The growth of the mobile application market was impressive during the last ten years as many companies felt the need to be available on Android and iOS as well. Nevertheless, creating quality applications for each platform separately may require a lot of resources. Then there was cross-platform app development, which is quite different from the others in that it enables programmers to develop applications that will be able to run on multiple platforms by writing only one single code.
In this article, we will discuss the reasons why cross-platform solutions are the answer in the coming future.
Cross-platform app development is the building of mobile apps based on a single codebase to be used on several operating systems such as iOS, Android and even website applications. The various platforms can be used simultaneously using one code because programming languages like Flutter, React Native, Xamarin, and many others have been developed.
Among the many reasons that companies are switching to cross-platform app development, cost reduction is pre-eminent. In the olden times, creating applications for iOS and Android meant maintaining two separate versions of code and this required hiring extra resources in the form of more developers. In that regard, cross-platform development eliminates this need, especially for businesses saving up on quotas by developing an app working on two or more platforms.
This cost-effectiveness has seen ease in the uptake of cross-platform app development in case of its application within a startup or businesses that have minimal budgetary resources. It helps to cut down unnecessary costs especially in the long run because management of the app becomes less cumbersome with only one team working on the existing codebase.
In a contemporary mobile world, it is always a race of who gets there fastest. The mobile solutions provided by companies in a quick timeline commend the best returns in the market. There are numerous advantages of cross-platform app development and fast turnaround time is one of them as the developers are required to write and debug just one code base instead of two or three.
This fastens the whole process and hence businesses can release their applications across various platforms at the same time. It does not matter whether the small business app is being developed or a massive complex application is getting rolled out, cross-platform app development makes sure the product is in the user’s hands quicker compared to conventional native app development.
Whilst smartphone users reach more than 3 billion an assumption believing that one could focus on one platform of either iOS or Android will do wonders to your app is very misguided. The phenomenon of Cross-platform app development or Application development in such a manner that both markets can be penetrated. With this approach, customers are assured that they will not lose potential subscribers due to the availability of one mobile application across many different devices.
Such a wide penetration in the market is crucial in the case of developing nations where Android may have a lion’s share yet iOS has some users. With cross-platform development, businesses can accommodate all ethnicities and hence reach out to many customers from different places.
Experience design (UX) consistency is a problem during the separate design and implementation of applications for several platforms at once. Cross-platform app development solves this problem by making it such that even if the user changes the platform, the experience of usage remains intact.
This is beneficial to the customers’ satisfaction since users expect the same performance plus designs from the applications whether it is on the Android smartphone or an iOS tablet. Flutter and react native ensure that such interfaces are built with the capabilities to work with different devices while ensuring uniformity of content and quality across all devices used.
App development that targets varied platforms comes with some ease in the maintenance management of apps, which is one of the advantages. One codebase implies that when new features are to be added to an app bugs are fixed or security is improved, the process is a lot easier. The developers do not have to wait for the updates in one platform and not the other, but rather users from all platforms can enjoy the new changes all at once.
This simple way of maintaining the applications, reducing the amount of work and time needed to keep the app up to date helps in developing strategies for whatever business is aiming at offering different services to its end users.
Some tools and frameworks have come forward to assist the app development cross platforms. All those who use the tools have different advantages:
A lean, mean, cross-carrier, multi-monitoring framework owned by Google, making the App that adopts it trendy and beautiful utilizing only One-Code Development.
Owned by Facebook, this framework formulates durable apps not only on one platform but several.
This 90% cross-platform apps code sharing tool developed by Microsoft has made developer’s work easier. These tools allow companies to take advantage of cross-platform app development by providing them with the resources necessary to build applications that work as effectively as native applications.
With continuous shifts in the technology frontier, there is a need for businesses to make sure that their mobile solutions are future-ready. Cross-platform app development is by nature adaptable hence businesses can easily add additional features or switch to newer variants such as wearable or smart TV apps without having to start building their apps from the ground.
Moreover, new updates to the cross-platform development frameworks include support for new OS versions and devices. It is understood, therefore, as a non-disruptive best course of action for companies intending to enhance their mobile solutions.
Cross-platform app development has proven irresistible to enterprises of any size and even those with limited budgets. It strikes the best middle ground in terms of costs, speed, and performance. It is a unifying framework that allows businesses to minimize redundancy in development costs and time by creating one product and delivering it to all desired platforms with the same level of user experience.
Moreover, supporting customer expectations requires a mobile presence on more than one platform, that is, it is no longer a choice but a must. Coupled with cloud technology, this type of development can provide all the values expected without overextending the development teams and budgets.
Cross-platform mobile application development is not an overhyped thing- it is the way to go for mobile solutions. This is changing the way businesses perceive mobile application development as it enables them to access more customers, save by using fewer resources, and hasten the time to market. It is obvious that with the development of the tools available today such as Flutter and React Native, any disadvantages of cross-platform app development will be diminished. In the era of mobile-first, companies willing to be at the forefront will be hard-pressed to ignore the potential of cross-platform app development as a core business strategy.
Through cross-platform app development, organizations can be able to remain competitive as they can adapt to changes in these technologies regardless of what the market dynamics bring in the future.
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