In today’s highly disruptive and Darwinian world of Mobile App Development, companies absolutely must have a presence in both the Google Play Store and the Apple App Store.
However, Budget is usually an issue if companies choose Native Apps, which is why Cross-Platform App Development has emerged as the most cost-effective choice of companies aiming for a presence on Android and iOS.
What is a Cross-Platform App Development framework?
Cross-Platform App Development frameworks, such as Flutter, allow developers to create mobile Apps compatible with more than one operating system, in this case, iOS and Android.
It allows them to write the code once and then run it anywhere for other platforms, allowing them to release a product/software faster, safely, and better.
The difference between Native and Cross-Platform App Development
Native vs. Cross-Platform is a never-ending debate that has kept the tech community divided for years.
Some experts prefer Native Apps over Cross-Platform Apps.
On the other hand, companies like Uber invent their Cross-Platform App framework, RIBS, to rewrite their App for drivers.
Both Native and Cross-Platform App Development technologies are in a constant state of evolution.
This changing nature of technologies signals that developers should revisit these topics from time to time to see which of these options is currently more evolved.
Native App Development avoids the complexity of creating a sustainable product that embraces Cross-Platform App Development and focuses on generating a thoughtful design that remains close to the target platform: Android, iOS, etc.
Cross-Platform frameworks seek to generate an App that reaches as many users as possible by covering a wide range of end devices during the programming and creation process.
Challenges in the Cross-Platform App Development process
A couple of years ago, Cross-Platform App Development was constrained to creating simple Mobile Apps and Games.
Over time, emerging technologies have made Cross-Platform Development more adaptable, powerful, and flexible than before.
However, Cross-Platform Development still faces challenges such as:
- Performance issues due to inconsistent communication between Native and non-Native gadget components.
- Multiplatform developers find that maintaining App conditionality has limited tools.
- Performance issues can lead to poor user experience.
But these challenges are minimal compared to their benefits.
Benefits of Cross-Platform App Development
- Maximum public exposure:
Leveraging a Cross-Platform Mobile Development approach allows you to build an App and deploy it across multiple platforms, including the web; this means that by creating a single App, you can target both platforms: iOS and Android, thus maximizing their reach. - Reduced Development cost:
Cross-Platform App Development is based on the “write once, run anywhere” concept.
Reusable codes and agile App Development through tools can reduce development costs.
Therefore, to improve Cross-Platform and cross-tool operations cost-effectively, there is no other alternative to Cross-Platform Apps. - Easier maintenance and Development:
Because there’s only one App developed that works across all platforms, it’s easier to maintain and implement code or changes.
Updates can be synchronized readily across all platforms and devices, saving time and money.
Also, if a bug is found in the common code base, it should be fixed once.
This way, developers can save a lot of time and money. - Faster Development process:
The fast development process is another win-win situation when it comes to developing Cross-Platform Apps.
A single source code for multiple platforms can help to reduce the development efforts by 50 to 80% and helps to get a feature-rich business App in less time.
The team of developers can meet the deadlines in Cross-Platform App Development. - Reusable code:
Another positive aspect of this platform is that the code can be used again and again.
Instead of developers developing new code for each platform, developers can reuse a single code, which saves time and resources because it eliminates repetition in creating codes. - Easy cloud integration:
Multiplatform mobile Apps are fully compatible and can leverage various plug-ins integrated with cloud settings.
In other words, the single source code is coordinated with various plug-ins and extensions to enhance the App’s scalability and functionality. - Faster Time-to-Market and Customization:
As mentioned earlier, “write once, run anywhere” is the concept followed while creating Cross-Platform App Development.
It allows App developers to reduce Time-to-Market (TTM) with quick implementation.
Also, suppose there is a need to transform or customize the App.
It is easy for developers to make small changes in a single code which also helps deliver products faster than competitors, improving customer engagement. - Uniform Design:
Users can recognize user interface (UI) elements and predict their interactions across various platforms.
Therefore, user experience (UX) is an important thing to consider for any App or software.
It isn’t easy to synchronize the various development projects while developing multiple Apps.
Cross-Platform mobile development tools allow developers and designers to create a uniform user experience.
Conclusion
Cross-Platform solutions are effective; however, they have not gained enough popularity since their inception due to fragmentation in mobility platforms.
Now that the world of Mobile App Development is divided mainly into two major platforms, Android and iOS, Cross-Platform Mobile App Development is expected to see a lot more progress soon.
The question is, which of the above Cross-Platform App Development frameworks should you choose?
The answer is simple: it depends!
Consulting an experienced Cross-Platform Mobile App Development company can help you make a well-informed decision.
