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Cross-platform App Development: Benefits and Limitations

Cross-platform App Development: Benefits and Limitations

Sun, 09 May 2021

Native apps are developed for a single platform operating system and therefore need to be redeveloped for each platform. Usually, the native apps are fast and high performing. However, developing multiple apps for the same purpose doesn’t seem like a very effective strategy for most businesses; it can be costly and time-consuming. In this context, Cross-Platform App Development which allows you to simultaneously build apps for multiple platforms has become increasingly popular. There are a variety of tools and frameworks for this and cross-platform applications are already out on the market, including PayPal and Ubereats. Benefits of Cross-Platform App Development: Lower Cost of Development: The development of Native apps can be quite expensive. For each native platform, the app is coded for, those costs will multiply. A single code for multiple platforms with cross-platform apps erases the need to hire various development teams. The code is reusable, and developers do not need to learn a new language for various versions. This can result in relatively smaller development costs. Faster Delivery to the market: For native applications, any changes in the app must be communicated and implemented to different designer sets. This is often time-consuming. If an app has been developed using the development of cross-platform apps, changes should only be coded once. Reusing code is faster than writing from scratch, too. This will not only save time during development but also testing and updating. All the updates can be simultaneously deployed and synchronized across all devices. This can enable changes to be delivered to the market faster and thus gain an edge in competitive markets. User Experience: Coding an app for each platform separately often results in differences in user experience across platforms. Different development teams during updates and modifications invariably lead to different experiences. Cross-platform application development tools can enable each application to follow the same underlying code to its native UI. Ionic for that is quite popular. Custom changes may be developed, tested, and implemented once, resulting in user experience uniformity, even with a UI that feels truly native. Wider reach for the app: Since a cross-platform app allows you to simultaneously target and launch multiple platforms, you can also contact both iOS and Android users at the same time. In terms of the initial launch or further updates, there is no lag between different platforms. This will allow you to quickly capture a larger market share. It can be an important factor for start-ups and small and medium-sized enterprises to build a user base in as short a time as possible. Better Cloud Integration: The compatibility with any plugins and extensions is greatly enhanced as cross-platform apps use single source code as the base. There is only one source code that needs to be coordinated with different extensions and plug-ins that can be done with relative ease. Such applications can be integrated easily with cloud settings. This can be a big competitive advantage in a world that is shifting to cloud computing more than ever before. Restrictions: Lack of Flexibility More Code Maintenance Required Graphics Security Concerns Interface with App Store and Google Play