According to BuildFire, more than 4 million apps for 3.2 billion mobile phones are available worldwide in Appstore and Google Play. Developing a mobile application has become a priority for many companies, but choosing a development approach is often difficult as the lines between options become more and more challenging. This article looks at developing native mobile applications and the benefits of using this specific development method. If you are interested in bringing a mobile application to market, you have to make one of the most important decisions: choose between native or cross-platform mobile app developments.
Choosing one or the other has long-term implications in terms of cost, time, and functionality. In this article, we will explain in detail Native Mobile Applications and their pros and cons.
What Is Native Mobile App Development?
The term native application refers to the development of a mobile application for a single platform only. The application is built using computer programming languages and tools that are explicit to a single platform. For example, you can develop a native Android application using Java or Kotlin and select Swift and Objective-C for iOS applications.
Native mobile apps don’t run in the browser, unlike websites and web applications. You’ll need to download them from specific app stores like the Apple App Store and Google Play. Once installed, you can easily access any application just by tapping its icon on your device screen.
Native apps are known to provide a great user experience because they typically perform very well. The user experience is also improved as the visuals are adapted to the UX platform. However, smaller companies are concerned about the high cost of native apps, as the development of both platforms must be done simultaneously.
Unlike mobile website development, native mobile application development requires different skills and technologies. In Native Apps, no concern about browser performance and compatibility. You can use the native capabilities of mobile OS to provide the UX (user experience) and achieve the functionalities of your application.
Both Apple and Google provide application developers with their development tools, interface elements, and SDKs. Most companies will invest in developing native mobile applications because of the many advantages over other types of applications such as hybrid or web. Software is becoming more and more critical to companies, and companies must be well informed about the advantages and disadvantages of an approach to application development. Here are the key benefits of native mobile app development:
Five Benefits of Native Mobile App Development
1. Performance
When developing native mobile apps, the app is built and optimised for a specific platform. Thus, the app shows an exceptionally high level of performance. Native apps are high-speed and responsive as they are created and compiled for that particular platform using API and core programming language platforms. This makes the application much more efficient. The device saves the application so that the software can use the processing speed of the device. When users navigate a native mobile app, the content and graphics are already stored on their phone, which means fast loading times.
2. Secure
Web applications are based on different browsers and primary technologies, for instance, JavaScript, HTML5, and CSS. Developing a native mobile app is a great way to ensure reliable data protection for your users.
3. Interactive and Intuitive
Native mobile apps run much smoother when it comes to user input and output. These applications inherit their devices’ operating system interfaces, making them look and feel like an integral part of the device.
The most favourable advantage of native mobile applications is the more excellent user experience. Native applications are created precisely for an operating system. They adhere to guidelines that eventually improve the user experience and are tailored to the particular operating system. The application is more natural as it has a platform-specific UI. Following specific guidelines eliminates the learning curve and allows users to interact with applications through actions and gestures with which they are already familiar.
4. Access the Full Feature Set of Devices
Native applications are developed for a specific platform and make full use of the software and functions of the operating systems. These applications can directly access the device hardware such as GPS, camera, microphone, etc., so that they are faster to execute, which ultimately leads to a better user experience. Push notifications are another great benefit when choosing native app development. Push notifications go through the iOS server (APNS), which needs your App Bundle ID, and the same with Google Cloud Messaging (GCM).
5. Less Bugs during Development
It is much more difficult to maintain two different applications in one code base than it is to hold two applications in two code bases. When developing native apps, you have less dependency on the occurrence of errors because you don’t have to rely on a cross-platform tool like Xamarin or Cordova. Hybrid applications access hardware across a bridge that often slows development and can become an unsatisfying user experience.
This problem occurs when new versions of Android and iOS are released. Native applications developers have access to new software development kits (SDKs) to build their apps with the latest features. Because of this latency, native app users have access to new platform features when they update the operating system.
When developing hybrid apps, developers rely on a cross-platform development tool such as Xamarin or Cordova. Developers have to wait for the device to support them whenever new features are released in the UI kit. When developing a hybrid app, there is an extra layer that has no control over, increasing the chance of errors. Bugs are a big problem in mixed application development when working with the latest features that have been released for a particular operating system. This is a crucial and often unnoticed part of generating loyalty among users.
Conclusion
Native and cross-platform developments have different advantages and disadvantages. Eventually, their choice depends on the needs of the project and the skills of the developers involved.
Native apps could be the best choice when it comes to user experience and performance. Although they are more expensive, you will be satisfied with lower error rates and better images.
Cross-platform applications are quick and easy to build, but it will take more effort to deliver the same user experience on each platform. Still, have questions about choosing a native or cross-platform development? Get professional advice from our experts at The Dev and Test Guys