One codebase, multiple platforms: cross-platform app development unlocks the door to a broader audience reach.

Every application development enterprise and developer faces numerous challenges in their journey of developing and deploying an application. With the ever-growing extensive use of smartphones, the magnitude and shape of the challenge is constantly changing to greater proportions. One major challenge every developer and enterprise is facing from old times to these days is building and deploying a holistic cross-platform app. Creating a viable cross-platform app is tough; developers and software companies know it well. 

Both Android and Apple enjoy a substantial market share of users. Organizations are using mobile applications as a bridge to reach out to customers and new markets. So it is important to have an application that performs well on every available platform. 

That is how the new age and advanced concept of cross-platform app development is born. 

Cross-Platform App and Its Development

The traditional days of focusing on a single platform and developing and deploying on a specific platform are gone. 

Many software development enterprises are stuck with one single question – whether to go for native apps or Cross-Platform Apps. So what is Cross-Platform app? Why is it a prominent decision in the first place? 

Let us find out.

Cross-platform app development is the software development practice of designing and deploying software products and services that function on various platforms. Cross-platform apps are those applications that efficiently function on multiple platforms easily. 

Cross-platform mobile application development employs many methods and steps to enable an application to perform on every platform. A Cross-Platform application is deployed on multiple platforms at the same time without any delay.

Most of the applications that are in use or being made these days are mobile applications – that is, software applications made to work on smartphones. Cross-platform apps are those applications that function on both Android and Apple iOS backed devices, along with Windows or other operating systems backed platforms. 

Read more: What are the Top Hybrid Mobile App Development Technologies to Consider in 2024?

But Why Cross-Platform Apps?

This is an important question before starting Cross-Platform app development. Choosing cross-platform application development over native apps is a choice that every software development company or developer is making these days. The development costs, skills, resources, and time are different for native apps and Cross-Platform apps. 

But the main reason is the feasibility of developing an application that functions on multiple platforms at the same time. Furthermore, let us see the pros and cons of Cross-Platform apps. This helps in learning the difference a Cross-Platform app brings to your business.

Pros:

• Reduction in development costs, time, resource usage, and efforts is the first and foremost advantage that Cross-Platform app development offers to developers and enterprises.
• A software development company needs multiple teams of developers and tech support for developing native apps. But one developing team is enough to deal with all the Cross-Platform apps. It is a feasibility that no company wishes to miss.
• It is very easy and simple to build a framework for Cross-Platform app development. 
• With a single code base, Cross-Platform apps are easy to maintain. Besides, the code of a Cross-Platform app can be reused again, bringing ease and efficiency to the development process.
• Cross-platform applications can be integrated with cloud hosting, which brings flexibility in the usage of any extensions or plug-ins.
• Enterprises enjoy a far more extended customer reach and market penetration with Cross-Platform apps. 

Cons:

• Code design and its complexity are the major drawbacks that might make developers stumble for some time.
• There are many exceptions and protocols that developers must heed to make the application function efficiently aCross-Platforms.
• Yes, the code can be reused but handling such a multi-dimensional and complex code is not possible for everyone, it demands highly certified professionals and finding them may be tough and time taking.
• Cross-platform apps have a complaint that they work slower and their responses are different on different platforms. Developers and enterprises shall take extreme care to sort out such complaints even before they arise. 
• Cross-platform mobile app developers usually suffer from a limited range of UX tools, components, and resources, as they can only have those tools and resources that can effectively work on multiple platforms. This limits their development capabilities. This affects the user experience.

Cross-Platform Frameworks 

React Native, Flutter, Cordova, Ionic, and Xamarin are some of the most revered frameworks for cross-platform app development among developers around the world. 

Read more: Strategic Step-by-Step Approach for Successful Hybrid App Development

Best Examples of Cross-Platform Apps

Chrome, Firefox, Adobe Reader, OpenOffice, TeamViewer, Apache, Thunderbird, MySQL Workbench, etc. are some of the best examples of quality cross-platform apps developed so far.

FAQs

1. What is cross-platform app development?

• The process of developing mobile applications using a single codebase that can run on several operating platforms, like iOS and Android, is known as cross-platform app development. Rather than creating unique apps for every device, this method saves programmers both time and labour by enabling them to write code once and deploy it across several platforms.

2. What are some examples of cross-platform apps?

• Famous apps like Slack, Spotify, Instagram, Skype, Meta’s Facebook and Airbnb are a few examples of cross-platform applications. These applications provide a uniform user experience across a range of devices and OS since they are developed with cross-platform development frameworks.

3. What are the best cross-platform app development frameworks?

• Some of the top cross-platform app development frameworks include React Native, Flutter, Xamarin, and Ionic. These frameworks provide developers with tools and libraries to build high-quality, native-like apps for multiple platforms using a single codebase.

4. What are the best cross-platform app development tools?

• Code editors, debugging tools, and device emulators are just a few of the capabilities that cross-platform app development tools offer to assist speed up the development process. Some popular cross-platform development tools include Visual Studio Code, Xcode, Android Studio, and various plugins and extensions specific to each framework.

5. Can I develop cross-platform apps for Android?

• Yes, cross-platform app development frameworks like React Native, Flutter, Xamarin, and Ionic support Android app development. Developers can write code once and deploy it to Android devices along with other platforms, ensuring broad compatibility and reach.

By using cross-platform development frameworks and tools, developers can efficiently build mobile apps that reach a wide audience without the need for separate codebases. For inquiries, reach out via email at info@techrev.us or give us a call at 1-954-332-9779.