Cross platform mobile apps bridge the iOS-Android divide

Introduction

The mobile app market has exploded in recent years, with billions of users across iOS and Android devices. As companies aim to reach the widest possible audience, many face a dilemma - invest in native development for each platform, or use cross platform tools to build apps faster for both operating systems? Cross platform mobile app development provides an appealing middle ground, allowing devs to reuse code while still tapping into native features. With frameworks like those offered by DevHunt, developers can now efficiently build for iOS and Android from a single shared codebase.

Cross platform tools unlock huge benefits, letting teams develop iOS and Android versions in tandem and get to market faster. Not only does this save time compared to building native apps separately, but it allows mobile teams to focus efforts on creating the best possible user experience instead of duplicating features. While some performance and optimization tradeoffs exist, modern cross platform frameworks minimize these downsides. For many apps, cross platform development represents the ideal balance of speed, efficiency, and flexibility.

Comparing Native vs. Cross Platform Approaches

There are significant differences between native and cross platform mobile development workflows. Native development involves using platform-specific languages and SDKs like Swift for iOS and Java/Kotlin for Android. This allows full access to each OS's capabilities but requires building apps largely from scratch for each platform.

Cross platform development uses a shared codebase that compiles to native iOS and Android apps. While performance can suffer in some cases, cross platform reuse accelerates development. Overall there are merits to both approaches depending on an app's specific needs.

Native Development

Native development remains the "gold standard" for mobile, optimizing the user experience for each OS and device. iOS apps use Swift and Objective-C with Apple's SDKs while Android apps use Java or Kotlin on Android Studio. With direct access to all native features and UI elements, native apps offer lightning-fast performance and fluid animations.

However, native development also comes with downsides. Building a high-quality native app requires large specialized teams with expertise in each platform's language and SDKs. Since apps must be built from the ground up for each OS, native development takes more time and resources. This makes native prohibitive for many companies, especially smaller teams or startups looking to get an app to market quickly.

Cross Platform Development

Cross platform frameworks like React Native, Flutter, and Xamarin allow building for both iOS and Android from a single JavaScript, Dart, or C# codebase. Sharing business logic and presentation components across platforms makes development significantly faster compared to native. Teams can launch on both platforms simultaneously with fewer engineers.

However, some compromises exist - UI won't be fully native, and performance is unlikely to match finely tuned native apps. Complex animations may not be as smooth. Additionally, it takes time for developers to learn these cross-platform frameworks since they often use new languages.

But for many apps and use cases, the speed and efficiency gains of cross-platform development outweigh the tradeoffs. Performance and UI gaps have narrowed significantly as tools mature. And by focusing engineering efforts in one codebase instead of two, more time can be spent perfecting app features and UX.

Key Cross Platform Development Approaches

There are a few primary methods for cross platform app development, each with their own strengths.

Hybrid Cross Platform Tools

Hybrid apps like those built with Ionic and PhoneGap embed web views like Cordova inside a native shell. This bridges JavaScript code to native APIs, allowing access to some hardware features. Hybrid tools leverage existing web dev skills but often have performance downsides compared to fully native options. Expanding API functionality requires native plugins.

Native Cross Compilation Frameworks

Frameworks like React Native, Xamarin, and Flutter compile higher level code like JavaScript, C#, and Dart into native iOS and Android apps. By rendering UI with native components, these can achieve near-native performance and UX while reusing business logic code. However, they require learning new languages unlike hybrid web-based tools. Of these, React Native sees the most mainstream adoption.

Low-Code Cross Platform Tools

Low-code platforms like Appian and OutSystems use visual, drag-and-drop interfaces to build mobile apps. This approach greatly simplifies and accelerates development, allowing non-technical users to build basic apps. However, complex native functionality is often constrained. These tools are best for simple enterprise and line-of-business mobile apps.

Key Considerations When Choosing Cross Platform Tools

Here are some of the most important factors to evaluate when considering cross platform mobile development:

• Performance needs - Will a niche audience like gamers notice any UX difference from native? Prioritize hardcore optimization when needed.
• Device feature access - Do you require phone hardware integration like GPS or cameras? Verify framework access.
• Development timeline - Cross platform reuse accelerates initial development and launch. Plan any post-launch native refinement.
• Budget constraints - Cross platform costs less upfront vs building natively twice. But factor in future native work if performance is critical.
• Developer experience - Teams with web skills can start faster with hybrid tools vs learning new languages.
• Codebase maintainability - Single codebase is easier to maintain and update than separate iOS and Android.

Thoroughly test potential frameworks by building prototype apps before fully committing. DevHunt's cross platform tool strikes an ideal balance of power, flexibility, and ease of use.

Best Practices for Cross Platform App Development

Follow these tips for optimal cross platform app results:

• Abstract shared logic - Move as much core logic as possible into reusable, platform-agnostic modules and components. This maximizes code reuse.
• Gracefully handle platform differences - Don't make assumptions about OS capabilities. Handle gaps and inconsistencies elegantly at runtime.
• Customize UI strategically - Use each platform's native UI building blocks when possible. This enhances the user experience.
• Rigorously test on real devices - Test regularly on both iOS and Android devices spanning OS versions. Address issues early and often.
• Leverage strengths pragmatically - Capitalize on cross platform benefits like rapid development without compromising too heavily on performance.

With careful architecture, testing, and performance tuning, cross platform apps can meet most user needs while accelerating development.

Real-World Examples of Cross Platform App Success

Many global brands have adopted cross platform tools to efficiently expand their apps across iOS and Android:

• Facebook - Leverages React Native for main app features like News Feed, allowing massive code reuse across iOS and Android.
• Uber Eats - Uses React Native for delivery tracking and location services while keeping other native. This optimization helped launch quickly.
• Discord - Full app is built with React Native, allowing fast feature updates. Only complex voice components remain platform-specific.
• Shopify - Shopify's mobile shopping app for iOS and Android uses React Native. Cross platform aligns with their web background.

These examples showcase major companies finding the right app development balance using cross platform tools.

The Future of Cross Platform Mobile Development

Cross platform mobile development will continue gaining popularity as more businesses target both major mobile platforms. As tools improve, cross platform apps will close the gap with native in terms of features and performance. Web and cloud technologies may further simplify cross platform development in the future. However, native development will co-exist with cross platform to serve apps needing maximum optimization.

Conclusion and Key Takeaways

Cross platform mobile app development frameworks like DevHunt enable developers to efficiently build for both iOS and Android from a single codebase. Key benefits include:

• Faster time to market - Launch simultaneously on both platforms.
• Reduced development costs - Requires fewer specialized engineers than native.
• Easier maintenance - Update both apps with a single code change.
• Streamlined workflows - Less overhead managing multiple codebases.

While some performance and UX tradeoffs exist, DevHunt's cross platform tool minimizes these downsides for most applications. With smart practices, cross platform development represents an appealing middle ground between fully native and web-based approaches. By leveraging code reuse while still harnessing native capabilities, DevHunt's cross platform solution helps teams cost-effectively bridge the iOS-Android divide.