• Read more about Native Mobile? Cross-Platform? Here’s How To Choose

 When developing an app, there are a multitude of important decisions to make between “Let’s do this!” and “It’s launch day!”

One of these decisions is the application development approach. Is a native mobile app the right way to go? Or would a cross-platform app be a better fit for your needs and your organization? There is no one-approach-fits-all, so it’s important for organizations to avoid false starts and costly redevelopment time by having a solid understanding of their available options.

Let’s analyze these options.

Native App

A native app is one that has been designed specifically for one mobile platform (i.e. Android, iOS), with engineers leveraging the programming language used by the platform’s own operating system (Java or Kotlin for Android and Swift/Objective-C) for iOS. If you wish to have native apps made for multiple platforms, the developers need to make separate codebases.

Advantages to native app development are plentiful. Because the app’s UX is tailored to that specific platform, the app will deliver strong and smooth performance and can take advantage of the device’s full set of functionalities. This tends to result in much higher ratings and better visibility (read: more revenue) in app stores.

Additionally, if the platform OS is eventually updated (which often means bugs will appear), resolving the specific code for that platform is much more efficient and therefore less costly than needing to fix a centralized code base that will affect all the platforms.

So, while native apps do tend to require more time and resources up front, they can offer considerable savings long-term in maintenance and updating.

The Takeaway: Native apps are an investment, but a worthwhile one if you’re looking long-term with your app. The functionality tends to be much better and maintenance is significantly less complex.

Cross-Platform App

Cross-platform apps are designed more as a one-size-fits-all solution …with modifications. A single codebase is written and can then be shared among the different platforms, either using web technologies or tools such as PhoneGap, Titanium, or React Native.

Cross-platform is a popular option among organizations with a tighter timeframe and lower budget, as it only requires one codeset to be written. This makes cross-platform a reasonable option for simple applications like games or single-purpose apps. Some organizations will specify the devices they want the code to work on, while others will make the app available to all users, whether they’re using an iPhone 3 or a Galaxy M30s.

The downsides of the cross-platform approach, however, can be summarized by the old adage, “Jack of all trades, master of none.” Because cross-platform has to be everything to every platform, its performance tends to be suboptimal. In addition, it can’t take advantage of each type of device’s proprietary features, thus limiting the potential.

Indeed, the Airbnb app initially used a cross-platform approach with React Native. But in June of 2018, they announced they were sunsetting their use of this tool and would be focusing on native app development, citing issues like developer experience, quality, and technical issues. Even the world’s most popular social media app, Facebook, made the switch from cross-platform to native in 2012, with Mark Zuckerberg announcing that “the biggest mistake we’ve made as a company is betting on HTML5 over native.”

The Takeaway: If both time and budget are short, cross-platform app development is a great way to get to market quickly … as long as you don’t mind sacrificing some performance.

A Third Option: No App

While apps are an excellent way to increase customer engagement and improve the user experience, they’re not a cure-all. If the app is providing a service that a user would only need once or twice a year for a limited number of functions, it may be better to focus instead on your mobile website experience. On the other hand, if you anticipate year-round use and wish to provide a rich, multifunctional experience, your users will be happy to have that app take up real estate on their devices.

If you have the time and the budget, native app development can provide you with a highly functional app that is not only tailor-made for the user’s experience and device but can also save you maintenance headaches down the road.

Meanwhile, cross-platform apps provide a viable option for smaller budgets and businesses that want to get a simple app out into the marketplace quickly.

Still not certain? The experts at Mobomo are happy to discuss options and recommend the best approach for you and your organization’s unique needs, so contact us today.

• Read more about Mobile Strategy: Website Or Application?

Every company should have a mobile strategy but first you need to decide what's right for your business - a mobile application or a responsive website? Sometimes companies have one or the other or they may have both. This is all depending on the company and how they reach their users.

Some businesses have to choose between a mobile website or a mobile app based on their budget, let's discuss the pros and cons so that you can make the most educated decision whenever you're deciding on your mobile strategy. 

Mobile Website

Reach: Probably the biggest  benefit the mobile website has over a mobile app is the amount of reach you have; you’re able to access a much larger audience because of its discoverability and marketing potential, and it has low barriers to entry.

Content Sharing: If your primary goal is content consumption, a mobile website will usually suffice. While apps have the ability to make content sharing easy with a great design, a website can do these things with less overhead.

Ships Fast: Generally, obtaining an model view presenter (MVP) for a website requires less resources than launching a mobile app.

Marketing: Marketing a mobile website is easier and more effective than marketing a mobile application. Two tactics in particular work very well with website: Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and Pay Per Click (PPC).

Some disadvantages are:

Functionality: Products with singular functions are generally better delivered via a mobile application than a mobile website. If you think of calendars or email, Uber or Instagram, you'll likely agree that these functions are more effectively delivered through mobile applications than a mobile website.

Mobile Application

User Experience: The biggest benefit of a mobile app is the rich experience it delivers. Think of the UX on Facebook, Spotify, and some of your other favorite apps. Chances are the experience on the mobile application version is much more satisfying than their website versions.

Stand alone services: Applications are ideal for products that offer stand alone services. Weather, health, and banking apps all provide singular services to the user.

Re-engagement: While marketing an application via App Store Optimization is not very effective, apps offer push notifications. Push notifications are a great way to call the user to act even when they’re not actively engaged with your brand or product.

Some of the disadvantages are:

Storage: There is a limited amount of space on a user’s phone and your app is taking up some of that valuable real estate, I think we can all say we’ve seen the message “Storage Full”. When a user gets that message, they are then forced to decide whether or not to keep the app. Generally, apps get deleted before photos, emails, or other personalized storage.                                                                                                                                                                            

Best of Both Worlds

If you’re unsure which route to take (and you don’t have the budget for two builds), then Progressive Web Apps are a great alternative.

By combining the best of the web and the best of app, Progressive Web Apps maintain a website’s far reach and an app’s exceptional UX. Some of the benefits:

If you have questions about which mobile strategy is right for you, feel free to reach out to us! If you’d like to learn more about some of the mobile strategies we’ve put into place, check out the mobile apps and responsive websites we’ve developed.

• Read more about AddThis Webinar Recap: Mobile Strategy

A mobile strategy is no longer a “nice to have”, while laptops and desktops are the most common device used to search the Internet mobile has proven that it is quickly closing that gap. Did you know that the majority of Americans will use a mobile phone for search next year and that phones will overtake desktop and laptop use for search within two years.

In case you missed it.. We were given the opportunity to speak on mobile strategy for the AddThis webinar. Be sure to watch our mobile strategy webinar to know how to best develop your mobile strategy.

• Read more about What is your Mobile Strategy?

As the advancements of technology continue to change, communication is always evolving into different platforms. The first cell phone call was made on April 3, 1973, over the course of the past forty years the amount of technological advancements that have been made to improve how we communicate make 1973 feel like the Roman Empire. To put things into perspective, the first mobile phone was sold in the U.S in 1983 for almost $4,000 each.  As history has proven, technological developments have rapidly occurred and it doesn't seem to be slowing down anytime in the near future.

Everyone seems to be on their phone, it is a singular point where everyone can gather information as well as communicate in a more convenient way, who wouldn't use the mobile platform?There is no question that mobile is taking over, people are more likely to use their mobile device first because it has become them most convenient way to communicate and find information. Nowadays who do you know that doesn’t have a mobile device? Statistics show that mobile has outgrown PC usage which shows how quickly the market has changed over the past ten years let alone forty years. I think almost everyone can relate, people use their phones to communicate and it seems like verbal communication is a thing of the past.

Enough about market change through the years. So what does this mean for businesses trying to attract the mobile customer? It means that you have to have a mobile strategy. We will be going over the how’s and why’s as to your mobile strategy this Thursday make sure to RSVP and join us at the following link  Mobile Strategy AddThis Webinar.