The Pros and Cons of Cross Platform Mobile App Development

The increasing number of operating systems and devices means that it’s becoming increasingly costly and impractical to create a different app for each device. We’re currently at a stage where there are four main operating systems – IOS, Android, BlackBerry and Windows, however Samsung are rumoured to develop their own, Ubuntu are soon to hit the market with their own OS and who’s to know what’s around the corner?

Now, we’re not going to say that cross platform mobile app development doesn’t have some downsides. Any one size fits all approach does, however, there are numerous pros of choosing a cross platform frame work from a mobile app agency when creating apps.

Pros of Cross Platform Development

The code the developer uses works across all the platforms and they just have to write it once. This speeds up the process and also means it doesn’t cost as much – time is money after all.

The frameworks used are dynamic and easy to use and most support native functions, as well as HTML5 and CSS3.

The most common frameworks will provide easy access to plugins and modules and also offer support for cloud services.

This all makes it a lot easier and quicker for app developers in London or elsewhere to provide high quality apps quickly. And this is all good news for the consumer who receives apps for any platform they want for less.

Negatives of Cross Platform Development

There can be problems in some instances with supporting features. If for instance Google or Microsoft adds new features, the framework may need an update.

App developers may find that some frameworks don’t allow them to use their own tools to create the apps. However, there is an increasing amount that does offer the native IDE.

Other issues are that code may not run as quickly as the native tools and that high end 3D graphics support may be somewhat limited.

Design considerations are one of the other big concerns. User interfaces and experiences are different according to each operation system – for instance menus on an Apple work differently to Android menus. This is where a good mobile app agency earns their worth, as they create different menus for each operating system. If the controls on your iOS version are the same as those on the Android version, then it’s not the quality you should expect.

Ultimately, whether you go for a native or cross platform solution comes down to your business, your market and your objectives. It’s an important decision which needs to be made in context.

If you’re thinking about mobile app development get in touch with us and see if we might be a match for you.

Share: