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Understanding Basics of Mobile App Development

In this advanced technology, every other person owns a smartphone and has apps installed from which they order food, medicines, clothes, daily essentials and what not. We're sure you all would also have all these apps installed in your gadgtes.

According to statista, the number of smartphone users worldwide is forecasted to exceed 1.5 billion users in 2040. As a result, there is a tremendous growth in demand for mobile applications. However, creating a successful app involves more than just writing code, creating software, and designing the user interface. 

In this blog, you will get in depth analysis of what mobile app development is, its process and different platforms in depth.

Lets understand it step by step:

What is Mobile App Development?

Mobile app development refers to processes and procedures for creating software for wireless devices such as tablets, mobile phones, and smartphones.

The two most prominent platforms in this field are iOS and Android. 

The growing demand for mobile app development in both private and government sectors is to meet user expectations for real-time, convenient transactions and access information from anywhere.

What sets mobile app development apart from website development is its ability to leverage native features on a device.

E.g. - Mobile applications can leverage features like GPS, Bluetooth, camera, microphone, and many others providing enhanced functionality and a more interactive user experience.

Also Read: 10 Most Popular Trends for Mobile App Development for 2023

Best Platforms for Mobile App Development in 2023

Mobile app development can be achieved through various platforms, each offering unique advantages. E-commerce websites can utilize these platforms to enhance the user-friendliness of their mobile platforms and increase app downloads. Let's explore them one by one:

• Flutter

It's an open-source mobile app development platform created by Google. It offers many features and tools that enable developers to build visually appealing and responsive apps. The platform uses IOS and Android to build apps, allowing cross-platform compatibility.

What makes it popular and different from other mobile app development is the ability to integrate with cloud-based services and tools for backend development. The integration enables features such as tools for data storage, push notifications, and user authentications, enhancing the functionality of the apps.

Secondly, it provides a rich set of pre-built widgets, ready-to-use UI components that can be customized to suit the app's design requirements. 

The platform's fast rendering and hot-reload capabilities contribute to efficient development that enables developers to see app changes as they modify the code.

Thirdly, it is known for its excellent performance, attractive UI, and cross-platform capabilities.

Microloop IT Solutions, Australia, offers the best Flutter services. They specialize in helping businesses achieve better operational efficiency and client engagement.

• React native

A platform maintained by Meta that offers an open-source framework for building native-like mobile applications using JavaScript and React libraries. It provides comprehensive tools and services for app development, testing, and deployment.

The best part of React Native Development is its ability to create a smooth and seamless experience because it uses native components and APIs. It offers an advantage for developers to build apps that closely resemble the look and feel of native applications.

At Microloop IT Solution, whether you own an enterprise or a business, we excel in delivering the best React native services. Our expertise lies in delivering a rich user experience on the small screen and exceptional customer engagement on your mobile applications.

• Ionic

It is an open-source platform for building cross-platform mobile apps using web technologies such as JavaScript, HTML, and CSS. It offers a rich library of UI components, pre-built themes, and a command-line interface for development. One of the significant advantages is that it allows developers to write code and deploy it across platforms, making it a cost-effective and efficient approach for mobile apps.

• Xamarin

One of the widely used mobile development technologies owned by Microsoft allows developers to have a single shared codebase and reuse code across platforms. It provides access to platform-specific APIs and delivers native performance. It enables the creation of user interfaces using a single codebase that can be deployed across multiple platforms.

• Unity

One of the popular game development software used for building mobile applications. It supports multiple platforms and offers various features, including 3D graphics, animation, audio, and cross-platform deployment.

However, it is essential to note that apps or games built with Unity can be performance-intensive and may not function optimally on older devices. The major drawback of the platform is that apps or games built into them are performance-intensive platforms that do not function on older devices.

Mobile App Development Process

1) Refine the idea and strategies

Before you start working, it is crucial to address the following questions:

  • The goals of your app
  • Identify the problem your app will solve
  • Determine the features of your app
  • Expertise in departments needed
  • Analyze competitors
  • Filter out the target audience

Once you have these aspects, you can move to the next step, which is to build your app's UX design. 

2) Build UX design

Start by creating a blueprint or wireframe that outlines the flow of the app and how users will navigate through it. And how users will navigate throughout the app. This will allow all departments to understand the app's structure and ensure a seamless user experience.

3) Application development

It's time to get your hands on developing the app. Wait, before that you will have to focus on three parts:

• Back end server technology

This involves setting up the necessary database and server-side objects to support the mobile app's functionality. If you already have a back-end technology, you should modify the existing system.

• API

API (Application programming interface) plays a crucial role in integrating various functionalities and services into an app. They enable mobile apps to interact with external services, databases and resources to exchange and access data.

For e.g., APIs facilitate interactions with social media platforms, cloud storage, payment gateways and many more.

One of the significant advantages of APIs is that mobile app developers can leverage existing functionalities and services without needing to build from scratch.

• Front end technology

In mobile apps, the front end refers to the combination of UI and UX components that users directly interact with. It involves designing the app to create an engaging and user-friendly experience.

The process involves structuring and deciding the placement of components such as text, images and media to create a user-friendly experience.

4) Testing

A process where evaluating and verifying a mobile application's functionality, performance, usability and security before it is launched for end users. This quality assurance check ensures that the app meets standard quality and delivers a satisfactory user experience. 

There are different methods under which you can deliver quality solutions:

• Functionality testing 

This type of testing focuses on verifying that the app functions correctly as intended. It involves conducting a quality check of all the features, buttons, menus and interactions to ensure they work as expected and fulfill the specified requirements.

• Performance testing

This testing assesses how well the app performs under different conditions, such as low battery, limited system resources or high network traffic. The primary purpose is to identify potential bottlenecks, discrepancies or slow response times and work accordingly to optimize the app's performance accordingly.

• Security testing

This process involves handling sensitive information while interacting with networks and external services. It helps identify vulnerabilities and ensures the security of the user data. The things that need to be tested are data encryption, secure APIs and protection against common security threats.

5) Deployment and support

After conducting various tests on the app, it's mandatory to have an account with the iOS App Store and Google Play Store, respectively. Additionally, ensure that you have a unique name and a bundle identifier for your app that differentiates it from the QA (Quality Assurance) version. This separation helps in distinguishing between the QA and production versions of your app.

Here's a checklist to complete the name app listing on the play stores::

  • Short description
  • Keywords
  • Category
  • Promotional video
  • Graphics on banner
  • Descriptions
  • Short title

Make sure to follow and go through all the guidelines given by the app store to ensure that your app gets listed successfully. 

Summing up

So far, we have provided insights into mobile app development and its significance across different platforms and guided you through the process to help you make informed decisions. Now it's your time to avail services from the best mobile app development services in Australia, Microloop IT Solution.

We have an experienced team of IOS developers whose expertise in creating apps that run efficiently on multiple platforms and cater to your targeted customer base.