What is cross platform app dev?
In today’s world of advanced technology, an app needs to be eligible for both iOS and Android to receive the maximum visibility. Businesses can not risk missing out on the users of either of these platforms. So they make their mobile apps available on both Google Play Store and Apple App Store using cross platform app dev. Many tools can be used to run the app on different platforms by generating it from the same code. This process is known as cross platform app development.
The tools for cross platform app dev presents wide opportunities for business. It saves time and effort by allowing the development of an app from the same code. Companies generally use cross platform app dev frameworks to modify their apps for different platforms. They can publish their products faster to a wider audience with no compromise on quality.
The major advantages of cross platform app dev
In this fast-paced era, businesses need to be quick and strategic with their products. They need to find the fastest way to market the apps. The cost of production of an app also increases depending upon the platforms that it should be available on. In such situations, a cross platform app development tool can be very useful for companies. Some of its outstanding benefits are:
- The same code is reusable to develop apps for various platforms. The simplicity offered by code reusability is probably the greatest upside that cross platform app development offers. It also conserves a huge amount of time and endeavor put into developing an app.
- The cost of production when using cross platform app dev is much less as compared to the native app dev. It is also because the code is composed once and utilized for multiple platforms
- Cross platform app development gives a fair degree of consistency in local UI segments of the gadget. The user’s experience is uniform.
- After the app is developed it is effortless to market them on app stores.
- The process of cloud integration is also straightforward with cross platform app development. You can even coordinate them rapidly with the help of high-grade plugins. This makes sure that the product is universally compatible.
- The technical barriers that cross platform all development poses is almost negligible. The app designers do not need to learn certain coding languages like Objective-C or Swift. They only have to be skilled in HTML, JavaScript, and CSS3 to be good at cross platform app dev.
- Cross platform app dev reduces the time required to start marketing the app. It also offers a chance of reaching a wider audience. Furthermore, as the application is accessible on numerous stages simultaneously, it spares the cost of marketing.
How is it different from native app development?
Native app development does not focus on the multifaceted nature of making a mobile app that traverses numerous systems. It centres around producing a capable blueprint that is more adequate for the target platform. It could be iOS, Android or any other. On the other hand, cross platform app development tries to produce an app that connects with as many audiences as the business requires. It is made possible by covering a wide number of end gadgets during the programming and generation process. The world of technology has always been in a dilemma when it comes to which is preferable.
Some experts believe that the strategy used in the former is more suitable for a better outcome of the app. However, many famous businesses like Uber make use of cross platform app dev tools for their products. It is quite evident that native app development is much more expensive than cross platform app development. But native app dev are consistent with the characteristics of the gadget’s user interface. It also assures entry to the API of the device without any obstruction.
4 leading tools for cross platform app dev
Here are four of the top frameworks used for cross platform app dev today:
Xamarin
When launched in 2011, Xamarin was an autonomous tool for cross platform app development. Later in 2016, Microsoft obtained it, consequently giving it more popularity than previously. The app developers need to buy a license for the visual studio of Microsoft in order to use Xamarin. It is an open-source tool that is very useful to tackle the issue of disconnected native platform dev. It develops apps using the C# shared codebase, so it works smoothly on different platforms. Some of the apps made using Xamarin cross platform app dev are BBC Good Food, HCL, Fox Sports etc.
PhoneGap
PhoneGap (1) which is owned by Adobe is another useful tool for cross platform app dev. Until a while ago, it was known as Apache Cordova. It utilizes HTML5, CSS, and JavaScript for the development of apps. While using PhoneGap, you can share the app to the group to collect their criticism. It additionally offers a cloud arrangement in the event that you need to make your application instantly it extends a cloud solution. Furthermore, it gives you access to a large number of plugins which is a huge benefit.
React Native
It is another leading tool for cross platform app dev that makes use of the same code to create applications for any stage. The procedure of cross platform app dev using React Native on this stage is very convenient. The companies can commence their apps on many operating systems without trading off the quality. The system is viable with thirds party plugins and uses quite a small space in memory. Some of the popular companies that utilize this tool for their cross platform app dev are Walmart, Uber eats and Skype. Since it fits a variety of budgets, it is a great choice for enterprises.
Flutter
Flutter is a tool by Google for cross platform app development. With the help of Flutter, companies can develop two apps for both iOS and Android without spending too much time and money. Since it is a responsive tool, the app developers do not need to refresh the user interface repeatedly. Flutter also has a special component of hot reloading that lets the designers take care of even the smallest alterations in the code. It is an ideal system for MVP production. Rather than investing additional cash and energy in two separate applications, you can fabricate a single app rapidly that works on both Android and iOS.
It depends on Dart, which is a programming language that is object-oriented. It is very easy for developers to become an expert in Dart. Flutter has a full collection of tools in Google’s Material Design and in Apple’s style with the Cupertino package.
