All you need to know about Mobile Application Development

When we talk about the latest business marketing tools which are productive as well as help in generating leeds, we simply can’t forget about the mobile apps. A buzzing trend in the market, currently there are 2.2 million apps on Apple App Store and almost 3 million apps in the Google Android Store.

These numbers are only inclining with each passing day! We can owe it to the rise of popularity, awareness and the level of success an app gives to a business.

A mobile app empowers a business to reach millions and thousands of customers so that they can buy the goods. It also helps the people around the world to get aware of the services that a business provides. The power of an app is phenomenal and unparalleled. This is the much acclaimed reason why the business of mobile app development is flaring like forest fire and it will continue to be.

What is Mobile application development by the way?
Development is any type of process that gives the output in the form of high productivity and contributes to the success of any venture. Similarly, mobile app development is the end-to-end process of creating an app for a business.

Aspects of Mobile App Development are as following:

– Designing of the app.
– Developing through coding.
– Quality Analysis.
– Debugging and retesting.

While the above steps are just cursory, there are some more steps that might be involved in the complete development of the app for a business. It is getting more significant in this day and age to get digital footprints established in the industry.

It is to be noted that the whole mobile application development process also involves considering some more factors in the time period of building an app, that is cost, deadline, type of app to be developed and device support. All this needs careful planning and execution as well.

Devices Supported in Mobile App Development:
As we already mentioned in the above section that there are many types of apps that can be built by the mobile app developers. But, there are two giants in the industry right now, Android and Apple as we all know them! Android device apps and Apple device apps are two completely different things and one must choose the experts in these two different platforms for mobile application development.

iPhones only support iOS native or hybrid apps and Google devices or other OEM devices require Android native apps. iPhone is gigantic and popular due to the highly interactive and VR apps that are being developed these days. The creativity and the innovation in developing these apps takes immense We will also be discussing about what are native apps, hybrid apps, progressive apps and web apps in the later section of this guide which is meant to aim your goals of success in business.

Similarities and Differences between iOS and Android platforms:
There are indeed many similarities and differences between these two most popular mobile application development platforms. iOS apps can only be installed and run on iPHones or other Apple devices like iPad etc. There is much more flexibility when it comes to Android apps as these apps can be installed by a number of devices including Google designed devices. This flexibility is an advantage of getting mobile app development in Android but it also opens more gates to the risks involved in the open sourceness and free use of the Android platforms. Apps are more vulnerable to virus and bug attacks. iOS apps vouches for the perfect mobile application development and that too with absolute security and no risks or very minimum risks of virus attacks.

Classification of Mobile applications:
As already discussed in detail above, now is the time you get to know about the things on the real developing end. These things are basically developer-based and it is the developer who decides on the type of app to be developed for the client or the business.

Before we move on to the comparisons, let’s also know about some of the types of the apps that are being developed by the mobile app developers in the industry:

Every type of app created has its own pros and cons for the business for which the app is created!

–  Native mobile apps
–  Hybrid mobile apps
–  Web-based progressive apps.

Native mobile apps:  The most popular ones in the mobile application development arena are the Native mobile applications because they are meant to be fully compatible with the frameworks and the programming language of the platform and the operating system of the device. It is to be noted that the device can be iOS and Android. A native app is meant to be installed and used only on one platform at a time. One should make a careful choice and plan before investing into native mobile application development.

Hybrid mobile apps:  In contrast to the native app development, the hybrid mobile app development can be built by the developers in a number of programming languages as well as the apps created can be installed and run on multiple devices as well. That is the reason why these apps are called hybrid apps because they are not native to only one type of device.

Web- based progressive apps: No doubt that in the creation of mobile apps, programming languages are used to write code, especially JS, HTML, CSS etc. Then, there are web-based progressive applications which the users can access on the web. The interface is mobile-like and the users have an advantage of using the apps even without the Internet connection. THese progressive web-based apps have been termed as the apps of the future, along with the VR mobile app development.

You may like   Roles of a mobile application developer.

How are the mobile apps created: Detailed Explanation:
There is a progressive flow of steps which are followed by the mobile app developers to create the apps.  It all starts with analysis of the requirements of the client and planning for the app development in a very careful manner!

The complete process of developing an app is called mobile app development cycle (MDC). These are actually the phases that start from conceptualisation and market launch of the app. We will be discussing in detail all the steps that are involved in the development of the mobile apps:

– Analysis and brainstorming of the ideas as well as finalisation.
– Cost estimation of mobile app
– App prototype development
– Front-end development (UI)
– Back-end development
– Quality Analysis
– Debugging and Retesting
– Launch and marketing

We just put away the steps in a logical manner above and a developer works on mobile application development following these very steps. It is indeed important to follow this mobile app development life-cycle. Next, let’s have a quick look at how these steps are executed by the mobile app developers of the project:

Brainstorming on ideas and research:
When a client communicates his requirements to the mobile app development company, the next phase which the team follows is to research on the topic as much as possible. The research will follow with new and extraordinary ideas. If these novel ideas are implemented into the app development process, the app developed will be much better and high-end. Ultimate app with high-end functionalities and features should always be the end-goal of the development company.

A client should always give the best references of the apps to the company so that they are able to get the best idea about what the developers should build.

Budget and cost estimate:
Budget is always estimated after the ideas of making the app and the functionalities that will be implemented into the app have been decided upon! Accurate cost that will be incurred on the development is never estimated in the starting phase. This is due to the fact that one can keep integrating the app features when the mobile app development cycle is in progress. Flexibility in the budget is very important to allow minimal changes here and there.

   –  UI of the application:
Now comes the most exciting and interesting phase of iPhone app development or Android app development (mobile app development).

UI or the user-interface should be as much interactive and beautiful as much possible. The layout of the app should be well-built and stunning. The amazing layout of the app should be able to impress the users in the true sense so that they can be glued to the app. This is also called the front-end development.

 – Back-end mobile app development: In the previous step we saw that how the front-end developers create the layout and UI of an app. Now, it is time that the back-end developers put the design into action. This can be done with module development. A module development is the building block of any app. More the integration of features and functionalities in an app, more modules are integrated into the app.
First, a client should test the very basic version of the app, then integrate  more functionalities and features into it.

  – Quality Analysis and Debugging: An experienced mobile app development company never goes on and launches the app without testing it. Quality analysis is the most essential step but oftenly the most ignored one. There can be many bugs and issues which should be corrected and then Retesting should be done before the launch of the mobile app in the market for the end-users. Your app should be able to give your users the best experience.

  – Launch and marketing:  Well, it takes almost a month or two or even more to get the app developed by the mobile app developers, depending upon the complexity of the app. After it has been finally launched for the end-users in the market, it should be completely free of bugs. If there are any more bugs, get them removed from the experts of the mobile app development market.

Marketing should be planned in advance. It is essential because you would never want your app to go unnoticed. In fact, pre-marketing is the way to create awareness among your end-users about your brand or services. Once you launch the app, your app should find customers and users so that your business can grow to the max.

How much does it cost to build a mobile app?
One thing that we should never ignore is that Mobile app development is real hard work and the efforts done by the developers should never ever be underestimated. They will charge a fee that you will have to pay. Never mind listening to the suggestions of the ones around you. You will get a lot of options but you need to choose only the ones which will fit your budget or the cost.

The common features are login/ signup, dashboard etc. when we talk about the features and functionalities of the app. If a client would require some high-end features in the app like cryptocurrency etc, the client should be ready to spend a hefty amount on the development.
Let’s quickly have a look at the types of fees that a client may have to incur:
– Upfront cost
– Development cost
– Hourly fees
– Hidden costs
(If you don’t choose professionals in iPhone app development, you may have to give more hidden fees to the developer team!).

Which factors determine the cost of the app development?
To get a real estimate of the cost of the app development, most of the companies in the digital marketplace consider these things which are:
– App features
– App development time
– Hourly fee charged

Conclusion:
One should always choose experts in mobile app development or a mobile application development with year of experience in creating successful high-end mobile apps for Android as well as iOS application development. Remember that more the expertise, less will be the troubles that you may have to face when your app development is under process.Check before investing your hard-earned money that whether the company really deserves that much amount or not.