using pixel-perfect UI and customizable widgets;
- Lucrative version updates with extensive documentation;
- Alibaba, Google Ads, Tencent, and many have already started reaping the benefits from Flutter;
Xamarin
- Highly recommended cross-platform to choose in 2020 Xamarin, released in 2011 backed by Microsoft;
- Write code once to develop apps for Android, iOS, and Windows devices;
- It needs command over .Net and C# programming language;
- Xamarin.Native and Xamarin.Forms two approaches to nearly native app performance and UI;
- With Xamarin cross-platform framework you can optimize full hardware support;
- Share codebase with up to 96% reusability;
- Add-ins to Microsoft Visual Studio to build Android, iOS, and Windows apps rapidly;
- It has absolute access to native APIs and toolkits;
- Easy to test and create high performing bug-free apps;
- Strong community support with more than 60000 contributors from over 3700 companies;
- Some of the high performing Xamarin apps include Storyo, Skulls of Shogun, MixRadio, etc.,
Ionic
- Created in 2013 Ionic allows developers to build cross-platform apps using a single codebase;
- Similar to AngularJs in design and structure, the framework is licensed under MIT;
- It uses front-end technologies like HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, on the other hand, it is Angular for application development;
- Famous for offering platform-specific UI elements via a library of native components for both iOS and Android.
- Ionic supports Apache Cordova plugins for accessing native functionality;
- Cordova is also a tool that provides APIs as plugins to get access to functions, such as smartphones’ cameras, gyroscopes, or sensors.
- Built-in testing & debugging tools;
- IBM, ING, SAP, NASA
Summing Up
The world has divided into two operating systems Android and iOS, and if we see from a business perspective, both OSs are highly potential for any business. In contrast, it is not affordable for every business to hire a mobile app development company and develop a native app for two platforms.
For small and budget-constrained businesses, the cross-platform app development approach is a blessing. Cross-platform development tools and frameworks allow such enterprises to widen their audience reach and reap the benefits of the mobile app technology. Many have already adopted, and others are shifting towards Cross-platform development from the native development approach. It is a crystal sign that the Cross-platform mobile app development is an end-game.
