WINDOWS, APPLE, AND ANDROID DEVICES

Cross-platform mobile development refers to the development of apps that are compatible with more than one mobile operating system. We cater for Windows, Apple, and Android Devices. 

Cross-platform development comes in many different forms. Apps can be built individually for each platform or they can share a single code-base. We've taken the opportunity to define the meaning behind each App development process below.

NATIVE APPS

A “Native App” is a mobile application that has been developed for a specific platform i.e. iOS, Android or Windows. Each native App is built separately to ensure the best user-experience for each device type and operating system. A good native app will have the ability to take full advantage of the hardware capabilities for each device type i.e. maps, GPS, accelerometer, front/rear cameras, wallet, push notifications etc. It will also provide the right “look & feel” for each platform, resulting in a more intuitive and user-friendly app for the final user.

WEB APPS

A Web App is essentially a website which is developed in a way that is optimised for use on touch devices and small screens (phones and tablets). Unlike a Native App, a Web App only needs to be coded once in order to work on all devices, driving down development costs and increasing your speed to market. However, Web Apps don’t provide a rich UI/UX (user interface / User experience design) in the same way as a Native App, and Web Apps don’t have the ability to access hardware capabilities such as the camera, accelerometer, push notifications, wallet, speech assistant, live tiles, etc.

HYBRID APPS

A Hybrid App sits somewhere between Native Apps and Web Apps. It too is only coded once in a way which allows it to run in all platforms but, after receiving a “native touch”, it also has the ability to access hardware components like the camera, push notifications, local databases, and other native components. However, the user interface is usually the same across all platforms, and because of the way Hybrid Apps are developed and delivered, they tend to run noticeably slower than native apps. These two drawbacks can lead to a bad user experience.

XAMARIN NATIVE APPS

Whilst Android Apps are written in Java, and iOS Apps in ObjectiveC/Swift, the Xamarin Platform allows developers to write a shared logic using just one coding language (C#). This means that approximately 80% of the code can be reused across all platforms, and the remaining 20% is added on as a native layer. The resulting Apps have all of the same functionality as a Native App without the associated costs of developing for multiple platforms. This is the development method of choice for 3chillies. It provides the best cost savings for the customer without compromising on quality, user experience, or performance.

To discuss which development method is right for you, please get in touch. 3chillies will examine your requirements and suggest the most appropriate approach for your business. We can also offer additional advice on the App development process.