Cross-Platform Mobile Development: Pros And Cons

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Cross-platform mobile app development has taken the world by storm. But is it that great, or are you better off focusing on native app development? It’s not a question we can answer right away, as there are many considerations. 

Depending on the tools you use, you may experience a challenging or smooth development experience. Then, there’s the matter of how adaptable you and your team are at deploying to more platforms. And let’s not forget about the costs involved in using some of the leading cross-platform tools in the market today. We cover all these matters in more detail below.

Cross-Platform Versus Native App Development Environments

It’s tricky attempting cross-platform development, especially if you’ve been developing native apps for a single platform. And you may be wondering if it’s worth the additional costs and challenges. Will you find success developing for multiple platforms? Or will you get burned out dealing with a more bloated development environment and new technical requirements?

Pros:

  • Advances in cross-platform technology: There was a time when cross-platform tech stacks couldn’t compete with native solutions. But the performance gap has narrowed significantly, especially with the introduction of Xamarin.
  • Integrated Development Environments (IDEs): Having access to several of the world’s best IDEs is a huge boon. All serious app developers should have Android Studio, Visual Studio, and Xcode installed on their machines.
  • Single codebase: There’s no longer a need to write in multiple programming languages. Today’s cross-platform tech stacks make it possible to maintain a single codebase entirely in C# or JavaScript.
  • Transferable skills: If you’re already a competent Android developer, making the jump to iOS should be a quick process. Most mobile development skills transfer from one platform to another easily.

Cons: 

  • Additional hardware: If your studio only has Windows or Linux PCs for development purposes, you won’t be able to target iOS. So you’ll need to purchase at least one Apple Mac and various iOS devices to develop and test your apps.
  • Higher difficulty curve: Targeting multiple platforms is far more challenging than native app development. While cross-platform tools promise a ‘write once, run anywhere’ experience, this isn’t always the case. Sometimes it’s necessary to write user interface (UI) code for each platform. 
  • Worse performance: One of the benefits of native app development is the better performance it brings to the table. Even the best cross-platform tools and languages don’t quite match native solutions. 

Creating Cross-Platform Mobile Games

The popularity of mobile gaming continues unabated. Moreover, the gaming market is massive yet fragmented since it encompasses PC, console, mobile, and the web. So, savvy game developers will want to target most if not all of these platforms. But there are several factors to consider before heading down this road.

Pros:

  • Development tools: There’s no shortage of excellent game engines and frameworks facilitating cross-platform development.  
  • Device ownership: Most users own multiple devices and will likely play games on all of these at one point or another.
  • Esports: The phenomenal growth of mobile eSports presents new opportunities. Given the multiplayer nature of eSports, it’s only natural that Android and iOS users will want to compete against each other. 
  • Reaching new audiences: Releasing simultaneously on Android and iOS ensures that your mobile games reach as many users as possible. But it doesn’t have to end there when the web and desktop platforms have millions of potential new users.

Cons:

  • API integrations: The more platforms and storefronts you target, the more APIs you’ll integrate. Thus, increasing costs and time to market (TTM).
  • Different audience expectations: iOS users have different expectations from Android users. Creating mobile games that appeal to both groups will prove challenging.
  • Maintenance and updates: You will need additional team members to maintain and update your game on two or more platforms. And this is especially true if you’re creating live service games or rely on subscriptions and in-app purchases. 
  • Profiling and testing: It’s a lot easier to profile and test a mobile game when targeting a single platform. With cross-platform development, you’ll use additional tooling to test across devices with different CPUs, GPUs, displays, and memory.

Consider The Costs Of Your Development Tools

Targeting multiple platforms is not cheap, especially when weighing the costs of the development tools. Let’s start with the good news, both Android Studio and Xcode are free to use. Even Microsoft offers the community edition of Visual Studio for free. But now — the bad news — several cross-platform tools and game engines can get offensively expensive. 

And many of these tools are only available via subscription. Thus, you’ll need to consider how long you plan on using these tools to determine their costs. But be forewarned, it’s never a good idea to cancel a subscription after completing an app. You still need access to these tools as long as you’re maintaining and updating the app. So, make sure that you’ve planned for this eventuality. 

Now, let’s take a look at several popular cross-platform tools that could drive up your development costs considerably:

  • Embarcadero Delphi 11: It’s a mobile-first IDE aimed at developers comfortable with the Delphi language, which natively compiles to the target platform. The professional edition costs $1,599 for the first year with a $399 renewal.
  • Unity: As the most popular tool for mobile game development, Unity has garnered a massive community thanks to its free personal version. But professional studios and teams will opt for the pro edition costing $1,800 per year and per seat, or the enterprise edition costing $4,000 per month and for 20 seats. 
  • Xamarin: For small indie developers that want to write their apps in C#, Xamarin offers a subscription for $25 per month. Professional studios will likely opt for the enterprise edition, which costs $1,899 per year.

Open Source Solutions Are Viable Options

If you’re a startup, you may not be able to afford the steep prices of proprietary development tools. However, not all is lost as there are several good free and open-source tools for your cross-platform development needs. We’ll briefly look at several of the more popular solutions:

  • Flutter: It’s a versatile framework for creating apps for embedded devices, desktops, mobile platforms, and the web. It uses the Dart programming language, which developers coming from a mobile or web app background will pick up quickly.
  • Godot: As a close competitor to Unity, Godot has made significant strides in becoming the game engine choice for indie developers. Furthermore, it’s an indispensable and lightweight tool for creating augmented reality (AR) apps, virtual reality (VR) experiences, and mobile games. 
  • Ionic: Web developers should feel at home with Ionic since it utilizes CSS, HTML, and JavaScript. It facilitates rapid development and can deploy mobile apps and even Progressive Web Apps (PWAs). 
  • React Native: Like Flutter, React Native is a framework targeting many platforms and devices, including Windows Universal Platform (UWP). But the best part is that it allows developers comfortable with the JavaScript language to create impressive-looking mobile apps.

In Conclusion

If you’re considering cross-platform mobile app development, then there’s never been a better time to pursue this avenue. And the wide range of excellent paid and open-source tools make this path a lot more accessible. Contact NS804 to learn how we’ll help you deploy phenomenal native apps on Android and iOS. 

7 Tips For Better Android App Development

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Android app development remains a promising path for appreneurs and developers seeking new opportunities. And with recent announcements regarding Android 12, Material You, and the latest foldable phones, these are exciting times. 

If you are an experienced Android developer or simply sitting by the sidelines, there’s never been a better time to hop on board. Even if you’re an ardent iOS developer that has steered clear of Android, it’s time to give the platform another look. Below, we reveal several handy tips to enhance your Android app development experience in 2022 and beyond!

1. Read The Developer Guides Thoroughly

Set up your Google developer profile, then go through the developer guides. These are well-written and informative, so you should find everything you need to get started. Furthermore, there are training courses for beginner and intermediate developers. And if you plan on studying further, you may want to sign up for the certification and degree programs.

2. Download And Install Android Studio

Android Studio is the official integrated development environment (IDE) for Android development, so you should use it. It’s a powerful suite that’s indispensable for native Android app development. Moreover, it’s a better option than the Eclipse IDE since it’s a more focused tool for Android development. But if you’re developing for multiple platforms, you may want to go with Visual Studio 2019 or 2022.

3. Choose Kotlin Instead Of Java

If you’re starting your Android development journey today, choose Kotlin instead of Java as your programming language. Kotlin is a more modern yet less-verbose language than Java, resulting in a faster and smoother coding experience. The only reason to choose Java is to maintain existing apps written in that language.

4. Learn Material Design

Google has created Material, a design system for creating eye-catching user interfaces (UI) and themes. It consists of component libraries and a states system, allowing designers to build interactive UIs efficiently. Learning the Material design system is worthwhile because it supports Android, Flutter, iOS, and the web.

5. Use A Game Engine For Immersive Experiences

While Android Studio is great, it does have a few shortcomings. For example, it’s not the most effective tool for creating the immersive experiences found in augmented reality (AR) or virtual reality (VR) apps. Instead, it’s better to use Godot, Unity, or Unreal Engine for any visually-rich projects, including mobile games.

6. Profile Your Apps Regularly 

Android Studio and most game engines come with a built-in profiler. Use the profiler regularly, as it reveals performance bottlenecks in your apps. It will track CPU and GPU usage, examine threads, detect memory leaks, and even show network traffic. Without profiling, you risk submitting an app that Google Play will likely reject or earn you negative user reviews.

7. Focus On Security

Hackers and malware creators target the Android platform due to its massive user base. That’s why you should seek ways to harden the security of your apps and follow best practices. 

Ensure that you’re doing the utmost when storing user data and dealing with sensitive information. Furthermore, keep the number of app permissions to a minimum and cede these when no longer necessary. And use the Nogotofail tool to check for vulnerabilities in your encrypted communications.

The Bottom Line

While Android app development can be fun and rewarding, it can also be frustrating. But the good news is that the development experience on Android has improved tremendously over the years. And if you follow our handy tips, you’re bound to reap the benefits of the platform. Contact NS804 to learn more about building phenomenal Android apps today!

How Much Does It Cost To Build An App Like Waze

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Nowadays, many drivers plan their daily routes using apps such as Waze. And it’s easy to see why that is, considering how much it enhances the driving experience. A few of Waze’s features include enhanced Google Assistant integration, lane suggestions, and traffic notifications. All these give drivers an accurate visual representation of their trip, how long it will take, and when they’ll encounter traffic.

If you’re considering a real-time navigation app as your next project, Waze can serve as inspiration. But developing such an app is also complex and costly, which we’ll cover in more detail below.

A Brief History Of Waze

Waze has roots dating back to 2006 as a community project known as FreeMap Israel. The project introduced a free-to-use digital database and map of Israel. And its enthusiastic and growing community of users contributed significantly to its early success. In 2008, Waze was established as a company to commercialize the project.

The company then raised $25 million in 2010 and $35 million in 2011. And after updating the app, it presented users with curated points of interest in real-time. And in 2012, Waze offered advertisers and resellers the opportunity to advertise via a web interface. It also extended this opportunity to news networks in the US and Brazil.

All that hard work and growth did not go unnoticed. In 2013, the GSM Association awarded Waze the Best Overall Mobile App. But the good fortunes of the company didn’t end there. In June 2013, Google acquired Waze for the princely sum of $966 million. 

The acquisition drew attention from the United States Federal Trade Commission (FTC) due to the similarities between Waze and Google Maps. However, the FTC did not challenge the acquisition, and it went through successfully. 

Key Features Of Waze

What makes Waze stand out is its effective collection and dissemination of crowdsourced information. However, it doesn’t rely solely on the information provided by users but also from the relevant state agencies. 

So what type of information is reported to Waze? Usually, information about construction work and traffic events, likely to hinder travel. In some cases, users may report the locations of traffic monitoring cameras to warn other drivers. Furthermore, registered users may alter map data using the app’s built-in editor. 

But the range of features has grown significantly over the years. It’s possible to choose a navigation app voice from celebrities such as Arnold Schwarzenegger, DJ Khaled, and Kevin Darnell Hart, to name a few. Users can also record their voices to serve as navigation prompts. 

Moreover, Waze introduced trip suggestions, lane guidance, and specialized routes. The app isn’t limited to car drivers but also accommodates motorcyclists and those using carpools. 

More importantly, Waze has partnered with popular apps, media networks, and services. Users enjoy additional functionality due to Waze’s integration with the following: 

  • Android Auto
  • Apple CarPlay
  • Deezer
  • Google Assistant
  • iHeartRadio
  • NPR One
  • Pandora
  • Scribd
  • Spotify
  • Stitcher
  • TuneIn
  • YouTube Music

Similarities And Differences To Google Maps

Google Maps and Waze are both owned by Google and may seem very similar. But given the strong branding and market positioning of Google Maps, most users will opt for this particular navigation app. However, we need to look at both apps in more detail to appreciate what makes each unique.

  • Advertising: Waze displays banner ads every time drivers come to a stop. These ads tend to distract and not to everyone’s tastes. Alternatively, Google Maps takes a more subtle approach by displaying small square icons on the map of businesses that have paid to advertise. 
  • Data collection: Both apps collect a plethora of data about road conditions and traffic events. But Waze relies on user-submitted information, whereas Google Maps taps into a wider pool of information, including historical data.
  • Navigation: Waze always tries to find the most efficient and quickest route to the destination. Alternatively, Google Maps will suggest the most eco-friendly and safest route instead.
  • Public transportation: Waze caters to drivers and not those using public transport. On the other hand, Google Maps greatly helps public transport users, cyclists, hikers, and pedestrians.
  • Road hazard and traffic notifications: An area where Waze truly shines is notifying drivers about upcoming road hazards and traffic. As long as enough users have reported these incidents, Waze will find the best route around them. However, Google Maps seldom provides a similarly time-saving route.
  • User interface (UI) design: Since both apps are Google products, they have good UI design. Waze has a cartoony appearance with a simple UI since it’s aimed primarily at drivers. Google Map’s UI is a bit more complex as it doesn’t only cater to drivers but also businesses. 

Cost Of Development

It’s possible to start creating a compelling navigation app with several core features and the right development partner, such as NS804. Here’s what features you’ll need to have basic functionality:

  • Authorization and user profile: It’s crucial to allow users to log in via their emails and social media accounts. Thus, it’s necessary to implement an integration pipeline with the Facebook SDK and Twitter Kit, at the very least.
  • Camera functionality: The app must work flawlessly with the cameras and file systems on both Android and iOS. Users will want to take photos of traffic incidents and store them on their devices or share them with other users.
  • Chat and user reviews features: Users will want to chat with other users, leave reviews and ratings about rides, and share road trip information with others on social media. All these features will require backend development to store and retrieve data on a server. Additionally, further social media integrations will be necessary.  
  • Geolocation mapping and navigation: Geolocation determines a user’s location, while navigation allows the user to pick the destination. It’s essential to integrate with Apple Maps (iOS only), Google Maps, and Mapbox Maps SDK to make this work.
  • Voice assistant: It’s potentially dangerous for drivers to look at the navigation map while driving. Therefore, it’s better to offer navigation coordinates by voice with API.AI, Google Cloud API, and Google Maps Directions API.

The cost of a basic navigation app with the above features will range between $40,000 and $60,000 and take four to six weeks to develop. But you’ll likely need additional features such as machine learning (ML), ridesharing, planned driver, Spotify, and ad integrations in the long run. As you add these features, expect development costs to reach $150,000 and beyond.

Development And Maintenance Considerations

Developing and maintaining a navigation app is a massive undertaking. After all, it relies heavily on data collection and sharing relevant data in real-time. And it must allow users to post photos of traffic jams and other road incidents. But it must also integrate with social media and a wide range of apps to increase its functionality. 

Then, to drive further engagement, the app may need gamification features. Waze offers a ranking system, incentivizing users to score points and gain a high position on the scoreboard. Thus, users can compare their level and score with their friends and other Waze users.

Since app development is an ongoing process, it won’t be necessary to roll out all features from day one. But it’s crucial to maintain and update the app at a regular cadence for the best results. As we’ve seen with Waze, it was a project that started life over 15 years ago and then gradually introduced new features and partnerships. 

The Bottom Line

Waze is a prime example of how indispensable and life-changing the navigation app is in people’s lives. It’s not cheap to develop and maintain such an app, but it’s a worthwhile endeavor for developers and appreneurs that see the big picture and how lucrative it can be in the long term. Contact NS804 to find out how we can help you develop phenomenal navigation apps that will empower your users.

What You Need Before Developing An Android App

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Developing an android app requires a deep understanding of design and programming. When approaching a new technology or project, it’s advisable to break it down into pieces. If you’re an experienced website developer, many of the techniques (and tools) involved in Android app development will be synonymous with things you already know.

Building mobile apps requires the mastery of more nuanced concepts. Mobile devices have simpler processors, smaller screens, and in the case of android devices, different manufacturers. Developers should keep their codes flexible and account for various user-interface scenarios. So, what does it take to become a qualified or expert android developer?

Here’s what you need before developing your android app.

  1.   Java

Java is the best programming language that underscores Android mobile app development. For those who have gained their programming experiences from languages like Ruby and JavaScript, there can be a learning curve when using the Java programming language for the first time. Like Ruby and JavaScript, Java is object-oriented; but it’s stricter about processing different data types. Developers need to be careful with their codes by defining the different data types, using, and allocating scarce memory resources.

  1.   XML Understanding

XML is a language that defines a set of rules for encoding documents in a format that is human-readable and machine-readable. XML was created as a standard approach to encode data for internet-based mobile applications. The XML is a structured mark-up language that shares many features with HTML including; angled brackets, tag types, and the deep nesting of elements. In short, XML allows information to be conveyed between devices in a manner that can be understood easily.

  1.   Android Software Development Kit SDK

The software development kit SDK may conjure up images of a briefcase packed up with all sorts of spy tools. But in essence, it’s a fancy name for a set of pre-packaged codes. Android SDK is a module of Java code that extends developers access to mobile devices functions and capabilities like accelerometer and camera. One key element of the Android SDK is a library called Gradle. So, let’s say you want to integrate a social media platform like Facebook with your application. To do this, you’d download a code library from Facebook, then tell Gradle you’re using this code so that when your application compiles, your code remains well-organized.

  1.   Android Studio

The integrated development environment for Android developers is the Android Studio. Android Studio is designed on top of the well-respected IntelliJ IDE and comes with great out-of-the-box support for many of the most common software development kits.

Android studio also entails many features and capabilities that developers expect of a fully-fledged IDE environment. For instance, the code completion feature makes auto-complete suggestions as you type. Code debuggers help you review your code to identify sources of error.

  1.   APIs

As an android developer, you will want to interact with many other services. For instance, you may want your users to access a calendar or events sessions from a third-party service provider – or even check the stock market. An android app development company usually offers APIs and will show you exactly how to query them for data in a consistent, secure way. While you’re free to interact with an existing API, Google makes it easy to connect to their APIs using android apps. For instance, you can use Google APIs to monitor the geo-location of your users.

  1.   Database

If your app handles huge amounts of data, most likely the data won’t stay on the device for long. Instead, your app will most likely interact with a database living outside your phone. Cloud services like Parse and Firebase provide simple APIs to host data in the cloud and make it available across different devices. These cloud platforms provide Java libraries to plug in your app, making it easy to cache data on the user’s device.

This synching of data between remote database and local storage is vital if you want your users to use the app while they’re offline. So, before developing an Android app, ensure to have adequate storage. That is achieved by outsourcing cloud services that provide a simple API to secure your app’s data.

How To Become a Better Android Developer?

Becoming an Android developer is easy but being an expert developer who stands from the crowd is difficult. It takes a great deal of passion, dedication, and perseverance to become great at design and programming. So, what do you need to become a better Android developer?

  • Get familiar with android framework internals. It’s advisable to get familiar with Android’s actual framework code. Many developers are afraid of delving right into the Android framework internals. Luckily, it’s amazing how much you can discover how things work.
  • Get over the fear of missing out. Android is quite big. You cannot learn it end-to-end in a month or three months. The more you learn, the more you understand how much you don’t know. As a beginner, it’s perfectly normal to feel that you’re missing out on learning crucial information.
  • Start reading more code. Most developers don’t take the time to read what other developers are writing. Instead, they spend more time writing the codes they already know. The best way to become an Android developer is to read the excellent codes of more experienced developers.
  • Learn more languages. It’s crucial that you learn more programming languages. You need to keep yourself updated with the industry’s happenings rather than confining your thinking to the Android space. Learning more languages and opening your mind to new possibilities will inspire new ideas, open up your perspective, and help you improve your Android development skills significantly.
  • Learn Java design patterns. Learning Java design patterns is crucial in your Android development career. Whenever you’re stuck in solving programming problems, design patterns can be lifesavers. You also need to be on the same page with other designers and programmers so that when they’re talking about using a Decorator, Factory, or Façade pattern, you instantly know what they mean.
  • Contribute to open source. If you have developed a plugin, library, or any other useful piece of code, consider open-sourcing it. There’s much to learn in the process of maintaining your projects or contributing to open source projects. Contributing to open-source is an excellent crash course in open-source development that will exponentially increase your value as a developer.
  • Make your IDE work for you. Start spending more time understanding the integrated design environment you are using: Android studio. The IDE can do much more than you think. There are many cool features hidden in the IDE that most developers don’t even consider. Make it a habit to discover new and better ways of making your tools work for you, thereby improving your productivity and workflow.

 NS804 – Kick-starting Your Android App Development 

Android app development comes with many benefits. Firstly, android app development features higher returns on investments with lower costs; the availability of the Android software development toolkit provides cost savings to individual developers. In addition, Android app development comes with faster deployment cycles, offering a competitive advantage to companies willing to have a quicker go-to-market for new ideas. Other benefits include targeting multiple platforms, versatility, scalability, security, and easy customization.

Contact NS804 for timely android app development solutions.

How to Monetize An App

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There are many routes you can take in mobile app monetization. In this post, we are going to discuss several mobile app monetization strategies and their potential impact on app engagement and growth.

  1.   Paid and free app versions model

One reputable app monetization strategy is to offer both the paid and free versions of your mobile application. With this monetization model, app developers will either limit some of the app’s features in the free application to encourage and compel the free app users to upgrade to the paid version of the app; or even monetize the free app with in-app advertising.

The benefits of this particular monetization strategy are two-fold. On one hand, it provides users with a free option to experience and experiment with the app’s basic functionality at no cost. On the other, it gives the app developer the user base much required for potential monetization via in-app advertising or app upgrades.

  1.   Free app with an in-app purchase model

Another app monetization strategy is in-app purchases. The app and all its basic features are free. However, if the user wants to upgrade in the app faster, for instance, gaining more lives in a gaming application, or enjoying certain premium features in a dating app, they can subscribe to the pay-to-play model.

In some cases, users can still access premium features and functionality without paying a dime. If they’re patient enough to wait for certain features to be unlocked or interact with the app long enough, they can use the app for free. In other cases, such free options may not be available, and the app developers would only make particular things for free, and others would be only attainable through in-app purchases.

  1.   Email lists

Using an email monetization strategy tie-in with your mobile app is a fantastic way to gain engagement from your users, which leads to more money and sales. Why? Well, because people hardly change their email addresses. That makes an email marketing strategy an effective model to ensure people see your content and engage with it. Regular emails also keep you at the forefront of a customer’s mind, making them more likely to purchase from your business.

The average life of a Facebook post is a few hours; a tweet’s lifespan is only over an hour, and an email has an average lifespan of ten days. And the best way to gather all email addresses is to add an email subscription form to your app.

  1.   Free app with a subscription model

Some programmers and developers decide to design free apps with a subscription model. With this strategy, the app is free to download with limited access to certain services and products. This model requires users to opt into a subscription plan to enjoy the full benefits. This app monetization strategy is common among service-oriented apps or content-centric apps such as news apps (Washington Post, New York Times, Gannett, Weather Channel, Financial Times, Wall Street Journal, and The Athletic). The free app with a subscription model makes your app easily discoverable in the app stores when users search for related content. This model is a great monetization strategy to build an initial user base and cultivate this into paid app subscriptions.

  1.   Partnership model

If an app is popular among a certain population, businesses may approach the developer for strategic partnership. This partnership comes through sponsorship opportunities to put brands, products, and services in the eyes of app users.

So, when you’re planning for the next app to build, think about the target user base the app may appeal to and the type of brands or companies that might be interested in your app’s user base. If the user base is large enough, monetization through partnership, brand sponsorship, and acquisition could be a great option.

  1.   Paid app model

In some cases, developers will make their apps available only in the paid version. Usually, these apps offer unique value that’s hard to find anywhere. This strategy is most common among productivity apps.

If you take this route, the mobile app you create must offer exceptional value and unique functionality that meets certain user needs. Otherwise, you may find a hard time building the user base to generate revenue for your new app.

  1.   Transactional apps

If you own an invoicing or a financial app, one easy way to monetize it is to charge a service or transaction fee. As digital marketplaces expand and continue to grow, this strategy has also grown in its application. There are several ways the transactional model can be useful than just in the financial apps where customers are charged for making a transaction.

This model has potential advantages in any e-commerce app (product and service marketplaces alike). Common apps that use this model include wholesale and retail marketplaces, hotel booking apps, travel apps, and e-learning marketplaces. So, if you opt for the service fee strategy, ensure to charge a reasonable percentage of the entire transaction. Alternatively, you can set a flat rate that favors most consumers. Either way, you stand to monetize your app most effectively.

  1.   Creating strong code

Perhaps the most important but often overlooked app monetization strategy is creating a strong code. If you develop your unique code from scratch and it proves to be successful, businesses and brands may approach you and offer to reskin your app for their purposes.

By licensing your app to other developers, you can make money without disturbing or disrupting your users’ experiences. For instance, the popular mobile game Temple Run was re-skinned to Temple Run Oz as a film. Other games that have been re-skinned to films include: Die Hard Arcade, Bionic Commando, Tecmo Cup Soccer Game, and Black Belt US.

Another thing to consider with code-sharing is your own app’s endgame. After your brand or business has gotten enough value from the app and is preparing to delve into the next stage, you can sell it as a whole to a new buyer who is willing to use your existing framework to create their app. Luckily, there are many ways of doing this, like using Apptopia which is a popular site for buying and selling mobile apps.

In addition, white labeling your app is analogous to selling it as a whole – without selling off your IP. The only problem here is that there will inevitably be multiple versions of your code in the marketplace. Regardless, you will be sure to make money by saving other developers from having to develop the code from scratch. All it takes is for your app to be initially constructed out of a strong, desirable source code.

NS804 – Honing Your App Monetization Strategy

Creating an awesome mobile app for your brand is not the endgame. Although customers can interact with the app and learn more about your business, there’s something else you can do to make your app work for you: monetize it. Before you monetize, you need to find a monetization strategy that works best for you. To access superior mobile app development solutions, feel free to visit NS804 for inquiries.

How to Develop a Fitness App

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The fitness app market is set to hit $14.7 billion in value by 2026. The market is currently seeing a Cumulative Annual Growth Rate of 23%. Although there are quite some big players in the market, there is still room for competitors to enter the market with a different value proposition. Customers in the market are open to a subscription model if they feel that they are getting premium features from an app. The development costs for a fitness app can be quite steep given the advanced features now present in the most popular apps. If you are planning to develop a fitness app for the mass market, here are a few basic steps you will follow.

Researching the Fitness App Market

The fitness market is filled with apps that offer different value points for users. Activity apps monitor all the physical activity a user engages in during the day and aggregates it. It can track progress over time and generate reports. The user can see improvements made in lengths of physical activity, body measurements and so on.

There are diet and nutrition apps to help users monitor their food habits. Users can use such apps to monitor calorie intake as they try to hit weight loss or weight gain goals. The apps can help users develop meal plans and grocery shopping lists so that they add variety to their healthy diets.

Finally, there are workout apps, mostly developed by trainers. These apps have a variety of curated workouts that a user can access from anywhere. The app acts as a personal trainer and helps users progress over time to longer and more complex workouts.

What’s the Goal of Market Research?

The goal of market research is to help decide the kind of fitness app you’d like to develop. For instance, if you want to develop a diet and nutrition app, you must conduct an analysis of the existing solutions in the market. Make a list of at least a dozen of such apps that are in the market. On a spreadsheet, list their monetization model, their user numbers on both Android and iOS and average ratings. Read through their reviews and find what users like most for each app and what they complain most about. This analysis will help you decide what gap your app will seek to fill in the market.

An example of an area where apps compete is the level of integration with other apps, especially social ones. While some apps try to build a community of fitness enthusiasts within the app’s ecosystem, others make it easy to share activities with people away from the app.

Minimum Viable Product

The product of your market research will be a list of your proposed app’s main features and business case. What should your app offer to users? Which monetization model will you use? What is the persona of your target audience?

At this stage, you can engage a business analyst to help review your proposal and see whether your idea can withstand scrutiny from a business expert. Such analysis is important before committing money into the development phase. Internal enthusiasm about a project can often lead to confirmation bias whereby you look just for evidence that suggests your idea will work. Getting an external party to review helps provide a more balanced analysis of the idea.

Hiring a Development Team

The developer costs will form the bulk of the app’s development budget. Developer costs vary with the location of the development team. Software engineers in North America charge upwards of $100 per hour, while Asian developers can charge four times less. However, you must be careful about hiring an experienced team. You might prefer hiring an external project manager to help recruit the team as well as track the progress.

Inception Phase

Once the team is in place, the first step of development will be determining the scope of work in detail. This will help develop a project roadmap and an expected date of completion. At this point, you will be able to estimate the development budget based on hours of work.

A technical writer will put down the project’s scope of work against which the work will be reviewed upon completion. This includes how each page should look and work.

Design and Coding

Your business analyst should help prepare the technical documentation to hand to the project team with the scope of work well recorded. The development team will begin with developing UI/UX wireframes for review. This could take several weeks up to a month to complete. Wireframing is important to ensure that the UI/UX is consistent with the brand’s colors and fonts. Once these are ready, the coding can begin.

The coding involves the development of the app’s frontend as well as backend. The backend carries the functionalities of the app including user logins, payments processing, geolocation tracking, notifications and more. This could take months although there should be weekly or check-ins with the project manager to give updates on development progress.

Testing and Debugging your Fitness App

A fitness app is complex owing to the numerous features it normally has. The testing phase is thus important and could take several weeks. Performance testing is necessary to ensure the app does not drain battery inefficiently across the various devices users will install it. The app should also pass a memory analysis test so that it does not crash by being unable to clear heap memory. Security vulnerability tests are also necessary to ensure the app can withstand brute force attacks and that there is no data leakage. Functional testing of the app checks whether all features are working correctly across all hardware devices where the app might be used. The app should be able to do all that it should, but it should not do what it is not designed to do.

Publicity, Reviews, and Marketing

It’s important to have a marketing plan for your fitness app. One way to do this is to invite opinion leaders in the fitness app to test the app before launch. You should also have a website from where people can visit and read up on expected app features and pricing. You can also share thoughts that informed the development process, including the gap it seeks to fall.

App Store Listing and Categorization

Publishing your app in various stores is an intricate process that should be approached carefully. You should include proper descriptions, categorization, and screenshots when submitting it for publishing. Proper information is important for App Store Optimization to enable users to find your app easily. Apple Store has a long review process before approving the app for publishing. Account for this in time planning.

Once the app is available for download, make sure to have download links available everywhere, including on your social media handles and your website’s landing page.

Conclusion

Developing a fitness app should be the result of deep research and identification of a gap to fill in the market. The development should begin only after a business case for your app has been justified by an analyst. You must pick the right development team based on your budget but also their experience. An external project manager might help track the project progress better than you can internally. Once the coding is done, the app must be tested for both performance and functionality. It’s important to have an elaborate roadmap of the publishing and marketing process for the app.

If would like assistance in developing an app for your business, check out NS804. We’ve partnered with clients for over 6 years to help them make the best development decisions for their businesses.

What Should You Know About Your App Analytics?

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It’s now a lie that the growth of your social media app depends only on the value you bring to your customers. Today, more than ever, many factors determine app performance. These factors include: complexity, design, app testing, butterfly effect, and the list is endless. So, developers are careful about how they view and assess their apps. Therefore, without knowing how your clients react to different marketing strategies and which acquisition channels work best for them, you’ll never be 100% sure of how to make your app increase traction. Today, using app analytics yields countless possibilities and endless insight. However, there are special benefits that stand out.

Here’s What You Should Know About App Analytics

  1. App Analytics Drive ROI in Every Aspect of Performance

Millions of apps on the stores are competing for customer attention and better visibility. In this cut-throat contest, you can’t afford to have an acquisition strategy that lacks monetary goals. Marketing costs huge money. As such, you need to measure how much different channels deliver and compare with different acquisition strategies to determine what results in the best ROI. A winning app analytics strategy includes the following two points.

  • Looking at which channels offer the best customer lifetime value. Customer lifetime value LTV is calculated by customers generating higher revenue and higher possibility for retention.
  • A focus on in-app messaging. Hearing from prospects who have the power to connect to your employees at any time throughout your app experience is helpful to improving your strategy.

  1. App Analytics Help You Gather Accurate Data to Better Serve Your Customer

It’s hard to listen and serve your clients without looking keenly at their feedback and use patterns. Thus, app analytics help you to gain insight into customer data to serve them across all lifecycle stages. Many apps suffer the unfortunate fate of gathering a bulk of followers and failing to serve their needs adequately.

  1. Personalized, Customer-Focused Marketing

Creating an individually targeted and customized customer experience is now possible with app analytics. Customer-targeted push messages sent to specific people can make your app double its rates in a short time. It also converts up to three times better than traditional push messages.

  1. Tracking Individual and Group Achievements

Most app marketers rely on marketing strategies they’ve experienced before to drive results. But, using app analytics gives you a whole new set of customer data. Now, more than ever, app marketers can gain insight around small groups and individuals completing specific, directed activities within the app. What’s more, the possibility of using this knowledge is endless.

  1. Data-driven Results in Issues Concerning Retention

There’s a lot of buzz concerning customer retention these days. However, you can’t have a strong app engagement score if you don’t have many customers using your app regularly. The bottom line is that apps with higher retention rates enjoy better engagement, and more engagement and retention helps the app to gain customers and achieve growth. The most successful apps use analytics by focusing on high life time value customers and acquisition channels. In addition, app analytics close the gap between churn and retention.

Bottom Line

App analytics work in your social media background to enhance your app marketing efforts. It helps you achieve better growth and higher ROI. The above benefits paint a picture of how helpful app analytics is in today’s marketing space. And now, with NS804, you can create a social media app and collect app analytics in just a few clicks.

 

A Quick Intro To iOS App Development

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Many aspiring appreneurs need to have an understanding of iOS app development. Fortunately, Apple has made it relatively easy for novices and experts to develop for their key platforms. With powerful tools such as Xcode and the Swift programming language, there’s never been a better time to create unique apps for iOS.

1. The Many Faces Of iOS App Development

While the Apple ecosystem may be pretty cohesive, this isn’t necessarily true for app development. And what we mean by this is that there’s no one-size-fits-all approach to developing apps for iOS. Quite frankly, this isn’t a bad thing, as developers often require more than one toolchain or methodology to complete their projects.

Now, for most projects, Apple’s proprietary Xcode IDE and Swift programming language are good enough. And this is especially true if you plan on developing native-only iOS apps. Furthermore, utilizing Apple’s development tools and closely following their guidelines will allow you to create high-quality and performance-oriented apps, which would be difficult to achieve using third-party or cross-platform tools.

But what if you’re a small team with a limited budget that wants to support both iOS and Android? Then, you have two options that you should consider carefully. Option one: develop the native iOS app in-house and seek the assistance of a professional studio, such as NS804, to handle native development for the Android version. And option two: use a cross-platform framework such as React Native or Xamarin to develop for both platforms entirely in-house. We firmly believe that you’ll achieve better results with the first option.

2. Beyond The Standard Toolchain

As we mentioned earlier, Xcode and Swift will suffice for most purposes. However, your iOS app development needs may vary, and you may require an additional or more powerful toolchain. Perhaps, you’ve decided to create an augmented reality (AR) app or a mobile game. And then, quickly discover that Xcode isn’t the most efficient tool for the job. What then?

Luckily, there’s no shortage of excellent frameworks and game engines to help you achieve your goals. One of the most popular solutions for developing AR, VR, and mobile games is Unity. And if you require the best possible visual fidelity, you may want to consider Unreal Engine. But do keep in mind that both engines are bloated and heavy on system resources, especially Unreal. So, if your project doesn’t require the latest 3D rendering techniques and particle systems, then you’re better served elsewhere.

For example, if you’re developing a simple 2D game, you may want to use an open-source framework, such as MonoGame. This framework offers developers the bare-essential functionality and integrations with APIs to make fun games for iOS and several other platforms. But if you require a full-fledged engine that’s also lightweight and open-source, then consider Godot. A key benefit of Godot is that it regularly receives updates and optimizations from its vibrant developer community.

3. Understanding APIs And Why They Are Necessary

For better or worse, APIs (Application Programming Interfaces) are essential components in developing apps. Fortunately, Apple’s APIs are among the best in the industry and help make the development process a lot easier.

But what exactly is an API, and why should you care? In a nutshell, an API acts as a messenger or intermediary between various hardware components and software instructions. We may have an API that generates graphics on the screen based on draw calls in a computer program. And we may also have an API that transfers user data from a smartphone to a server. Thus, developers can accomplish various complex tasks, as these APIs handle most of the heavy lifting.

APIs bring forth many obvious cost and time-saving benefits, and you should use them when necessary. Apple has wisely introduced several useful APIs that every iOS developer should familiarize themselves with:

  • Apple Music API – Geared towards apps that require data about albums, artists, chart rankings, music videos, playlists, ratings, reviews, songs, and user-generated content. Also, developers may utilize Apple Music API when creating Android apps and websites.
  • Metal – An API that facilitates 3D rendering and data-parallel calculations by utilizing the GPUs (Graphics Processing Units) on Apple devices. It’s used extensively for games, visual-oriented apps, and extensive scientific calculations.
  • StoreKit – For developers that need to support in-app purchases in their apps. StoreKit also integrates with Ad Network Attribution, Apple Music, and Recommendations and Reviews in the App Store.
  • SwiftUI – A powerful and developer-friendly UI (User Interface) suite, which uses AppKit and UIKit. It allows developers to create modern-looking apps with as little code as possible.

4. The Bare Minimum Requirements For iOS App Development

It’s essential to own at least one Apple Mac computer, which you’ll use to develop your iOS app. Preferably, it should be a recent model for quicker compile times and better compatibility with newer versions of Xcode. You should also own at least one iPhone and iPad to test your app on, even though Xcode provides a simulator. As good as the simulator may be, it’s always good practice to test your app on actual hardware.

After you download Xcode, take the time to familiarize yourself with the integrated development environment (IDE). And if you have prior experience with Objective-C or a similar programming language, the transition to Swift should be easy. But developing for iOS isn’t just about learning Swift, as you’ll also need to comprehend the iOS Software Development Kit (SDK). This SDK consists of several APIs and frameworks, which are essential for your app development journey.

You’ll also want to register an Apple Developer account and become a member of the Developer Program. A key benefit of joining this program is that you’ll gain access to resources that will help you with deployment. Furthermore, you may want to sign up for the Xcode Cloud, a continuous integration and delivery (CI/CD) service. Xcode Cloud will allow you to automate your workflow, build in the cloud, and initiate parallel testing.

5. Become Acquainted With The App Store

As an appreneur, you’ll eventually release your app on the App Store, as that’s where your potential customers congregate. But before you launch, you’ll need to understand the ins and outs of the App Store for maximum success. You’ll need to research your target audience and craft an app and marketing message to appeal to these users.

And if you’re releasing on both the App Store and Google Play, you’ll need to understand the differences between these two stores. After all, you’re dealing with two different audiences that have very different expectations. iOS users tend to earn higher incomes and are more willing to pay for apps that show promise. Android users, on the other hand, prefer free apps that are mostly monetized by ads.

Final Thoughts

iOS app development can be fun and very rewarding with the right approach. In most cases, you’ll want to utilize Apple’s proprietary tools, such as Xcode and iOS Software Development Kit (SDK). But you can always integrate an additional toolchain when necessary. Contact us today to learn how NS804 can help you create phenomenal iOS apps.

How To Create An E-Commerce App Like Wish

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Popular online shopping marketplaces such as Wish have taken the world by storm. And it’s easy to understand why that is, given that users can find the cheapest deals on the most popular and bizarre items available. Below, we briefly cover what you should consider implementing when creating an app similar to Wish.

1. Why You Should Build An E-Commerce Platform

The business landscape is in constant flux, and enterprises need to innovate to stay relevant. And much of that innovation will come from businesses that embrace a customer-first and data-first approach. Moreover, these will be entities that are agile and can scale quickly with increasing customer demand.

But what type of enterprise can adapt and evolve with changing market conditions? Well, in the current pandemic era, e-commerce platforms have not only shown resilience but are rapidly becoming the preferred avenue for purchasing goods and services. As there’s still much economic uncertainty and governments may continue to impose restrictions and lockdowns, brick-and-mortar businesses face many challenges that online enterprises can avoid.

2. What Makes Wish So Special?

Wish is a popular e-commerce platform, which was founded in 2010 by Danny Zhang and Piotr Szulczewski. The platform has enjoyed phenomenal growth and managed to generate $1.9 billion in 2019. It managed to do this by becoming the go-to app for shoppers looking for ultra-cheap items. These items include children’s pajamas, t-shirts, watches, sneakers, sex toys, and knockoffs of branded goods, to name a few. Wish doesn’t actually stock these but allows sellers to list these items in its marketplace.

A large segment of Wish’s users tends to be low-income shoppers and wholesalers seeking the cheapest deals on popular items. However, due to its growing popularity, it has also attracted bargain hunters from more affluent backgrounds. Another reason why Wish has gained attention is how items are promoted on Facebook and Instagram. Some of the most eye-catching and strangest products gain precedence with Wish’s algorithm, ultimately attracting bewildered and curious users.

3. Create A Mobile-First Experience For Users

So, you’ve decided to move ahead with development by building an app similar to Wish. However, you must understand that Wish is significantly different from other e-commerce platforms such as Amazon. Instead of utilizing a search bar to help users find products, an infinite feed of items plays a central role. Not only does this work well on mobile devices, given users’ propensity to scroll down, but mimics the experience of browsing for goods in a shopping mall, where there’s always the possibility of discovering obscure and unique items.

4. Add Gamification And Regularly Offer Discounts

It’s not just the great deals that keep users plugged into the Wish ecosystem but also its fun factor. Wish’s developers took a cue from the casual mobile gaming space and implemented a spin wheel mini-game that unlocks limited-time deals. Furthermore, users are incentivized with further discounts via popup notifications if they add specific items to their carts.

In Conclusion

Wish has gradually become a popular marketplace for bargain hunters and wholesalers seeking popular and strange items. If you want to tap into a flourishing market, then consider building an e-commerce platform. Contact us today to learn how NS804 can help you create powerful mobile apps that drive a growing and sustainable business.

10 Features To Include In App Updates To Boost Growth

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Every appreneur should be utilizing app updates to keep their applications relevant. Users quickly lose interest in apps that aren’t maintained, and there are many good reasons for this.

For one, it shows that the developer no longer cares about their app by allowing it to languish. Secondly, an app that hasn’t been updated in a long time is a potential security risk. And thirdly, the app no longer evolves with users’ needs, which leads to its irrelevancy. So, if you care about app usage growth, include these 10 features in your upcoming updates.

1. How to Use Ads To Increase App Usage Growth

Mobile ads are a powerful tool in the arsenal of an appreneur if implemented correctly. Very likely, your audience isn’t particularly fond of ads, as these often negatively impact the end-user experience. Moreover, there’s always a risk that you’ll lose users if your ads annoy them. And with 25 percent of mobile apps abandoned after being used once, you should take extra care with ads.

Focus on app usage growth by incentivizing your audience when delivering ads, which are relevant to them. For example, if you’ve released a mobile game, ensure that your ads don’t ruin flow by appearing at short intervals. It’s better to space your ads out and then reward users with additional in-game coins or experience points (XP) to help them progress. With such a strategy, users will watch more ads and engage more with your app.

2. Why Users Want App Updates To Offer Offline Access

Your latest productivity app may boast powerful features that rely on a cloud backend. And you may have heavily invested in this backend architecture to make your app function as efficiently as possible. However, it would be shortsighted if users can only make the most of your app if they need to be constantly online.

Keep in mind that many of your users have limited bandwidth and can’t always be online or be in an area with poor connectivity. Furthermore, many users will appreciate having the ability to get work done while being offline. Consider those traveling by plane that may not have the opportunity to go online for several hours. 

3. How To Make The UI More User-Friendly

When you roll out app updates, ensure that you’re regularly improving your app’s user interface (UI). Always look at ways to simplify the interface with a clean look that makes it easy for users to navigate. Then, keep all UI elements and typography consistent throughout the app. And implement colors and textures strategically to facilitate smooth navigation and highlight important features. Finally, make it easy for users to adjust settings and revert to default settings as quickly as possible.

4. Why App Updates Should Include More Security Features

With the deluge of data breaches happening lately, users have become increasingly concerned about app security. That’s why it’s vital to keep all your applications maintained by regularly rolling out app updates with patches and security features. Always stay current on the latest vulnerabilities affecting mobile platforms and devices, and respond quickly with fixes. Moreover, listen to user feedback and analyze crash reports to detect any app instability or peculiar behavior.

5. How To Boost App Usage Growth With Built-In Save Features

Having robust save features is essential for all modern apps, so never skimp on this. Ensure that all your apps can easily save manually and that users can quickly locate the ‘save’ button. Better yet, implement autosave functionality, as it’s common for users to forget to save. Also, allow users to save on the cloud, which is especially handy for those using multiple devices.

Implementing these powerful built-in save features will make your app indispensable to users. Moreover, they facilitate loyalty to your app and drive further app usage growth. And within an enterprise environment, these save features will solidify your app’s reputation as a professional package.

6. Why App Updates Need To Focus On New OS Features

Platform holders such as Apple and Google want developers to utilize the latest OS features. After all, taking advantage of these features helps enhance security, improves the user experience (UX), and unlocks additional power and features available in newer devices. More importantly, this stance from the platform holders entices developers to maintain their apps.

So, when developers ask themselves what app updates are supposed to accomplish, they should consider new OS features. And, also consider which updates they need to roll out and how often.

7. How To Choose App Update Ideas From Reviews

One of the benefits of nurturing a growing user base is that users will often leave reviews about your app. You’ll receive positive and negative feedback, and both are equally valuable. And sometimes, users may even give you new ideas that you can implement for upcoming app updates.

For example, you may have released an app that helps users quickly compile to-do lists. But these lists are exclusively text-based, and users are now clamoring for the ability to add emojis and images. So, this presents you with the golden opportunity to add these features in the next update.

8. Why You Should Look At New Competitor Features

Users are always trying out new apps and making comparisons with those they use regularly. If a new app comes with powerful features that aren’t available in existing solutions, users will inevitably make the switch to the newer app. Therefore, you should always be eyeing the competition to see if they’re implementing features that excite users. And if this is happening, then you should respond by rolling out equivalent features immediately.

9. How To Increase App Usage Growth By Adding More Personalization Settings

You could be deliberating whether to update an existing app or create an entirely new app. And it’s easy to run into this dilemma, especially when an app isn’t performing well. However, it may still have plenty of life left after receiving a visual facelift and additional personalization settings.

Many users love personalizing their apps so that they fit in with their tastes and personalities. So make it easy for them to change colors, textures, and typography. And give users total control over how notifications should appear, as some users find pop-up notifications annoying. 

10. Why Include A Guest Account In App Updates

You may want users to sign up when using your app for the first time, but this isn’t always a good idea. Most users don’t want to provide their email and other personal details if they’re unsure that they’ll use your app long-term. Moreover, they’ll likely uninstall your app if a login screen is the first thing they see after running it.

A better strategy is to allow users to test out your app before asking them to sign up. So, provide users with a guest account in your next update. Offering them a ‘no strings attached’ option will drive up app usage growth if your app lives up to expectations.

In Conclusion

App updates can be powerful when rolled out correctly. It’s always important to release meaningful updates, which patch up security vulnerabilities, improve usability, and introduce features requested by users, to name a few. Contact us today to learn how NS804 can help you develop and maintain amazing apps.