Cross-platform app development is developing apps that can be used on multiple mobile platforms, like iOS and Android. This type of development can be used to create apps that are more accessible to a broader range of users and make it easier to develop and manage your app’s codebase.
What is Cross-Platform App Development?
Cross-platform app development is a type of software that allows you to build apps that function across multiple mobile operating systems, such as iOS and Android, instead of building an app version for each platform. To create cross-platform apps, you must use specific technologies, like React Native.
This app development tool is an alternative to creating native applications for each operating system. Building a native app is significantly more time-consuming and expensive than cross-platform development because the codes cannot be repurposed for different operating systems. So by using one single code system, developers can avoid spending time and resources on re-coding mobile assets for each platform.
Do not confuse cross-platform apps with hybrid ones, which is a common misunderstanding. The former has adapted codebases and can be used across several operating systems. In turn, the latter are web apps portrayed as native apps. They contain native features, and act like native apps, but are web apps inside.
But why should you care about cross-platform app development? Because this type of technology is an important part of app development for its numerous advantages.
Get a better understanding of the relevance of cross-platform techniques for everyone working in the digital world in the following explanation provided by app development company London.
The Benefits of Cross-Platform App Development
Cost-Effective
Cross-platform app development is more cost-effective than native app building because the former allows you to reduce spending in several ways.
Native apps require a larger team to write one code for each operating system, whereas cross-platform technology allows you to keep a small team of developers because you can reuse the same code and UI for every operating system. Not only does this require fewer resources, but it also speeds up the release, which makes it cheaper.
Reach a Wider Audience
Cross-platform app development enables the use of an app on virtually every operating system. Because you can create an app that is compatible with so many different platforms, you end up reaching a wider audience than only that pertaining just iOS, or just Android, or any other, without spending as many resources.
This is highly beneficial for both businesses and developers. Businesses have the opportunity to immerse in the digital world and reach a large customer base without spending so many resources. Likewise, app developers can develop applications using fewer resources.
Increased Productivity
As we have seen, app development with cross-platform frameworks makes the process quicker and less expensive. Furthermore, it increases the shareability of information across different platforms and improves collaboration within a team, given that everyone works with one single code.
Less time and money spent plus better communication and far less time spent by app developers in creating several coding systems equal increased productivity and efficiency.
The Challenges of Cross-Platform App Development
Fragmentation
Fragmentation happens when some users fail to update their operating system to the newest version, leaving some using the old version and others using the updated one.
This poses a challenge for cross-platform frameworks because when an operating system is updated, the cross-platform tools do not catch up immediately. So if you choose to develop an app using this method, take into account that new versions of operating systems might take a little longer to arrive.
Limited Functionality
Writing one code base allows users to enjoy an app on different operating systems. But, because developers apply the same codebase in every platform, it may harm the application’s functionality on smartphones and compromise some features, such as camera and geolocation. In this field, native apps are still ahead of this multiplatform technology.
Conclusion
Cross-platform app development revolutionized the world of application building. What was once a long, expensive process has evolved into a quick and cost-effective method thanks to this multiplatform tool.
