What is Native Application?

What is Native Applications?

Native mobile app development involves building apps for particular mobile operating systems using its native coding language, instead of writing apps in cross platform languages like Ionic. If you intend to build a native application for iOS, mobile app developers will use programming languages like Objective-C or Swift. In contrast, developing for Android calls for the programming languages Java or Kotlin.

On a mobile phone, a native mobile app is an application that is coded in a specific programming language, such as Swift for iOS or Java for Android operating systems. Native mobile apps provide fast performance and a high degree of reliability. Native apps can provide optimized performance and take advantage of the latest technology, such as a GPS, compared to web apps or mobile cloud apps developed to be generic across multiple systems.

Both Apple and Google provide app developers with their own development tools, interface elements, and SDK (Software Development Kit). Most companies will invest in native mobile app development because of the myriad of benefits offered in comparison to other types of apps such as Hybrid or Web. As mobile software is increasingly a necessity for companies, it is important for companies to be well informed about the pros and cons of choosing an app development approach.

 

Native app development for Android

You can develop native Android apps in Java, Kotlin, and C++ programming languages. Google provides you with advanced Android development tools, such as:

  • Android SDK (software development kit) bundled with Android Studio, the official IDE (integrated development environment) for Android,
  • Command line tools for Windows, Mac, and Linux
  • Firebase, a comprehensive mobile development platform
  • Android Jetpack, a collection of pre-made Android components

     Google’s in-house tools, there are also many third-party solutions you can use for Android development. You can create Android apps on both PCs and Macs. When your native Android app is ready, you need to submit it to the Google Play app store where users can download or buy it.

 

Native app development for iOS

You can create native iOS apps in Objective-C or Swift. Unlike Android, the iOS operating system has closed source code, created exclusively for Apple’s hardware. Therefore, you need a Mac device to develop native mobile apps for the iOS platform.

Apple has many excellent tools and resources you can use for iOS development such as:

  • iOS SDK integrated with the Cocoa Touch UI framework
  • XCode, the official IDE for iOS development
  • Swift Playgrounds, a learning platform for Swift development
  • TestFlight, a beta testing app

iOS also has a remarkable third-party ecosystem with well-known developer tools such as AppCode and CodeRunner. App Store’s review guidelines are quite strict. They can reject your iOS app for numerous reasons from poor performance to security issues to the lack of valuable content.

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Benefits of Native Mobile App Development

 

The Best Performance

With native mobile app development, the app is created and optimized for a specific platform. As a result, the app demonstrates an extremely high level of performance. Native apps are very fast and responsive because they are built for that specific platform and are compiled using platforms core programming language and APIs. As a result, the app is much more efficient. The device stores the app allowing the software to leverage the device’s processing speed. As users navigate through a native mobile app, the contents and visual elements are already stored on their phone that means load times are quick.

Native Apps Are More Secure

Web apps rely on different browsers and underlying technologies such as JavaScript, HTML5, and CSS. Developing a native mobile app is a great way to guarantee your users reliable data protection.

Native Apps Are More Interactive and Intuitive

Native mobile apps run much smoother regarding user input and output. These types of apps inherit their devices’ OS interfaces, making them look and feel like an integrated part of the device. The most advantageous benefit to native mobile apps is the superior user experience. Native apps are created specifically for an operating system. They stick to the guidelines that ultimately enhance and align the user experience with the specific operating system. As a result, the flow of the app is more natural as they have specific UI standards for each platform. This allows the user to learn the app, such as deleting an element quickly. Adhering to specific guidelines eliminates the learning curve and allows users to interact with apps using actions and gestures they are familiar with already.

Native Apps Allow Developers to Access the Full Feature Set Of Devices

Native apps are developed for their particular platform, taking full advantage of the software and the operating systems’ features. These apps can directly access the hardware of the device such as the GPS, camera, microphone, etc. so they are faster in execution, which ultimately results in better user experience. Push notifications are another huge advantage to choosing native app development. Push notifications go through the iOS server (APNS) which you need your app bundle ID and it with Google’s Cloud Messaging (GCM).

 

References

Jobe, W. (2013). Native Apps Vs. Mobile Web Apps. International Journal of Interactive Mobile Technologies (IJIM), 7(4), 27. https://doi.org/10.3991/ijim.v7i4.3226

SearchSoftwareQuality. 2020. What Is Native App? - Definition From Whatis.Com. Available at: https://searchsoftwarequality.techtarget.com/definition/native-application-native-app

 

 

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