What Is a Mobile App?
An app built specifically for use on a cellular phone or tablet is referred to as a mobile application. Currently, Whatsapp, Facebook, and Subway Surfers are widely used mobile applications.
The original purpose of apps was to facilitate productivity. Using a calendar, email, and a contact list app used to be commonplace. Now, these come built-in in any typical smartphone.
Today, people are looking for services like mobile game applications, GPS navigation, food delivery, and similar services that provide convenience and entertainment for smartphone users.
The expression ‘app’ became prevalent as mobile apps became increasingly popular. In 2010, the American Dialect Society selected it as the Word of the Year.
3 Types of Mobile Apps
The software aspects of mobile apps distinguish between three different methods of building apps: native, cross-platform, and hybrid.
Native Apps
Creating mobile applications that can only be used on a single platform is known as native app development. Creating applications with precise details makes it possible for software engineers to design improved and highly operational apps.
Since developers are aware of the precise platform on which their app will be released, they have extensive access to tailored features and performance.
Developers who are crafting mobile applications for iOS need to use XCode, which is an integrated development environment (IDE) designed for Apple operating systems. This is where they can program and evaluate their apps, whether they are written in Swift or Objective-C.
Developers who use either Java or Kotlin to build mobile apps for Android should use Android Studio which is the designated IDE for Android.
Cross-Platform Apps
Applications designed to function on multiple mobile operating systems are called cross-platform apps.
These three popular software programs – React Native, Xamarin, and Flutter – are commonly used for creating applications for multiple platforms.
Using the cross-platform route to release an app on a wide network can be convenient, but the performance won’t measure up compared to that of native apps. Customization is also more difficult.
Hybrid Apps
Hybrid applications take advantage of established web technologies (e.g. JavaScript, HTML and CSS) and package them into an optimized solution that caters to mobile users. This requires less expenditure and takes less time to implement for developers and companies.
There is a lack of clarity in the sector surrounding the distinction between hybrid apps and cross-platform apps.
It is noteworthy that hybrid apps draw on the same web development strategies but are formulated for a mobile setting.
As a side note, PWAs have some characteristics in common with hybrid apps. Web applications are constructed using web technologies, and they operate inside a web browser, so no installation is needed.
Progressive Web Applications bring the speed of a mobile app to the table, although they have minimal interactivity in comparison to the average website.
Ionic is a preferred choice among developers when creating cross-platform applications and Progressive Web Apps (PWAs).
Why Develop a Mobile App?
Mobile apps are, by definition, mobile. The inherent comfort and adaptability of your product or service can attract a much greater number of customers than in other circumstances.
A mobile application can provide you with the ability to be more flexible in your chosen field. Creating a mobile application could give you the chance to show off your enterprise.
In public relations, there is the potential to acquire a heightened visibility and be included on lists suggesting good apps. You’ll have the opportunity to fight for business on a level playing field with your rivals.
It is very probable that the competition has an app available for its customers. If not, you can be in a better position than the competition.
It goes without saying that there is potential for generating income from mobile applications. You can choose to list your app on the app store for a fee. You could investigate other ways of obtaining funds from mobile apps, which are covered in more detail later.
5 Advantages of Developing a Mobile App
Many companies feel that they are doing well because they have a website, believing that this will have the same effect as other marketing strategies. But mobile apps are a whole different ball game.
1. Accessibility
Apps are faster than websites. They are faster to get to, and the results are unmatched. As well, a mobile app provides both online and offline access, since some features can be kept in reserve or downloaded and used when not connected to the internet.
2. New Consumer Base
Mobile apps tend to garner a younger fan base. In 2017, people between the ages of 18 and 24 spent two thirds of their available time using applications on their smartphones. Even though the actions of those in Generation Z may be disliked by Baby Boomers, you can take advantage of the way they spend money.
3. Engagement
In a mobile application, you can observe two types of involvement. First off, you’ll notice more people using your product because of the influx of new users. You will notice more involvement in customer-to-company (C2B) communications as well.
Customers are likely to provide opinions on your product or the application itself in the app store or through a ‘Get in Touch’ area of your application.
4. Personalization
App creators can offer smartphone owners unique and tailored experiences. Rather than observe what is already visible on a website, one can employ features such as Dashboard or Recent History tabs to customize the experience according to the user.
5. SEO Ranking
SEO has a role to play in the app store too. It is possible to improve the position of both the content within the app and the app itself in the rankings. It is to be expected that your company will thrive more if it is brought up in the rankings.
5 Steps To Begin Developing
Regrettably, numerous people with a business mindset are too keen on creating a mobile application and overlook the fundamentals. Before commencing the development of your mobile app, take a few steps into consideration.
What to Consider When Developing for Mobile Devices
When designing sites or web applications for mobile devices, one has to keep in mind the differences between them and desktop computers.
Mobile APIs
Software enabling different programs to share information by way of communication is called an Application Programming Interface (API). Web developers utilize it to enhance the functionality of an application or website.
APIs allow you to incorporate features specific to mobile devices such as location and orientation into your website. These features aren’t supported on a desktop computer.
However, some desktop APIs may be incompatible with mobile. It is possible this occurrence was intentional, or it could be that the web browsing application on a phone does not have the compatible programming that is necessary for implementing the API, for instance Adobe Flash.
When putting APIs on your website, make sure to verify that they will function with both desktop and mobile devices. Otherwise, your website could experience problems and be unapproachable.
Touch Screens
The majority of people who utilize mobile devices employ touchscreens to navigate through your website or application. Users are prevented from using certain desktop features due to the hardware restrictions.
To ensure your website or application is user-friendly for touch screen devices, consider the following factors:
- Element size and placement . Most people operate touch screens with their fingers, which are less accurate than computer cursors. Place your mobile website’s elements sparsely and make them big enough so users can easily tap them.
- Screen size . Remove unnecessary elements to ensure your website fits mobile devices’ smaller screens. In addition, ensure the layout adapts to portrait orientation.
- Gestures . Enabling touch screen gestures improves usability and the overall user experience. To leverage touch screen capabilities, include the touch-action CSS property in your site’s code. It enables gestures like pinch to zoom.
Cross-Browser Development
Your website may not be compatible with all mobile browsers. This is because the browser’s lack of agreement with certain technologies or the imperfect use of HTML and CSS rules.
Make sure your website functions correctly on the main web browsers by avoiding features designed specifically for those web browsers, like vendor-prefixed CSS properties. Include a user agent HTTP header so that your website is tailored to fit the web browser and device of the visitor.
The type of mobile app determines the compatibility requirements that must be met. Some mobile applications are intended to run on a specific platform only:
- Web apps . They run on the browser and don’t depend on the device’s operating system. They use programming languages similar to a website, like HTML, CSS, and Java.
- Native apps . They are installed locally and compatible with the specific device’s operating system. They are written in platform-specific languages like Android’s Kotlin or iOS’s Objective C.
- Hybrid apps . These are native mobile apps that support different operating systems. Like web applications, they use HTML, CSS, and Java.
Opt for a cross-platform framework, like Flutter, when designing a mobile app. It guarantees that your website application runs seamlessly and functions at its best on various systems.
How to Optimize a Mobile Web Application
Some mobile devices are less powerful than desktop computers. Your website or program could run slowly on mobile phones if it has not been adapted for mobile use.
Image Optimization
Unoptimized images can significantly slow down your website. They occupy area in the website’s memory capacity and require a large amount of bandwidth and processing capability to be loaded.
A slow loading speed can create a dissatisfying experience for users, making them less likely to return to your website. Furthermore, it affects the placement of your web page on the search engine result pages.
Make alterations to your images to minimize their file size while keeping the quality intact. Here are some aspects to consider:
- File format . Image sizes depend on their formats, so use the right one for your use case. For example, use the smaller JPEG format instead of PNG if you don’t need sharp or transparent images.
- Compression . Decide between lossy or lossless when compressing images. Find the balance between file size and quality according to your needs.
- The number of images . Placing too many images on one page slows the loading time significantly. Therefore, only add images where they are necessary.
- Dimension . Avoid using overly high-resolution images as they demand more bandwidth. Lower-resolution ones may still look good on mobile devices due to the smaller screens.
- Caching . Caching allows returning visitors to load your images faster and more efficiently. They don’t have to fetch the resources directly from the host server.
Code Compression
Compacting code or minifying is a way to make the code less complex and decrease its file size, while still making sure it works the same.
Web designers employ supplementary signs such as spaces, semicolons, and commentaries to create code more comprehensible and amendable. Nevertheless, once the development is complete, these symbols are no longer necessary as web browsers are still able to process the code even without them.
Code minification can reduce the size of the file by up to 60 percent. This significantly reduces bandwidth requirements and improves loading speed. Therefore, minification is especially useful for complex sites.
A minification program must be utilized for the coding language you are utilizing. Here are some recommendations:
As well as reducing the size of the code on your website, make sure to put GZIP compression in place. It shrinks the amount of data your website sends to the viewers’ browsers.
Important! GZIP only compacts the size of files consisting of HTML, CSS, JavaScript, JSON and XML coding. Elements like images and fonts will not be compressed.
Content Delivery Network
In order for the visitor to be able to access your website, the browser must get the needed information from the host server. The amount of space between a web hosting provider’s server and customers will be dependent on the server’s location.
The information has to be transmitted through underwater internet cables to the person who is accessing the website. The more extensive the physical distance, the more leisurely your website will take to load.
A content delivery network (CDN) can be employed to quicken your website. A CDN consists of an array of servers spaced out in various places across the globe which enables shorter routes for website data to pass through.
A Content Delivery Network (CDN) keeps replicas of your website’s information on a variety of servers scattered around the world. When a person visits your website, the nearest Content Delivery Network server will take care of their request, resulting in a quicker loading experience.
Select a Content Delivery Network that offers mobile enhancement like Cloudflare. Cloudflare offers a picture optimization alternative along with other resources to enhance the capability of the original application.
Database Queries
Whenever people use your website to do things such as look for data, browsers will send out database queries. Questions are requests to access or alter any data stored in the database.
Phones cannot manage as numerous cookies as desktops can. They need to send and carry out more requests during one period of operation, which will reduce the speed of your website.
Decrease the number of database requests by reducing the functions of your website specifically to be used on mobile devices. A website that is kept straightforward will require the browser to fetch less information.
Another solution is to enable database caching. This saves data in the RAM of the database for a short period of time in order to quicken the query process.
Important! Although they have a similar name, media queries or CSS rules aren’t used to obtain web-based data from an information system. These scripts alter the design of a website depending on the particular hardware the user is utilizing.
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