Cross Platform Apps Vs Native Mobile Apps

It’s been a long-term debate between the developers for Cross-Platform and Native Mobile App. As both of the technologies are been evolving with time. Each of them has its own pros and cons. Depending upon that factors the requirement changes for users, developers, platforms and even the mobile application owners. Sometimes the preference of the platform depends upon the developers. As they are aware of the users and app functions more than owners.

Let’s discuss each type separately

Cross-Platform Mobile Applications

Cross-Platform Mobile Apps are versatile apps which are compatible with multiple operating that means compatible on both Android and iOS platforms from a single app. Also, there can be used on any device like mobile and tablet. Cross-Platform Mobile Applications, in short, are nothing but the native applications developed and then wrapped with cross-platform, so they can match the growing and variety of devices.

Cross-Platform apps are mainly developed using HTML5, JavaScript and CSS. Some of the Cross-Platform Apps development tools are PhoneGap, Ionic, Xamarin, React Native, Flutter, and many others. All these tools have the same end product of developing the apps in the easiest form. A very well know phrase which is commonly used for Cross-Platform mobile apps is “build once, deploy everywhere”

 

There are certainly pros and cons for Cross-Platform Mobile Applications. Some of them are

  • Development time required for Cross-Platform mobile apps is less.
  • Lower time due to the reuse of the code or automated tools.
  • Cost Efficient, as one app, is built for multiple operating systems.
  • Compatible with both Operating Systems.
  • The number is users is high due to multiple operating systems.
  • Frequency of rollouts of the update is higher.

 

 

Native Mobile Applications

Native Mobile Apps can run only on a single operating system, either on iOS, Android or Windows. Mobile App developed for the Android platform do not run on iOS and vice versa. Compared to Cross-Platform Mobile Application, Native Apps are a bit tilted to the easy development side. As they only need to fit into the criteria of either Android or iOS checklist.

The main Integrated Development Environment i.e. IDEs used for Android developers use Android Studio and iOS developers use Apple’s XCode. They are developed with the purpose of functioning on a specific platform and to help programming languages for respective platforms. Native apps make the complete utilization of the hardware of the device being used for operating it.

Native Mobile application performs very well for the Games apps. As the usage of the device is completely done by this platform apps. As native apps are built for only one device and all the criteria are being filled up. This gives the user the best performance and experience.

 

Pros and Cons of Native Mobile Applications
  • The time required for the development of the native app is higher.
  • Coding of the app is always unique
  • The costing of the app goes a bit higher, as two different versions needs to be developed for different operating systems.
  • Consumes internal device lesser space.
  • Responsive time is less due to most criteria fulfilled.
  • Easily meet the standards of Operating Systems, due to one platform coding.

Choosing a platform totally depends upon the requirements of the app owner and the app user. Both of them have their own pros and cons which make them apart and unique.

How Can Augmented Reality Fit Into Mobile Apps?

Augmented reality (AR) is the projection or the integration of the real world into a virtual one. The integration takes place through various interfaces in real-time, which gives reality an improved makeover. The view that the user gets accordingly is a reality that has been augmented with the help of technology.

AR uses technology such as Simultaneous Localization and Mapping (S.L.A.M.) and depth-tracking. It is different from virtual reality (VR) in that VR excludes reality completely and projects a virtual one in its place, while AR uses reality and presents it in an enhanced way.

Augmented reality fits into mobile apps by making use of phones’ cameras and sensors so as to enable the users to view reality in a wholly composite manner. The phone as a medium improves upon the reality to suit and thereby fulfill the user’s needs.

The types of AR that exist today are marker-based, marker-less, projection-based, and superimposition-based. Marker-based AR apps like WhatsApp and Paytm are those which help us by using markers such as QR Codes. Marker-less or location-based AR apps (such as Google Maps) are those which utilize GPS, compass, accelerometer, and gyroscope to inform the users about events and places for hanging out near them, among others. Projection-based AR apps are basically manufacturing apps which allow artificial light to interact with real objects. Superimposition-based AR apps (like the IKEA Catalog app) allow us to view reality by superimposing virtual items onto it.

The fields that have made the most interesting use of AR apps are gaming, architecture, real estate, archaeology, tourism, etc.

1. Gaming:
The best example of an AR gaming mobile app is undoubtedly Pokémon Go. The game became quite popular and gained a huge number of users just a few years back. Pokémon Go uses reality which it then integrates with the game to give the player the digital gaming experience in the real world.

2. Architecture and Real Estate:
There are a number of AR-based mobile apps, like Realar, which allow users to view and navigate through, and thus choose, the house of their dreams by virtually viewing the rooms, and even allowing us to add furniture or remove them, just to get the complete feel of actually being there.

3. Archaeology and Tourism:
There are apps that let us view actual geographical places from historical points of view. Apps like CityView AR simulate actual places. Projects such as StreetSmart and Futuristic History have conducted research into letting tourists view information visually. History buffs and travelers could then compare, say, the city of Florence during the Renaissance and Florence as it exists now, in the 21st century, and the actual variation in architecture, roadways and marketplaces that existed between the two centuries.

Apart from AR and VR, Mixed Reality, or MR, which combines features of both AR and VR, is another phenomenon that is making its mark in the field of technology. The first MR-based app, HoloLens, was released by Microsoft in 2016.

We hope that this article has provided a perspective on AR fitting into mobile apps. Please do share your feedback as comments below.

Different Types of Mobile Applications – Native, Hybrid and Web Apps

In the current decade the majority of the people owes a smartphone, it has become like an essential commodity in our daily use. We use the mobile application for any kind of our work it may be booking a cab for your way to work, buying grocery, playing games, instantly replying to work emails or just hanging to the social wall. Every mobile app has a uniqueness of its own like what platform its developed on, which technologies are used, its advantages and many more of them.

Mobile applications are categorized into major three types depending upon the development platform like Native, Hybrid and Web. Each of them has its special features and development process.

Types of Mobile Application

  1. Native Apps – As the name suggests it specifically related to only one platform. This type of app is developed for one and only operating system. For example, if the app is built on the Android Operating system it will only work for that, whereas, if developed in iOS it would be only applicable for iPhones. There is also the third type of operating system which is Windows on which the app is developed.

Native App has its own distinct features like the best of the user experience can be gained through these types, has no limit in using multiple API’s while developing the app for different interfaces. The speed of the app is fast and responsive rate is high in performance. Software used to develop native apps generally are Java and ADT for Android operating system, Objective-C or Swift for iOS, and .NET (C#) for the Windows operating system.

Example:

  • Pokémon GO
  • Pinterest is a cross-platform native app, built with Xamarin.
  • PayPal
  1. Mobile Web Apps – These are also apps but can be run on any device you are viewing on and are mainly used on the browsers. Unlike the native app, they do not require any kind of download or installation process.

These apps are usually written in HTML5, JavaScript or CSS. There is also the limitation to the usage of API’s in Mobile Web Apps. The user experience is almost the same as the Native Apps and does not require regularly downloads updates. The only thing is that for running the Web App good internet connection is a mandatory thing to have.

Examples:

  • Flipkart
  • Twitter Lite
  • BookMyShow
  • Forbes
  • OLX
  1. Hybrid Apps – It is basically a combination of Native and Mobile Web App together. It has the compatibility of cross-platform and also can run on the mobile device. Mainly HTML, CSS, JavaScript, jQuery, Mobile JavaScript frameworks, Cordova/PhoneGap etc. software is used to develop these kinds of apps.

Even though Hybrid Apps lack in speed and the performance, but comparatively they are fast and simple to develop which eventually means low cost in development. Also, they have a low maintenance cost and can opt for a large number of API’s.

Example:

  • Instagram
  • Uber
  • Evernote

There are different types of Mobile App platform depending upon the requirement and the nature of the App. CodePlateau is one of the renowned names as the best Mobile App Development company in Pune.