The moment you decide to invest in a mobile app, you will be faced with deciding which type of app to build. Today, we will be diving into mobile apps and the difference between native, hybrid, and web apps. So, what app should you build?
Well, that depends on a lot of competing factors, which include budget and deadlines. For the sake of this blog, when we talk about app development, we’re going to focus on the two biggest operating systems, iOS and Android.
Web apps
Recently, web apps lack the functionality of native apps such as the ability to send push notifications, work offline, and load the icon on the home screen.
However, progressive web apps take advantage of recent improvements to browsers to provide this functionality. Therefore, is a progressive web app right for you?
They can be an excellent solution for Android, but iOS support is still limited. Don’t think of a progressive web app as a substitute for a mobile app. Instead, think of it as an easier way to get a better performing app into people’s hands.
When talking about a mobile app, we’re talking about apps downloaded from the app store. There are two types of mobile apps that you can choose to build: native and hybrid apps.
Native apps are normally what you think about when it comes to apps. The majority of apps on your smartphone are native applications that are built for a specific programming language for either iOS or Android.
Apple’s iOS apps are written in Swift or Objective C, while Android’s apps are written in Java. Some native app examples include Pokemon GO, New York Times, and Google Maps. Now, let’s take a look at native apps.
Native apps
Native apps offer the fastest, responsive, and most reliable experience for users. They make tapping into the camera, microphone, compass, accelerometer, and swipe gestures much easier.
Native apps can also make use of push notifications, alerting users when their attention is required. Therefore, you can continually bring back your audience to the app using push notifications, which is key to any successful app.
With native apps, you will have the ability to match app UI and UX to platform conventions. By building natively, you can assure your app’s interface will be user friendly for all platforms.
These points all sound great; but there are two main disadvantages you should be aware of before deciding on a native app…
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