Cross Platform Mobile Application

Introduction to Cross-Platform Mobile Development

Cross-platform mobile development is the process whereby you create apps that will be compatible with multiple mobile operating systems. These apps are usually a fusion of native applications developed for specific mobile platforms and web applications. This process involves writing the code in web programming languages that adopt native elements of the mobile platform, making the cross-platform application adaptable and granting access to the platform API. The code of such apps is translated into languages native to each platform. Notably, the most popular hybrid app is used by LinkedIn, though they later shifted towards native platforms for technical reasons, such as the availability of better development tools and access to device-specific features.

The Need for Cross-Platform Applications

The complexity of developing mobile apps is compounded by the difficulty of building a back end that works across multiple platforms. Although writing code for each operating system separately is time-consuming and expensive, it was traditionally considered easier to build native applications for each mobile operating system (OS) than to develop a hybrid cross-platform application. This is despite the fact that very little code written for each operating system could be reused. Developers often face the challenging decision of whether to develop a native mobile app or opt for cross-platform solutions. As businesses, it is essential to cater to different types of customers who possess various devices. Therefore, a mobile app that functions seamlessly across platforms (i.e., Android, iOS, Windows, etc.) is necessary. Recently, the hybrid approach has been deemed the most reasonable. According to technology experts, by 2020, more than half of all mobile apps will be hybrid cross-platform applications (Smith, 2018).

Different Approaches for Cross-Platform Applications

Today, it is easier for programmers to develop cross-platform apps. Newer approaches to cross-platform development include:

• Native Cross-Platform Apps: These use an Integrated Development Environment (IDE) that handles the process of creating the native application bundle by a unified API on top of the native SDKs.
• Hybrid HTML5 App Development: Developers write the core of the application as an HTML5 or JavaScript mobile app and then place a native device wrapper around it.
• Rapid Mobile App Development (RMAD): Developers use code-free programming tools. RMAD offers business users the ability to quickly build and manage “good-enough” internal apps to address specific business issues (Johnson, 2019).
• Windows Universal Apps: This approach uses one codebase for all Windows devices, enabling the same app to run on a Windows PC, tablet, smartphone, smartwatch, or Xbox.

Native Cross-Platform Apps

Every major mobile operating system has its own SDK (Software Development Kit) to create mobile apps. These SDKs also have preferred programming languages supported by the OS vendor. For example, for iOS, Objective-C and Swift are the preferred programming languages supported by Apple, whereas for Android, Java is the preferred language supported by Google. Generally, apps created with these languages using the official SDK are called “native apps.” However, it is possible to use APIs (Application Programming Interface) provided by the native SDK in other programming languages not supported by the OS vendor. This is how “cross-platform” native apps are created. A third-party vendor typically chooses a programming language and creates a unified API on top of the native SDKs provided by various OS vendors. Using this unified API, it is possible to support multiple operating systems with a single codebase. The third-party vendor generally provides an IDE that handles the process of creating the native application bundle for iOS and Android from the single cross-platform codebase.

Hybrid HTML5 Cross-Platform Apps

Mobile apps are essentially GUI applications. Most mobile apps depend on backend web services for large parts of their business logic. Roughly speaking, in mobile apps, especially in the business process automation domain, almost 60% of the code deals with creating and managing the GUI. iOS, Android, and Windows Phone all have a very advanced browser component in their SDKs. By leveraging this WebView component, programmers can use standard HTML5 web technologies to design and program parts of their application. In the end, the application is composed of at least a native frame and HTML/JavaScript executed in a WebView, which is why they are called “hybrid.” Application features that need sensor input like geolocation, camera, or lower-level functions like accessing the file system usually use some JavaScript-to-native bridge provided by the hybrid application framework (Brown, 2020).

Benefits of Cross-Platform Application Development

• Cross-compatibility of web technologies (HTML5, CSS, and JavaScript).
• Use of native components to leverage device-specific features.
• With careful planning, around 50%-80% code reuse can be realized in cross-platforms, resulting in faster development and reduced costs.
• Cross-platform development offers more benefits during the maintenance period. If a bug is found in a common codebase, it needs to be fixed only once.
• Unit tests are required to be written only once for the common code, hence the saved budget can be used to write more thorough unit tests.
• It is possible to use existing programming talent rather than learning platform-specific development languages.
• Ideal for B2B apps and business process automation apps, where time to deployment and efficient utilization of resources are more important than sleek look and feel.

Conclusion

The evolution of cross-platform mobile development has significantly impacted how developers approach app creation. By leveraging hybrid solutions, businesses can ensure a wider reach and more efficient resource utilization. As technology continues to advance, cross-platform approaches will likely become even more integral to mobile application development strategies (Miller, 2021).

**References:**

- Brown, J. (2020). _Hybrid App Development: Bridging the Gap Between Native and Web Technologies_. Tech Journal.
- Johnson, L. (2019). _The Rise of Rapid Mobile App Development_. IT Innovations.
- Miller, A. (2021). _Future Trends in Mobile Application Development_. Digital World Publishing.
- Smith, R. (2018). _The Growth of Hybrid Mobile Applications_. Mobile Tech Review.