Mobile Application Development and types of Mobile Applications

02/26/2024 posted by Admin Chandan Kumar

In this digitalized era the smartphone revolution has made it easy to do things on the go. Be it watching movies, reading the news, listening to music, playing games, looking for information, or being involved in social media. We are able to get all this done at the convenience of just touch using various apps on our phones and tablets. All this is possible with the introduction of Mobile Applications. 


Types of Mobile Applications

In the early years of mobile apps, the only way to ensure an app could perform optimally on any device was to develop the app natively. This meant that new code had to be written specifically for each device's specific processor. Today, the majority of mobile applications developed are device-centered


Before developing an app, you need to determine which type you'll be creating. Here's a breakdown of several types of mobile app development technologies with information about each.


Native Apps: Native apps are installed onto the device itself and are developed especially for a particular operating system. These apps are available on app stores such as Apple App Store, Google Play Store, etc.


Native apps work in specific operating systems such as Apple iOS, Android or Windows. If an is app made for Android then it will not work on Apple iOS or Windows. We have to build separate apps for each operating system if we want to our app to work across all major operating systems.


Web Apps: Web Apps can be accessed through the device’s Web browser, Web Apps are based on internet-enabled applications. In order to access we don’t need to download and install the app onto a mobile device.


The app is developed as web pages in HTML and CSS, interactive parts are developed in JavaScript or similar languages. The single web app can be used on most devices capable of surfing the web, it does not depend upon the operating system they use.



Hybrid Apps: Hybrid apps are a blend of both native and web solutions where the core of the application is written using web technologies. The heart of a hybrid-mobile application is still just an application that is written with HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. However, instead of the app being shown within the user’s browser, it is run from within a native application and its own embedded browser, which is essentially invisible to the user.


Progressive Web Apps: Progressive Web Apps (PWAs) are applications that you build by using web technologies, and that can be installed and can run on all devices, from one codebase. PWAs provide native-like experiences to your users on supporting devices. They adapt to the capabilities supported by each device and they can also run in web browsers, like websites.


Summary

Native, Hybrid, Web Apps and PWA apps each have their set benefits and flaws. Depending on the requirements of the business, you will need to take a call as to which type of app you would like to build. The key to using the different types of applications solely depends on the features, requirements, and purpose of the app you are building. And each of the App types brings its own advantages to the table.